Posts tagged blogger
Blog! You Can Do It!
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You might say I shouldn’t have two exclamation points in my title. Well, I’m going for emphasis here, so I think it’s appropriate. In discussions with other writers, I encounter some who wonder if they should be blogging. Deep down, they know they should. There’s no better way to showcase their writing and have an online presence. But, most don’t want to spend a lot of time and/or money on it. Some are “technologically challenged” and are just plain afraid to try.
The purpose of this post is to show you some writer blogs that are (1) FREE and (2) done by writers who are admittedly not tech-savvy. I’ve limited my examples to Blogger and WordPress. Each writer created his or her own blog using free designs provided by the blog service. Some are customized with options included in their free design, but none of the blogs listed below was tinkered with by anyone other than the author.
Blogger:
- Sue Tornai’s Reflections of God’s Glory (free Blogger design).
- My book review blog, Tennessee Christian Reader (free design with header modifications included in the free design).
- The Stream’s Edge by Jeanne Doyon (uses free design and custom components provided with the design).
- Kentucky Christian Writers Conference blog (free design, static pages added).
WordPress:
- Pat Rowland’s Prayerful Ponderings (Using the custom header feature in her free design, Pat uploaded a photo that her son provided).
- Deborah Hemstreet’s Hope for the Hope-Challenged (Uses a free template from TemplateLite.com).
- Sue Tornai has two WordPress blogs: Kid Konnection (free WordPress design) and Pathways to Publication (using the same basic design as Pat Rowland’s but with one of the standard photos in the custom header).
- My devotional blog: Devojournal (free WordPress Theme).
If you have a blog that uses a free service and has not been extensively customized, I will happily publish your link in the future. The writers included in this post responded to my invitation on Christian Writers Fellowship International online group. If you sent me a link and your blog is not shown, I’m saving it for a later post. E-mail me at akinemily@gmail.com or post a comment on this post to send me the link to your blog.
Next week, I’ll show you how to have your blog and your website in all in one. Meanwhile, if you aren’t blogging, you need to get started. Here’s some how-to information:
Blogging: Choosing Your Tools
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The recent Blog4Writers survey indicated that Blog4writers readers most want marketing articles. A couple of commenters wanted to know more about blogging. Since promotion is a component of marketing, and blogging is a method of promotion, I’m sharing my blogging joys and frustrations today.
First, you must decide on your blogging tool. There are plenty of options, but WordPress is my favorite. I started by first blog on Blogger, but after experimenting with both, I chose WordPress. Back in 2008, I shared my evaluation of the two. Both have offered many upgrades since then.
Both Blogger and WordPress are free. I recommend that you look at this “Pros and Cons” article on RemindBlog.com. For those of you who don’t mind a little technical language, here’s an analysis comparing the two on Pulsed.com.
Whether you’re thinking of starting a blog or re-thinking an existing one, you need to ask yourself these questions.
Which is easier to use/learn? Well, that’s like asking how big your doghouse needs to be. It depends whether dog is a Chihuahua or a St. Bernard. If you are proficient with word processors and have some Web expertise, you should be OK with either. However, if you’re shaky on your skills, I think Blogger is easier to learn. There are number of tutorials onlne. Here’s a good one. However, if you are more confident with your Web skills, WordPress offers more design options and a few other features that give your blog a more professional look.
Do you want a unique design? I think many new bloggers get too concerned about the design. It’s the content that matters. Whatever design you choose, it should not be so busy or elaborate that it detracts from the purpose of the blog, which is—your writing. Blogger and WordPress both offer design variety and customization, although WordPress offers many more options than Blogger. To get a unique custom design, you will have to hire a designer on either platform.
Do you plan to upgrade to a self-hosted (paid) blog in the future? If you’re committed to blogging for the long term, I say, “Start with WordPress.” The same skills you learn for your free WordPress site on WordPress.com will transfer to the paid version that can be downloaded from WordPress.org. Transferring your content from WordPress.com to a self-hosted site is much easier. You can also keep your design if you want.
And finally, a confession: The main reason I chose to use WordPress and graduated to a self-hosted WordPress site was that I wanted to model my blog/site on that of Jim Watkins, one of my favorite Christian authors. I’ve learned and lot, but I still feel borderline incompetent sometimes. It’s a lot like walking a tightrope without a net.
Whatever you decide about your methods, concentrate on content. It’s easy to get engrossed design and structure, wasting time that could be spent writing.
Next week’s post will be “Blogging: Measuring Success.”
Bio
Emily M. Akin is a freelance writer, blogger, editor, and marketing consultant. She holds bachelor’s degrees in music and organizational communications and a Master of Business Administration degree. She has been writing for the Christian market since 1999, and her work has appeared in numerous Christian periodicals including The Upper Room, The Secret Place, HomeLife, Mature Living, The Lookout, Vista, and Mature Years. She is a regular contributor to Hometown Magazine of the Ken-Tenn Area. For a list of publishing credits, see About page.
In recent years, Akin has taught an online course entitled “Marketing Your Services” for The Christian PEN (Proofreaders and Editors Network), an online network for Christian proofreaders and editors. She has also led workshops on marketing for Kentucky Christian Writers Conference on occasion. Besides having worked in insurance sales, she has done marketing-related work for local non-profits. businesses, and Kentucky Christian Writers Conference.
Blogger vs. WordPress
0For my first blog, I chose Blogger because I knew someone who used it, and I thought it would be easy to get help from my friend if the Help file was not adequate.
I’ve noticed many other writers like WordPress or Typepad. My primary criterion was that the blog service be free. Next, I wanted it to be easy to use…”intuitive” in Geek-speak. Typepad costs, or at least it did when I was doing my evaluation, so I didn’t even consider trying it.
I’ve decided to stay with Blogger after experimenting with WordPress. Although WordPress does have features that Blogger doesn’t, I think Blogger is easier to use and has more features that I want for my purposes. There’s plenty of help available through the regular Help channel and there’s a blog on using Blogger, too.
I’ve done some research on what others think about this subject. Here’s some info that helped me make my decision.
http://pulsed.blogspot.com/2007/07/blogger-wordpress-chart.html
http://www.jonbishop.org/2008/05/blogger-vs-wordpress/
Many writers are using blogs in lieu of a Web site to promote their work. I’m not sure it’s a good substitute, but it’s working for some people.
