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INTRODUCTION

Are you considering how to start a blog this year? Blogs are a great way to showcase your creativity and expertise to the world. Plus, there are many benefits to having a blog, such as connecting with other bloggers, building a writing resume (you’ll have a backlog of written content), developing your technology skills, creating a brand and business for yourself, and so much more.

However, it is battling with another type of information-sharing method that allows you to do the same thing. But we’ll discuss that later. 

For now, let’s focus on blogs and how to start blogging.

WHAT IS A BLOG?

A blog is a website, run by a single person or a team, that is written in conversational or informal style.

The first blog, or personal homepage, is believed to have been created by Justin Hall, a college student, in 1994. His first personal homepage was “Links.net”. The term “weblog” would take another three years to be coined by John Barger, as he started “logging the web” or browsing the internet. Weblog would then be shortened to “blog” in 1999 by Peter Morholz. 

Since then, many people have taken to the internet to not only browse websites but create their own and publish their thoughts, personal drama, creativity, expertise, and so much more. Such blogging platforms include Blogger, WordPress, Typepad, tumblr, Squarespace, and an ever growing list.

This means anyone can now have their own website or personal homepage.

HOW TO START A BLOG

1. Choose a Platform
2. Choose Your Niche
3. Select a Topic
4. Use a Three-Paragraph Essay Structure and Headers
5. Edit
6. Publish
7. Repeat Steps 3-6

1. Choose a Platform

There are many platforms to choose from, as noted above. You have an array of options to choose from. The best thing to do is to read reviews and see what folks are saying–Is it user-friendly? Is it free? How much are yearly memberships or subscriptions? What quirks or benefits come with the platform? Are there tutorials to help you get started? etc. And then select the one that sounds best for you.

I had a blogger account in middle school, when my teachers were teaching us how to blog. Personally, it was super easy to use, but you had to spread the news about your blog through word of mouth. As an introverted, shy person, that was not easy for me to do, so I only had two followers–a friend and my big sister.

I also have a tumblr because that was the blogging platform that allowed me to connect with expats when I was preparing to move and teach abroad in the 2010s. However, tumblr had limited things that I could do as a creator, so I started this WordPress account in around 2017. Personally, WordPress has changed and become a lot more complicated than I would like it to be. I would have preferred it as it was when I was starting out. 

2. Choose Your Niche

A niche is a specific area of interest. Choose your niche based on your hobbies, your career, or the next path you want to excel in. It is the area you want to not only learn about but teach others about. And I say teach because that is how people are going to find your blog as they browse the internet.

The biggest reasons folks will search up your specific area of interest is because of their own interest, questions they need answers to, and research they are conducting. Your blog will contain information that interests you and the viewer, you will be teaching them things they want to learn about, and you will have information that they may not yet know about. In total, you’re teaching viewers about your niche. 

Niches can include: cooking tutorials to help those who are learning to cook for the first time; sports entertainment for those who like to keep up with sports; travel guides for folks who like to travel or want to learn more about a country or city they will be visiting; finance blogs because we all need help with our finances; mental health and self-development for those who want to become a better person, and so forth.

Personally, my blogger was about reading and writing; my tumblr was on personal interests and my life abroad; and my WordPress account started with recipes and cooking tutorials before switching to my original area of interest–reading and writing. I’ve always enjoyed writing (and reading), and I would like to be an author one day. 

3. Select a Topic

Now you have to decide what to write about in your niche. I’ve written about How to Decide What to Write here. Read this article to get started because you need a topic.

If you want to share recipes and teach others how to cook, decide which recipe you want to write about; if you want to update folks on sports, decide which sport and team(s) you want to write about; if you’re a travel blog, choose the city or country you’d like folks to know about, and so on. 

If you need help writing your first topic, give AI a try, using Writesonic.

4. Use a Three-Paragraph Essay Structure and Headers

A three-paragraph essay includes an introduction paragraph, a body with evidence, and a concluding paragraph. When you start writing, use these as headers right away, in order to make your writing flow and not get off topic.

Starting with this structure will also make it easier for your viewers to read and stay engaged with your writing.

Personally, this was the hardest thing for me to do when I wanted to blog professionally. I’ve been out of school for a very long time, and I also haven’t taught in over four years. I didn’t want to use this method. (This method is rigid, in comparison to the freedom in fiction writing.) But after conducting research, I found that this was the easiest way to not only draw in readers but keep them engaged with my writing.  

5. Edit

Reread and edit what you have written. Do a spellcheck, grammar-check, you name it. Also have someone else read your writing to catch these and offer you feedback. This is to improve your writing and make sure it’s eligible for your viewers. 

When it comes to my blog posts, such as this one, I read them outloud to myself to catch mistakes, and then to my husband to gain feedback. (It’s not perfect, of course.)

6. Publish

Hit “Publish”! Your writing is now in the public domain, and anyone can search up your blog and read what you have to share. Congratulations!—you just wrote your first blog post!

7. Repeat Steps 3-6

Having a blog means perseverance. You will lose momentum due to life, but keep up with it. Again, a blog is your personal homepage to share your interests, your expertise, and the things you are currently learning. By continuing to blog about your niche, you will have a backlog of information to showcase (for a career change, if you want), and to be known as an expert in this field. So don’t give up! Because if you do, you will not only let yourself down but your viewers. 

WORDS OF CAUTION

From my own personal experiences of having a blogger in middle school, starting a Tumblr in the 2010s, starting a WordPress in 2017 and now using YouTube, I have to say that blogging is no longer as popular as it used to be. Times are changing, and people’s preferences in obtaining information are also changing.

Yes, there are still bloggers out there; platforms like tumblr and WordPress are not going anywhere, but people have started turning toward another method to browse the internet—the use of video-blogs. Vlogs, as they’re more commonly called, are another form of blogging, but through the use of video. Vlogs are now the trend. More and more people have started making their own vlogs on such platforms as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and more. 

WHY IS VLOGGING NOW THE TREND?

Blogs were great when they started because everyone could connect and communicate through the use of their keyboards. However, now everyone can do the same with videos. Viewers no longer have to read content, they can now watch and listen. 

Personally, as a writer, I find vlogs to be more time-consuming to create, but they are more people-friendly. From a teaching perspective, videos reach more viewers based on their learning styles. Your visual learners and auditory learners can now benefit. Plus your kinesthetic learners can physically follow along to such videos as a work-out tutorial or cooking show. As for your learners who do better in reading and writing, they can turn on closed-captioning. 

In short, videos may take more time to create but they are easier to consume and reach a broader array of individuals. But don’t let this hinder you from creating a blog, especially if you learn and communicate better through reading and writing. There are still many bloggers out there and consumers of words, and the internet will always have a place for written information.  

CONCLUSION

If you want to start a blog, now is the perfect time to start. Blogs are a great way to showcase your creativity and expertise to the world, as your blog can be easily searched and viewed by others. And, there are many benefits to having a blog, such as the ability to connect with other bloggers, becoming a better writer, developing your technology skills, creating a brand and business for yourself, and so much more. Follow the steps above, and you are on your way to having your own personal homepage.

Let me know, in the comment box, what you plan to blog about. And, as always, have fun writing!