Blogging For Dummies, 7ed

Introduction

About This Book  

Foolish Assumptions  

Icons Used in This Book  

Beyond the Book  

Where to Go from Here  

Part 1: Getting Started with Blogging

Chapter 1: Discovering Blog Basics

• Making Yourself Comfortable with Blogs  
• How people use blogs  
• Recognizing a blog
• Blog anatomy: Dissecting a typical blog
• Starting a Blog
• Choosing What to Blog About
• Creating a Successful Blog
• Setting goals
• Writing well
• Creating a calendar
• Building community with comments
• Designing for Success
• Understanding themes
• Knowing content types
• Thinking about audience

Chapter 2: Entering the Blogosphere

• Assessing Your Involvement
• What level of commitment are you willing to make to blogging?
• Do you like writing? How's your typing?
• What will the blog be about? Is your blog personal or professional?
• Do you think that your new blog might lead to new career opportunities?
• How comfortable are you with sharing?
• What Happens When You Publish?
• Blogging Ethically
• Telling the truth
• Making mistakes
• Handling dialogue
• Keeping Your Job While Blogging
• Blogging without Embarrassing Your Mother or Losing Friends
• Understanding what's at stake
• Protecting others in your life
• Protecting Your Privacy and Reputation
• Creating Your Brand
• Communicating who you are
• Hitting reboot

Chapter 3: Choosing and Hosting Blog Software

• Having Your Own Domain Name
• Picking a domain name
• Registering a domain
• Finding Web Hosting
• Doing your research
• Subscribing to web hosting  
• Deciding on the Right Blogging Software
• Budgeting for software
• Making sure you get the basics
• Upgrading with bells and whistles
• Understanding Hosted Blog Software
• Reaping the benefits
• Living with the limitations
• Choosing hosted software
• Understanding Blog Software That You Install on Your Own Server
• Reaping the benefits
• Living with the limitations
• Choosing non-hosted blogging software
• Installing blog software

Part 2: Setting Up Your Blog

Chapter 4: Starting a Blogger Blog

• Starting a Blog with Blogger
• Creating an account
• Naming your blog
• Using the Dashboard
• Writing a Post
• Adding a link
• Spell-checking your text
• Including an image
• Publishing Your Post
• Previewing your post
• Configuring post settings
• Launching your post
• Viewing Your Blog Post
• Selecting the Dashboard Settings
• Making basic changes
• Making comment changes
• Making email changes
• Customizing Your Blog
• Choosing a new theme
• Using the Theme Designer
• Editing page elements

Chapter 5: Starting a WordPress Blog

• Choosing between WordPress.com and WordPress.org
• Starting a WordPress.com Blog
• Creating an account
• Using the dashboard
• Changing site settings
• Writing a Post
• Customizing Your WordPress.com Blog
• Selecting a new theme
• Installing WordPress
• Registering a domain
• Selecting web hosting
• Getting the software
• Uploading the WordPress files
• Setting up the database
• Running the install script
• Getting Familiar with Settings
• Logging in
• Setting up an Editor account
• Using the Dashboard
• Checking out the panels
• Creating a Post
• Customizing Your Design
• Finding Out More about WordPress

Chapter 6: Creating a Squarespace Blog

• Creating a Squarespace Account
• Selecting a template
• Choosing a site name
• Adding Blog Content
• Uploading images
• Importing content from other platforms
• Customizing and Connecting
• Linking your social networks
• Using the Squarespace sidebar

Chapter 7: Considering Other Blogging Platforms

• Blogging with Wix
• Writing with Weebly
• Checking Out Additional Platforms

Part 3: Fitting In and Feeling Good

Chapter 8: Finding Your Niche

• Deciding What Belongs on Your Blog
• Parent blogging
• Turning your offline hobby into a blog
• Talking technology
• Getting political with it
• Reporting news
• Revealing it all
• Sharing a deal
• Design, lifestyle, DIY -- oh my!
• Living on less
• Reading, writing