How to Start a Blog (Part 1)
Contrary to popular opinion, I am by no means a blogging expert. (Just kidding about the popular opinion part.) But I have definitely started my share of them. Here’s how it’s progressed:
- Blogger: I was a freshman in my second semester of college when I first discovered the wonderful world of blogging through a friend. I started one of my own to keep family and friends updated on my life at school.
- Xanga: However, I soon learned that the social networking element of Xanga made it far more popular than Blogspot. Do you all remember when everyone had a Xanga? Yeah, I joined that wave in early 2005. Bye bye, Blogspot!
- WordPress: After two good years with Xanga, I wanted the benefits of a more independent site. I joined WordPress in May 2007. My first attempt was called “There’s beauty in not blending in,” which is a line from a song I like. Soon I changed the name to Hope Road. I’ve also had two other blogs on WordPress, one for my Peru trip and one modesty-in-fashion blog I’ve been unable to keep up with.
- Self-hosted: Just last month I switched to my own domain name! I found a good deal, and I was getting tired of having limited options for themes and plugins. This will now be my permanent blog home, unless unforeseen circumstances intervene. I like the name Hope Road and I love blogging, so this is where I’ll stay.
I know a lot of people like the idea of blogging, but are too intimidated to give it a shot. And I know of so many blogs that are generic and boring almost immediately, for lack of something that a little bit of effort and creativity could provide.
I’ve always had an advantage as a blogger because I love doing it and I don’t have trouble staying consistent. Blogging is my writing outlet, and I’m able to write entries pretty quickly. Also, I’ve been in college the entire time I’ve had a blog, and I use my computer in most of my classes and for homework. This means I have access to the Internet regularly and can easily take care of little blog chores like moderating comments. Not everyone has this luxury.
Still, I think that if you want to start a blog, and you’re willing to give it a little of your time, and you’re persistent, you can do it successfully. That’s why I’m providing this little tutorial. In part 2, I’m going to talk about the first thing to think about in starting a blog - deciding what you want your blog to be. Join me back here soon for that. And I’d love to hear your own thoughts and history with blogging in the comments section.
Filed under: Books/Writing on March 25th, 2008
I absolutely LOVE blogging!! It is one of my favorite pastimes!
Last fall, I had been talking to my mom about the possibility of starting a blog to go along with our ministry website, and so we set up a blog with Yahoo. I enjoyed that as well, but it wasn’t nearly as fun as I would have liked, because I couldn’t do as much (such as, only be able to post one picture, etc.). So, I set up a Blogger account, and I just love it! I can do so much with it, and it’s great to meet people through the blogosphere!
I have made many friends through it…..I’ve really enjoyed it! 
I just love comments! 
We started summer 2007, fell off the wagon, and then decided to jump back on last November or so. We’ve been going strong ever since.
We want to have unique, entertaining, and honest material on the blog. I admit that I’ve slacked a little when it comes to some multimedia stuff that people loved, but creativity is coming back. I can feel it!
I started my blog at Blogger in 2003, when I only really knew one person who blogged. But after one post, I abandoned it until almost a year later, when I started blogging regularly.
My Blogger/Xanga experience/impression was the opposite of yours: In my circles, Blogger was for the bloggers who were more serious writers, and Xanga was the “fluffier” social site for teenagers/students
So I set up a Xanga profile only to be able to comment on others’ Xanga sites and direct people to my Blogger blog.
I’ve stayed loyal to Blogger, even when there was a mass exodus to Wordpress a year or so ago. Blogger was having some issues, admittedly, but they’ve been resolved, and I’m glad I stuck it out. I have a (for-my-eyes-only) Wordpress blog but I kind of hate it. Maybe it’s just because I’m used to Blogger, but I find Blogger much more user-friendly. Especially for photo-posting–Wordpress is TERRIBLE for that compared to the ease of posting pictures via Blogger.
I had a xanga blog back in 2002, long before it was the “thing” to do. I actually updated it all the way up until last fall. I started a blogspot account two or three years ago to write for a satire blog a friend and I started (and, sadly, quickly became inactive). I got tired of the “jr. high-no-one-understands-me” stigma of xanga and decided that blogger was a step in a better direction. I use to blog about my day-to-day life, but then I decided it probably wasn’t worth reading and so now I really only blog about “important” things.
Thanks for your tips. I too started with blogspot because my friend across the hall was writing interesting things, and I thought, “Heck, if he can do it, I can do it too.” So I began blogging by talking about the college experience and whatnot. I too was sucked in by the more impressive wordpress themes and other such things. I’ve thought about getting my own domain, but it also sounded too expensive for my limited college budget.
I have also now begun a group blog web-zine thingy called Kingdom Conversations with a bunch of people. I think that group blogging is an amazing endeavor and I am really loving it. I try to make sure my blog is both personable, but also deeply theological. I kind of mix between the two, although much of my “theological” side is being pushed towards Kingdom Conversations.
[...] you reading my blog, but intimidated to start your own? Anna has some good thoughts at her blog on how to start your own blog. I think it will end up being an [...]
I too started with Blogger last August, then switched to Wordpress earlier this year. Now I have one Wordpress blog and another new blog at my own domain. Blogging came natural for me and I diligently try to keep it up… I think it is good for me to write consistently; it helps to “hear” your thoughts on paper (or computer). As an addition, I have met some AMAZING people through blogging (like you, Anna) and been greatly encouraged in my walk with God.
Which brings me to another great aspect of blogging: it is a great ministry tool. We should use whatever method God has made available for us to spread Christ and His good news.
I love blogging…
I’ve had a xanga since before it was cool (probably 2003 or so), and I’ve never seen the need to change over. I probably will eventually, and get my own domain. Having a techie boyfriend helps with that
Great idea to do a series of posts on this. I could have used it when I began blogging in 2003
I still use my xanga mostly because it’s an easier way to keep in contact with some friends personal lives. I update mine…but….it’s rather rambly most of the time 
I mainly use my blogspot and have messed with Wordpress many, many times. But since i’m not very serious or anything, I’ve just stuck with Blogspot because it’s easy and I have more HTML freedom 
My path was a little different. I went from doing something by hand on a static web page to forums and then from there to BraveNet. After that, I moved to a friend’s site and then finally to self hosted (via WordPress).
Now I’m off to try to create a Blog Network at http://www.foundones.net where I’ll offer subdomains as well as “self hosting”, i.e. your blog name with my blog space. It should prove to be quite the adventure.
Also, when I started out it was without a money aspect, and now I’m making money off blogging too– which makes it sweeter.