Blogs are so prevalent nowadays it is easy to make certain assumptions. A blog simply means “web log.” You are essentially keeping a log of your epiphanies, life events, travels, and the like, on the web. Many people simply keep their blogs on their websites, which makes it much simpler to track. However, some people would either rather keep it separate from their websites or just do a blog without a site. Whatever you choose, a blog can be a great way for prolific writers to get their ideas, epiphanies, and all that they want to share, out to those who read their material.
So how do you make your blog for free? There are certain steps to take to plan and set up your new blog. In doing so, ask yourself these questions below. If you have not yet answered these questions, give yourself some time to do so…. but not too much time. Let’s work through the questions individually so that you can begin to flesh out your blog for the best results. Start here in knowing how to make your blog for free:
1. What would I like to blog about?
Whether you are blogging about your hobbies, profession, or travels, you are sure to find readers who are likeminded. Whatever you do, choose something that you thoroughly enjoy as your enthusiasm will shine through your posts. Your joy will draw people and even if it’s not their area of interests, they may learn something new or even discover a new interest because of your enthusiasm. Whatever you do? Proofread! Proofread! Proofread!
2. What is the purpose of my blog?
Are you seeking to educate, entertain, inform? This is the “why” of your blog. Are you funny and you’d like to share you humor with the world? Are you a teacher at heart and have some expertise you’d like to share or collaborate on? Are you simply wanting to inform people about something – something like a news article. Or are you interested in spiritual things and perhaps have some biblical insight you’d like to share? Have you discovered a new language? It’s important to know your purpose as you plan your entrée into the world of blogging.
3. Who is my target audience?
Decide to whom you are speaking. If you try to speak to everyone, you are liable to reach no one. That does not mean you cannot make it as broad as you would like, but that would of course depend upon your subject matter and how you present it. For example, if you blog are about neurotransmitters as your area of research, you will not get the general public as readers, but most likely other neurosurgeon or bio researchers. It’s important to know the “who” as much as the “what” for your blog.
4. Will I need to upload still images, video, or audio files?
If you need to upload any kind of media, you would want to take that into consideration as certain platforms are easier to work with than others. Most can handle photos, while some may be better than others when uploading audio or video files. Keep this in mind when you are deciding on a platform.
5. How often would I blog?
How often you blog is important for planning and for keeping your audience interested. It does not have as much bearing on which platform your use. However, the more often you blog, the easier you want the platform to be. After all, you will want to be able to post without complications to get your thoughts out there and available to your readers sooner than later. You do not want to constantly fight with complex programming every time you have an epiphany you’d like to share.
6. What will be the tone of my blog?
The tone of your blog depends on your audience and subject matter. However, it may be refreshing to see, for instance, a scientific blog written for the average non-scientific person. Who would not want to read a blog titled, “Funny Things Our Bodies Do That You Never Knew?” Another possibility could be one called, “Deep Sea Animals Invisible to the Naked Eye.” Whatever the subject matter and tone, make it yours and make it good.
7. Will I be interacting with my readers on a regular basis?
This is a very important question. Many people would rather read interesting material than interact – yet some people want to interact. There has to be some incentive to interacting or the material has to be something thought-provoking or controversial. But if you go for controversial, be ready for those who staunchly disagree. Whatever your subject matter, make sure you are well versed if you choose to make it an interactive blog.
8. Will I at some point be incorporating my blog into a website?
This is a great question to ask, especially if your blog receives many readers and followers. Perhaps you have or plan to have a product for sale like consumer items, teachings, books, etc. If you are unsure at first but think you might have a need for a site later on, consider starting out with one. Nevertheless, you always have the option to incorporate your blog into a site or simply point to it later on, if that’s a better option.
Hopefully, as you have read through the items above you have come up with a plan to publish your blog. At the least, you should have decided what you will blog about; you have determined your target audience; you have decided if you will be doing any uploads; you have determined the relative frequency of your posts; you know the tone of your blog; you know if you plan to interact with your readers; and finally, you have at least thought about the possibility of incorporation into a website at some later point.
Now that you have all of that information, let’s look at 3 free options for starting your new blog.
1. Blogger (a Google product)
Blogger is very easy to use. It’s pretty much a push-button type of application. You click “New Post”, enter your title, start typing your post and when you are satisfied with it, hit the key to “Publish” it. It’s that simple. Blogger also gives you statistics of how many people are reading each post on a daily, weekly, monthly, and all-time basis. With this historical information, it also gives you the geographical statistics of your readers. There is even a possibility for making it a moneyed site, where ads would appear. However, but not all blogs are eligible as commercial blogs.
2. WordPress
Here you may opt to have a website or just a blog. You simply enter the name of your blog and you are off to the races. There are also paid options but they are clearly marked. Once you have entered the necessary information, you may commence writing your blog posts. WordPress customizes your blog as if it were a website with a direct URL to our blog.
3. Weebly (free to student, educators, and hobbyists)
This site includes drag and drop building, free hosting (if you already have a domain name), unlimited pages, and storage limit of 500MB. This free version also includes chat and email support. There are website options here as well.
These are just a few options of platforms for your blog as you make your blog for free. You are certainly not limited to them. In fact, there are numerous other options available that are quite simple to navigate. Choose they one for you based on your need and desired functionality. And while most have similar functions, if you are only interested in blogging, it may all come down to user-friendliness. All the best and happy blogging!
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