Internet Niche Lab Blog

by Joe Cheray

You keep hearing about blogs and that there are those who blog to have fun while others blog to make money. You want to try your hand at blogging but you aren’t sure how to get started or where to go to do it. Furthermore you wouldn’t even know what you want to blog about. When sitting down to determine if blogging is right for you you need to decide the following factors.

You should first determine your focus for blogging. Will you blog about your life just to have a point of reference as to where you have been,what you have done, and have something to share with just close friends and family? Do you have a craft that you have perfected and have decided it is time to put it out there so that people can see what an artisan that you have become? Or do you want to go for the gusto and make a serious living from blogging? The best way to really get a clear picture of what you envision is to sit down with old fashioned pen and paper and just brainstorm and free write ideas as they pop into your head. I would like to mention tho that you really take time to do this process so you do not do what I did at first. I just put something up and took a haphazard approach to keeping it going. I mean hey if your going to blog make it a blog you want to come to every day.Or at the very least from time to time throughout the week.

Then, you should figure out realistically how many times a week you want to post. If your blogging to get your name out there for business or to get your name out there for your craft the rule of thumb is three posts a week. That get’s you going in the search engines as well as creates authority towards you in the eyes of your visitors. If your just casually blogging then at least make an effort to post once a week.

Finally you need to decide if you want to go with a free blogging site like Blogger or Word Press free or if you want to buy a domain and get self hosted Word Press. Again when your making this choice really put some thought into it. If your a business owner, rather it be a home based craft business or a small brick and mortar sandwich shop you need to weigh these options even more carefully. One thing to mention is that you need to choose hosting carefully if you decide that a self hosted Word Press blog is what you want to do. The reason I say this is that you need to find a price and plan that fits your needs. Now I recommend always going for the mid range package that is offered. That does one thing for you in that it allows for growth as your blog progresses. There are several other things too that I will mention at a later time.

I hope that this has given you food for thought and that I will someday come across your blog. Have a Great Day!

About the Author: Joe Cheray is the web mistress for Wildheart’s Web 2.0 and has five years of experience in Paint Shop Pro. She hosts a design chat on Wednesday evenings in the Lab at 8 PM EST. You can also find her at the Small Business Referral Network and Home Based Preneurs.

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