Starting a blog is a great idea. They can be really fun and enjoyable from day one. Often times blogs can be created with minimal monetary investment (how does $0 sound?) and almost no commitment on your part. If you write every day, great. If you write every day for a week and never do so again that is just fine too. Your blog can always be deleted if you no longer find it worth your while.
Blogs can also help supplement your income if you chose to monetize them. It is amazing how advertising works, but people will pay you to place links on your site in the hope that someone will click on it and generate a sale for them. This can be a win-win-win for you, the customer, and the advertiser since you get a little money, the customer gets the product or service they were looking for, and the advertiser finds the customer they are seeking to serve.
There are many very good resources out there on how to start a blog. Here are a few points I have found were particularly useful for me:
1. Choose a topic to write about that interest you. If you do this that means that you will always (well, not always - but most of the time) be willing to write something. If you like personal finance, start a personal finance blog. If you like parenting, start a parenting blog. If you political, religious, have a green thumb, like gadgets, or are totally into celebrities there will always be tons and tons for you to write about because there is always something going on in these areas.
2. Pick a blogging software that you feel most comfortable with. The major players are WordPress (http://www.wordpress.com), Blogger (http:///www.blogger.com), and TypePad (http://www.typepad.com). Each of these websites offers to let you start a blog on their domain for free - which can be a really nice way to get your feet wet in the blogging world without having to spend any money.
3. Read other blogs. There is so much to learn about blogging and one of the best ways to do that is to read other blogs. I would highly recommend reading blogs from a large section of the internet, not just your own particular niche. That way you can get many different perspectives and hear many different voices. You will be surprised how much you can learn from other people.
4. Make friends. Blogs can be very social and taking advantage of that aspect can really help you stick with it. Get to know other bloggers by leaving comments, engaging in discussions, and letting your opinions be heard. Another good way to do this is to link to other bloggers posts. This lets them know that you appreciate the content they create and that you are on friendly terms with them. If you also comment on their blogs you will definitely make a good impression on them, opening the door to being a blogging 'friend.'
Give blogging a whirl. It is fun and enjoyable way to interact in the online world. You probably have ideas that can enrich the lives of those lucky enough to find your site and if your content enriches enough lives people will keep coming back to you to find exactly what you provide them. It is a great feeling know that you have a voice and your voice is heard.
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