Introduction

Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the blogosphere, an exciting and energetic space online that people are using to reach out, build communities, and express themselves. Blogging For Dummies, 5th Edition, is designed to help you through the process of starting a blog quickly, and it gives you the tools you need to make the most of your experience in the blogosphere. The entire book is updated and includes new chapters since the last edition as well as online content. Keeping pace with the World Wide Web is a challenge!

About This Book

This book is designed to be useful for all kinds of bloggers, whether you're the CEO of a major corporation or a hobbyist with a passion for communicating. I focus on what makes a blog work — and how a blog can work for you. Also, I realize that not everyone has the technical skills necessary to start a blog, so I provide options for all levels of experience.

This book is useful to you whether you're taking part in the conversations in the world of blogs or becoming a blogger yourself. I cover everything from technology to legal issues, so you can go forward knowing you have a resource that covers every aspect of this exciting medium.

Whether you're building a blog as a rank beginner or redesigning an existing blog to make it better, you can find everything you need in these pages. The fact that you're holding this book likely means you have some ideas about starting a blog — and I want to get you started right away!

The first part of the book gets you blogging quickly and safely. Chapter 1 introduces you to blogging, Chapter 2 walks you through the world that is the blogosphere, and Chapter 3 helps you choose the software and tools you need to get started. In Chapter 4, I show you the fastest and easiest way to get started immediately with your very own blog.

However, you don't have to memorize this book or even read it in order. Feel free to skip straight to the chapter with the information you need and come back to the beginning later. Each chapter is designed to give you easy answers and guidance, accompanied by step-by-step instructions for specific tasks.

I include sidebars that give you more information, but you don't need to read those sidebars if you're short on time. A Technical Stuff icon also indicates helpful extras that you can come back to when you have more time.

Keeping things consistent makes them easier to understand. In this book, those consistent elements are conventions. Notice how the word conventions is in italics? That's a convention I use frequently. I put new terms in italics and then define them so that you know what they mean.

URLs (web addresses) or e-mail addresses in text look like this: www.resourcefulmommy.com. Sometimes, however, I use the full URL, like this: http://traction.tractionsoftware.com/traction because the URL is unusual or lacks the www prefix.

Most web browsers today don't require the introductory http:// for web addresses, though, so you don't have to type it in.

Foolish Assumptions

Just because blogs have a funny name doesn't mean they have to be written by funny people — or even humorous ones! If you can write an e-mail, you can write a blog. Have confidence in yourself and realize that blogs are an informal medium that forgives mistakes unless you try to hide them. In keeping with the philosophy behind the For Dummies series, this book is an easy-to-use guide designed for readers with a wide range of experience. Being interested in blogs is all that I expect from you.

If you're new to blogs, this book gets you started and walks you step by step through all the skills and elements you need to create a successful web log. If you've been reading and using blogs for some time now, this book is an ideal reference that can help you ensure that you're doing the best job possible with any blog that you start or manage.

That said, you don't need to know much more than how to use a web browser, open and create files on your computer, and get connected to the Internet, so you don't need to be a computer genius, either.

Icons Used in This Book

Here's a rundown of the icons I use in this book:

 The Remember icon reminds you of an important concept or procedure to store away in your memory bank for future use.

 The Technical Stuff icon signals technical stuff that you might find informative and interesting, but that you don't need to know to develop the blogs described in this book. Feel free to skip over these sections if you don't like the techy stuff.

 Tips indicate a trick or technique that can save you time and money — or possibly a headache.

 The Warning icon warns you of any potential pitfalls — and gives you the all-important information about how to avoid them.

Beyond the Book

I have written some extra content that you won't find in this book. Go online to find the following:

• Online articles covering additional topics at

  www.dummies.com/extras/blogging

  Here you’ll find out how to beat writer’s block and download some of the best free plug-ins available. The online extras will inspire you to take your blog beyond words and into the realm of digital photography as well as help you tackle that social media behemoth, Twitter. Ready to monetize? Get to know some of the most popular ad networks available to bloggers.

  Also, this medium has more jargon than you can shake a stick at, so go online for the glossary in Bonus Chapter 1 to find, all in one place, definitions of all those weird blog terms that have sprung up in recent years.

  In Bonus Chapter 2, you can get the goods on writing your own HTML code. Happily, you don’t need to do much of that on a blog (unless you want to)!

• The Cheat Sheet for this book is at

  www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/blogging

  Here you’ll find additional information about selecting a blog platform. Although the most popular options are covered in depth in this book, there are a variety of other platforms that you may want to consider. The Cheat Sheet also walks you through some of the most popular types of blogging to help you choose the niche that is right for you.

• Updates to this book, if we have any, are at

  www.dummies.com/extras/blogging

Where to Go from Here

Turn to Chapter 1 to dive in and get started with an intro to blogs and an overview of why this medium is so exciting for so many people. If you just want to get started blogging today, read over Chapter 4. Otherwise, spend some time thinking about the best blog software solution for your situation — which you can read more about in Chapter 3. Already have a blog, but want to do more with it? I think Chapter 9's coverage of great content might be a great place to dive in. Good luck!