by Mohd Syahmi Yem

Created on: November 30, 2010

It was back in 2006, and I was 16 when I first started my blog. It was a dull, typical web page on Friendster as I started it. Now, after four year writing and advertising in the blog, I have developed a number of skills and tips for new bloggers. First and foremost, open up an account. There are numerous blogging site that offers various templates and interface, but as for me, I would recommend the newbies to use

Blogger. It also runs together with your Google account, so if you already have a Gmail, it will makes your work easier. The domain is also very affordable, as if you want to have a more specialized URL for your blog, you can buy the domain directly from Blogger just for USD$10 per year. The domain name will also comes with a personalized email address. I would prefer this if you were about to open a blog for your organization, clubs or even companies. This is because of it's simplicity to use, and the ability to improve your blog html coding as you advance in time. There are so many templates that you can choose from just by typing 'blogger templates' in Google, and in seconds, you will be amazed and confused enough, not knowing what to choose. The vast community of Blogger users makes it easier for you to find html codes and tricks to personalize your blog. Do not worry about the content at first, because the first thing you have to focus on your blog is the appearance. Widgets are useful enough if you place them wisely, but beware, don't put annoying things on your blog such as an auto play music player, an advertisement with popups, and a big, colorful picture of yourself which fills most of the page. Organizing is very important for a first time blogger. Choose a templates with less horizontal columns and take the one with more vertical ones. It is pretty weird if your readers have to scroll horizontally to view your whole webpage. For the heading, choose one tagline. An effective tagline should be connected directly with your blog title, and should be fun enough to catch your reader's attention. Put a gadget for your blog profile, so that people can contact you via email. 

Now for the content. As for every post title, just like an article, be wise on choosing them. The title is the first impression for the whole post, so if title is boring, not so many of your readers will be glad to read it. Once you get the appropriate title (please beware not to choose a deceiving title, if you know what I mean), continue with the body content. For every post, make sure to put a picture connected to the post. A picture may say a thousand words, and even if your content is academic and technical, the picture will make it much easier to convey whatever you were trying to say. 

As for the comment section, I recommend you to put every incoming comments to have your approval first before published. This setting can be found it the dashboard of Blogger. Without proper comments approval, you are extremely exposed to numerous spam threats. This is very important because as your page view is increasing, people tend to comment more on your posts. However, once they clicked the spam on your comments page, your blog will be blamed for any upcoming consequences. 

Blogging widens your perspective. It allows you to share your ideas. Use it wisely and you will be spared. One mistake in your words, and you can be convicted of doing cyber crimes. Beware.

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