Cocktail Party Geek: WordPressure to start a blog!
So you’ve finally decided that your words are worth spreading around, but you’re unsure of how to get started in the blogosphere? Fear not, we can help!
What you need to know
At first I was tempted to leave this part empty with just a list of blog  providers, but I suppose that some explanation is required.  It’s quite simple: if you’re just starting out, go to WordPress.com and signup for a blog.  You’ll be assigned a blog name, something like http://yourblogname.wordpress.com.  This can be customized to a name that better represents the content (like gunsandrosesfreak.worpress.com) or something silly (like justanasterisk.wordpress.com).  Either way, your readers will appreciate the splash of personality.
You can also (if you’re feeling particularly ostentatious) register your own domain name.  A domain is that thing between www. and .com.  Mine is www.justanasterisk.com and it points to justanasterisk.wordpress.com.  Wordpress charges me a small fee (a few bucks a year) to use my own domain.  I bought my domain name from GoDaddy.com, but you can get this from WordPress for $15 per year (as part of the hosting process described above).  You may not want/need this flourish, but it’s important to know that it’s there when you need it, and it’s dead easy. Â
Your online blog will provide a “dashboard” for you to compose each master piece. Â As you write more, try using categories and tags to organize your work. Â Categories are like traditional folders, whereas tags are more like colored sticky notes (which can appear on documents in different folders).
It really is as simple as the three steps above.
What you don’t need to know
There are other blog providers out there (blogger by Google is popular).  I’ve tried others in the past and found wordpress.com to be my favorite.  However, you may have a different experience.
You could also host your site (using an online hosting package) and then update your blog using wordpress.org software.  This is tough and should only be attempted by those who are feeling particularly bold and who have a lot of time.  I wasn’t and I don’t so mine is web-based and easy…
You may want to check out this legal guide for bloggers, but the electronic frontier foundation. Â Some of us have legal restrictions on our blogging subject matter, and it would be a shame to get canned for it.
You can also read the massive number of aritcles devoted to making your blog more popular. Â My rather cynical impression is that these are written to draw traffic rather than to inform (it’s always the same tune), but I’m sure that there’s good info out there…
Let me know if I missed anything vital in the comments!
~ab