Aliza Risdahl - The Everything Blogging Book: Publish Your Ideas, Get Feedback, And Create Your Own Worldwide Network

THE

Blogging Book

Dear Reader,

Ive been publishing online since the early 1990sthat is, right before the Web made its public debut. From the moment I created my first Web site in 1994, I was hooked. Part of the appeal of writing and communicating on the Web was the ability to be in total control of the global publishing and distribution of my words. I was also attracted to the immediate way people could respond to my writing, launching discussions with people around the world.

Despite my early adoption of the Web, I actually was a latecomer to blogging. I put up my first official blog in 2003 but quickly established several more blogs when I discovered the simplicity of blog publishing, a relief even for an experienced Web developer like me. Blogging embodies the best aspects of the Webcommunication, community, and connection. Blogging is all about communication, and to do it, you can access a variety of easy blog-publishing tools. If you have something to say, even if you lack Web programming skills, you could set up a blog right now and be blogging in minutes. I believe that everybody should have at least one blog. Once you learn more about blogging, Im sure youll agree !

Sincerely,

Editorial

Production

Visit the entire Everything Series atwww.everything.com

THE

BLOGGING
BOOK

Publish your ideas, get feedback,
and create your own worldwide network

Aliza Sherman Risdahl

To my husband, Greg, my mom and dad, my sister,
and all my blogging friends

Copyright 2006, F+W Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

An Everything Series Book.
Everything and everything.com are registered trademarks of F+W Publications, Inc.

Published by Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com
ISBN 10: 1-59337-589-1
ISBN 13: 978-1-59337-589-8 Printed in the United States of America.

J I H G F E D C B A.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Risdahl, Aliza Sherman.
The everything blogging book / Aliza Sherman Risdahl.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-59337-589-1
1.BlogsDesign. 2. BlogsManagement. I. Title.

TK5105.8884.R57 2006
006.7dc22
2006013598

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the
American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases. For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.

Special thanks to Jacky Sach at Bookends, LLC; Gina Chaimanis, Kate Powers, Lisa Laing, and Rachel Engelson at Adams Media; America Online, Inc.; Christine and the Blogger Support Team; Denise Paolucci, Lead Community Manager, LiveJournal.com; Adam Ostrow, Cofounder of MindSay Interactive; Tripod and Jamie Riehle, Group Product Manager, Web Publishing, Lycos, Inc.; Kristine, Laura, and the TypePad Support Team; Xanga; Cathy Kirkman, partner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and publisher of the Silicon Valley Media Law Blog (www.svmedialaw.com); Steven H. Robinson; Mark G. Anderson, Esq. of MasurLaw; the BlogPulse team at Intelliseek; Toby Bloomberg, President, Bloomberg Marketing and author of Diva Marketing Blog; Charles Chapman; Chandler Howell, Managing Director, Qorvis Communications; Greg Risdahl; Jan Schoenmakers, Edelman Silicon Valley; Mike Sherman; and Tom Taulli.

To express yourself

To publish online easily and quickly

To market somethingespecially yourself

To establish yourself as an expert

To conduct research

To build an informational resource for others

To connect with like-minded people

To build an online community

To be entertained or to entertain others

To share content, photographs, and other media with friends and family

You can participate in two main types of activities with blogs. First, you can read other peoples blogs for reasons ranging from conducting research to joining online discussions on a variety of topics to entertaining yourself. Second, you can create your own blog; that is, you can engage in blog publishing or blogging. The Everything Blogging Book explores accessing and using blogs that already exist online, as well as the act of blogging.

There are many issues to consider before you start blogging. If you are accessing other peoples blogs, you need to consider the source before you use the information you find for any purpose other than pure entertainment. If you are publishing your own blog, think carefully about the purpose of your blog and try to stay focused on it in order to build the success of your blog.

If youve never published online before, youll also need to think about a few basic concepts before you even publish your first words. If you really want to have a successful blogand you need to determine how you define that successyou have to commit to publishing in your blog on a regular basis. Even though blogging may be easy from a technical standpoint, building a popular or useful blog takes a time commitment.