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BLOGGING FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
This is a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section designed for social conservatives who are new to blogs. Hopefully this will encourage more of them to take up this new medium.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
What do I call my blog?
How much time does this involve?
How do I start blogging?
How do I add messages to my blog?
What do I blog about?
How long should a blog post be?
How can I tell if people are reading my blog?
I'm not getting many readers. How do I build an audience?
What's a blogroll?
What are some useful blogrolls for social conservatives?
What's a blog aggregator?
What are some useful blog aggregators for social conservatives?
How do I comment on other blogs?
What do I call my blog?
The short answer is: anything you want. The more elaborate answer is: you want to give it a catchy name, possibly original and clever, without it sounding crazy.
If you want to get an idea of what other Canadians call their blogs, check out the blog listings at the Canadian Blog Exchange.
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How much time does this involve?
As much time as you're willing to spend on it. Note that a blog post can be as long or as short as you want. You can link to an article and write a three-line commentary, and that's fine. Or you can write a thousand word essay (though I don't recommend it, I think shorter is better—under 500 for sure).
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How do I start blogging?
First, you need a blog. There are various sites that offer free blogs such as Wordpress and TypePad (not free!) but I strongly recommend that you use Blogger because it's free and it's the one I know. The other two are good, too.
Before you begin, you might want to think of your blog's name, just so that you don't come up with a blank at the computer screen.
So, first you need an account.
Go to Blogger.
Click on the orange arrow at the bottom right that says “create your own blog now”.
Fill in the first form. Name, password, Display Name, Email Address, then tick the box to accept terms of service. If you are having trouble finding an available user name, try adding some numbers on the end of a name.
Next, choose a blog name and blog address.
Next, choose a template.
Voila! You have a blog!
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How do I add messages to my blog?
Sign into Blogger
Click on “sign in to blogger beta”.
Enter you email address and your password in the boxes.
It will take you to another page. On that page, click on “New Post”.
If you have a box that says “Title”, put a title for your message.
If you have a box that says “Link” you can leave that blank, unless you want to link to another website.
In the big textbox, type your message.
The “Compose” mode is probably the easiest for those who are new to blogging and aren't very computer savvy.
You'll notice some icons right above the big textbox. These can help you format your message. You can experiment with them.
When you are finished with your message, you can add some categories in the box below the main textbox. You can leave those blank if you like.
If you want to see what your post will look like before you publish, click on “preview” up and right from the main textbox. When you want to go back to composing, click on "Hide Preview".
When you're ready to publish, press the orange button that says “Publish”,
Then it will take you to a new page. Press on “View Blog”.
And that's it!
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What do I blog about?
Again, the short answer is anything you want, but there are some tried and true strategies.
Comment on a news item. Scan the internet for a news item (you can use Lifesite, LifeNews or Google news for inspiration. Quote the article in your blog, then comment on it. You can debunk a statement, respond to an opinion, add a missing opinion (to complete the picture) or add your own insight.
Pass on not widely known information. This is what I call “value-added” blogging. Opinions and insight are easy enough to get on the internet, but truly unique information is hard to obtain. For instance, you may have inside information as to what is truly going on in a government department, an MP's office or some other public group. Or you might have access to a rare book that has information crucial to a publicly debated issue. Or you might be able to read newspapers in a language that most Canadians cannot read, and you might have read information not widely disseminated in Canada. Blogging this can really add to the discourse. This is a more difficult kind of blogging, as it requires more specialized skill and knowledge, but it makes your message more desirable.
A straight forward editorial. Deconstruct conventional wisdom. Pass on an idea that you think should be more prevalent (original is best).
Posting pictures and videos. It requires a little more know-how, but this makes posts more interesting.
Satire. If you have the gift of humour, and you know how to make your point while making people laugh, that will definitively add value to your blog.
Answer someone else's blog post. You can highlight a blog post you agree with, or respond to one you disagree with.
Report on an event. You may have attended a protest, a meeting, a conference, or some other gathering. Write a report. If you can post pictures from your digital camera, even better!
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How long should a blog post be?
I think any where between 10 to 250 words is best. I think after 500 words, blogposts get a bit too long. This is my personal experience, many people would disagree. I think that it's best not to get too wordy.
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How can I tell if people are reading my blog?
For that, you need a counter. The one I strongly recommend is Sitemeter. Sign up for an account, get the code fot the stats, and place it on your blog through the layout section. When you are in the Layout section, select "add html/javascript" then paste the code in textbox and save the changes.
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I'm not getting many readers. How do I build an audience?
In order to build traffic to your site, you have to publicize it. There are a variety of ways of doing this. Let me suggest a few.
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What's a blogroll?
A blogroll is a list of blogs. They can be programmed to show which blogs have recently updated. When you join a blogroll, you are usually expected to show the blogroll or the blogroll logo.
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What are some useful blogrolls for social conservatives?
See the list here.
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What's a blog aggregator?
A blog aggregator is a website that shows summaries of blogposts from a blogroll. Whereas with a blogroll, you don't know what you will get when you click on a blog, with a blog aggregator, you will have some idea of what you will be reading.
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What are some useful blog aggregators for social conservatives?
See list.
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How do I comment on other blogs?
Normally, at the end of a blogposts, there is a link that says “comments” or something similar like that. If you click on it, you will be able to comment. Some bloggers require that you register with the website; others prohibit anonymous comments. Some will screen comments before they are published to eliminate rude and vulgar statements. This is entirely up to the blogger.
When you comment, people can have access to your profile and the name of your blog. When you comment, readers want to know what your background is, so they click on your profile and then check out your blog.
It's best to be polite and stick to the subject of a blogposts. Also, it's probably not a good idea to engage in a drawn out debate. The blog is made to put forward one person's perspectives. You can't be expected to “win” a debate on someone else's blog.
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