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Entering the Blogosphere–You Don’t Have to Start in the Deep End
By Community | October 4, 2007
Remember when you were first learning to swim? Unless your swimming instructor was a sadist, he or she probably had you start in the shallow end, learning how to move your arms and legs and practicing your breathing. As your skills improved you progressed to more advanced moves until one day you were in the deep end, swimming like a fish.
When some people hear about “blogging” and participating in the blogosphere, they automatically assume this means having your own blog. But the reality is that you can enter the world of blogging in the same way that you learned to swim, by getting comfortable in the water first and learning some basic strokes before you head out to the deep end. Here’s a three-step process for getting started.
Getting in the Shallow End–Finding and Reading Blogs
You can’t start swimming until you know what it feels like to be in the water.
Blogging begins with “listening”–that is, by finding and reading other blogs so that you can begin to understand how blogging works and what makes it different from other online media.
Finding Blogs
There are several ways to find blogs:
- Get recommendations from friends and colleagues– Talk to people who share your personal or professional interests and ask if they have any blogs they regularly read and would recommend. They will be your best source of initial ideas.
- Use a blog search engine–The two biggest blog search engines are Technorati and Google Blog Search. Visit either site and enter a search term. You’ll be rewarded with a long list of blog posts that contain your term. Check out those sites to see if they interest you.
- Use Google Alerts–Another way to find new blogs is by setting up a “Google Alert” to be notified via email whenever a search term you specify is used in a blog post. Simply visit the Google Alerts page, enter your search term and click on the drop-down menu to select the kind of Alert you want to receive (select “Blog”). Then decide how often you want to be notified, enter your email address and click on “Create Alert.”
- Use the “blogrolls” of the sites you like best–Many blogs are linked to other bloggers who share similar interests. If you find a blog that you like, look for the “blogroll,” the blogger’s list of favorite sites. It will usually be on the left or right side of the blog. Click on those links to visit the new sites. Often you will find new blogs to add to your list of favorites.
- Look for blog links in other media–As more people begin to write their own blogs, these links are beginning to appear in other places. Look for blogs in newspaper and magazine articles, at favorite websites and on business cards and brochures.
Using RSS to Read Blogs
One of the nice things about blogs is that you can “subscribe” to them. Rather than having to remember to visit a blog to find new posts, you can sign up to be automatically notified when a blog is updated, using what’s called an “RSS Reader.” This is basically an easy way for you to put all your favorite blogs in one place where you can quickly scan and read new content.
If you’re not familiar with RSS, here’s a great video that will give you a 3-minute introduction. To learn more about RSS and how you can sign up for a free account, visit this RSS Beginner’s Guide that has everything you need to get started.
Practicing Your Strokes–Commenting on Blogs
Part of what makes blogs a great medium for conversation and community is the fact that you can use a blogs “comments” feature to interact with both the author of the blog, as well as with other readers who may have left comments of their own.
As you read various blogs, you will inevitably find posts that make you want to respond. Maybe the post asks a question that for which you have an answer. Maybe you agree or disagree with what the blogger has said and want to put in your 2 cents. That’s when you move from just “listening” in the blogosphere to participating by leaving a comment for another blogger.
In the Deep End–Starting Your Own Blog
The final step in the blogging experience is, of course, to start your own blog. Some people never make it here. They’re happy with reading and commenting on other blogs. But others will definitely want to start their own, jumping into the deep end of the blogosphere.
The important thing to remember in all of this is that you don’t have to have your own blog to begin participating in the blogosphere. Through reading and commenting you can also have an incredibly rich and rewarding experience.
Topics: Basics |
November 5th, 2007 at 4:46 am
[…] few days ago we discussed the different ways you can get your feet wet in the blogging pool. Commenting on blog posts is one […]