Setting up a Blog with Blogger

2008-11-30T12:14:00.000-08:00

STEP ONE:

Setup a Blogger account:

In order to get started with Blogger, you'll first need to create an account. It is free to setup an account with Blogger.com

Go to www.blogger.com and click the "Create Your Blog Now" button.

On the following page you'll be prompted to create a Google Account. If you already have a Google Account perhaps from Gmail, Google Groups, or Orkut, click sign in first.

On the next page your email address and your name will show based on your Google account. You will need to fill out the Display Name you want viewers to see when they click on your Profile.

If you are blogging for your business you might want to use your business name here but your first and last name are also good. If you don't want to share that much information just use your first name.

Click next to I accept the Terms of Service and click Continue.

STEP TWO:

Name Your Blog:

The next screen you will see has 2 boxes to fill out - the Blog Title and the Blog URL.

The next page will ask you to give your Blog a Title. The title will be the name you want to give your blog like, Business Blogging Guide.

If the name you chose is not available Blogger will show, Sorry, this blog address is not available. In that case try another name or use one of the suggested names.

You will want to think carefully about the name you chose.

It should be:

- easy to remember
- not too long
- fit the personality and content of the blog you are creating

The next box will ask you to type in a Blog address (URL). This will be the address visitor's will use to get to your blog.

Example: businessbloggingguide.blogspot.com

Then, type the Word Verification code you see in the last box and click Continue. (This option may not be there. Ignore this step if you don't see it)

STEP THREE:

Choose a Template:

Scroll through the list of freebie templates and pick one to use by clicking in the round button (called a radio button) next to the name of the template. A template can easily be changed later if you decide you don't like what you chose.

You can see what it will look like if you click the Preview Template link at the bottom of each template picture.

Click Continue after you choose your template and click Starting Blogging.

Viola! A Blog!

That's it. Wasn't that easy?

Free blog services available on the Web

2008-11-30T09:42:00.000-08:00

Free blog services available in the web include:

Blogger

Blogger is owned by Google. Blogger is a popular, free blog service that is very user-friendly. It offers everything you need to quickly begin publishing content on the Web. Your web address will look like yourname.blogspot.com on the free service but you can also buy and register a domain name too.

If you already have a Google account, you can register with Blogger by adding the service in your Google control panel If you don't have a Google account you can setup your Blogger account by visiting blogger.com.

This service allows you to perform all common blog administration tasks and even comes with a choice of templates. You can edit the HTML code and CSS if you have more technical knowledge. Blogger is a very good choice for the beginner blogger.

To follow step-by-step instructions for setting up your blog with Blogger read the article entitled,

Wordpress

Wordpress has grown to be a very popular blogging interface. WordPress.com offers a free blog service. Your web address in the process will look like yourname.wordpress.com on the free service.

Using WordPress takes a bit of time to get used to and requires more patience than Blogger because it really isn't designed for with the beginner blogger in mind. If you decide to get your own domain name and a hosting account you can download WordPress for free and install it on your Web server account.

NormBlogs.com – This service is an excellent place to begin blogging. Simply complete the registration and you will be guided through the process of setting up a blog. NormBlogs offers a free sub-domain (yourname.normblogs.com), so you’ll have an easy-to-remember address to pass to your friends and family. A range of templates are available so you can modify the look and feel of your blog.

My Blog Site – This popular free blog hosting provider is owned by FortuneCity, one of the largest free Web space services on the Internet. Register for a free blog and your URL will be yourname.myblogsite.com. Using the online editor you can easily publish your content, update posts, delete entries, etc.

Blog.com - Free blogs are ad-supported, so a small advertisement square banner will be placed on your blog to help pay for bandwidth and hosting of your blog.

How To Create a Blog For Free

Setting up a Blog with Blogger

STEP ONE:

STEP TWO:

STEP THREE:

Free blog services available on the Web