The easiest instructions for how to start a blog
There is a lot of information out there about how to start a blog — but don’t click that link. The following instructions are a lot easier and you’ll get the same result:
1. Ignore buzzwords.
RSS, SEO, AdSense, Technorati, Digg. If you have a buzz word buzzing in your head and you’re not sure if it belongs on the ignore list, assume it does.
2. Pick a topic — you can change it when you know what you’re doing.
This is like dating. Pick something that seems good, and if it isn’t, try again. Don’t get hung up on topic. As in dating, you’ll know when you’ve found one that’s the right fit. There are some obvious things, like pick a topic you have a lot to say about, pick something that interests you, pick something that will help your career. This is great advice, but you already know that if you look for a perfect match you’ll never actually go on a date.
3. Spend two seconds choosing software.
Ignore the fact that there are lots of choices. I will give you two: Blogger and TypePad. Pick one. It doesn’t matter which one. Click on the home page where it says open an account. Don’t worry about what you click during setup. It’s very hard to do damage that you can’t fix later.
4. Post something right now.
Don’t tell yourself you’ll do it tomorrow. Blogging is about courage to say something. Don’t worry about being stupid because trust me, no one is reading your blog. Post anything. You can nix bad posts later. For now just start writing.
5. Practice, practice, practice.
Post, post, post. Soon you’ll find the link button and make a link. Maybe you’ll find a category button and make a category. Maybe you won’t find those buttons for weeks. Don’t worry. You’re practicing. And if you happen to write something really good you can feature it later, when people are reading.
6. Ignore your lack of readers.
The hardest part is sitting down to post on a regular basis. Don’t distract yourself with blog promotion until you’re sure you can actually do the writing. If you can blog regularly for a month, you can be a blogger.
When you get to number six, and you’ve made it through a month, go back over this post, and click all the stuff I told you to ignore.



Blogs that link here
44 Comments »
Great advice Penelope. Exploring other blogs was incredibly helpful to me when I got started… giving me a view of what’s possible, what works and what doesn’t work. Technorati (a blog directory) is helpful in uncovering some good examples. I like the ability to search blogs by key terms.
It’s fun to see how your voice unfolds post after post… the more you blog, the more comfortable you become. Sort of like breaking in a new pair of shoes.
P.S. Should we tell them how addicting it can be?
Posted by littlepurplecow | November 10, 2006
Yes, you make a good point about watching your voice unfold. I think there is intrinsic value in seeing who we are through what we write. And this growth and self-knowledge is independent of the amount of mistakes we make or the amount of traffic we have.
Posted by Penelope Trunk | November 10, 2006
Excellent advice! Very well put!
Posted by Dylan Tweney | November 10, 2006
Greetings from Canada and… EXCELLENT post Penelope!
Your blog is now on my daily read list as of this Sunday morning in Toronto!!
Posted by Sheamus | November 12, 2006
Penelope,
Just found your blog thru the link on Amazon for Steve Fox’s book. It is now 4:00 am (had to get up at 2:30 to let the dog out, good thing I love my dog)couldn’t go back to sleep, so I went on Amazon for “5 minutes” I have been sitting at my computer reading thru your site for over an hour now. Your are the best. Thank you for your very useful, interesting and sound advice. I will visit often. Gwenn in Michigan
P.S. Thanks for keeping it simple. I am starting a blog, have been “reviewing software” I am taking your advice and have decided on Type Pad-will follow your suggested steps.Should of done it 2 months ago-thanks for your help in my decision making process-too much information out there.
Posted by Gwenn | January 6, 2007
GOOD DAY PENELOPE,
* Glad to find your site.Your knowledge, ideas , and advice,really deserve to be spread and shared with people to touch their lifes .
Your articles are helpful,useful,simple and easy to understand by every one. Thank you and Good luck ..
Posted by adla | February 9, 2007
“LIVES ” NOT “LIFES”
Posted by adla | February 9, 2007
The best instructions I got in a long, long while. Your article has just inspired me to take the plunge. Here goes…………
Posted by Girish | March 17, 2007
Very interesting article, Penelope. I was just curious about how people attract readers to their blogs? What channels do they use?
* * * * * *
It’s a question with endless answers because there are so many possibliities. I learned about stuff like this by reading a lot of blogs to understand how I chose what to read for myself. But also, I read a lot of blogs that desciribe how to run a blog business. My favorite is Problogger.net.
–Penelope
Posted by Anton Samrai | March 22, 2007
I have no clue about blog. Your article gave me lot of inspiration and insight. Thank you so very much. - Sukumar
Posted by Sukumar Reddy Chundi | March 22, 2007
I couldn’t agree more. I blog on my favorite topic - making money - and i’ve made a ton of friends who like reading about it!
we don’t always see eye-to-eye, but thats no problem at all.
Posted by Wealth Building Lessons | March 22, 2007
Have been trying for sometime now to keep up with my blogging; but after reading this article, am sure will be back at blogging! thanks!
Posted by Amruthraj Belaldavar | March 23, 2007
Penelope:
Wow!! Have been browsing your blog for a couple of hours now. Very interesting and informative career advice. Just curious on how you can think of so many informative articles to write about?
* * * * * *
Thank you, Alok. I really care a lot about the topic. I think that’s what makes me able to come up with posts. I spend most of my time trying to figure out how to make my own career and my own life work well together. This generates a lot of ideas for things to write about.
–Penelope
Posted by Alok Kolekar | March 24, 2007
Thanks Penelope for this great tutorial ;)
I admired it that much, so I translated it into German (and put it into German context)
Posted by Gonzo | March 26, 2007
Thanks for the great article. I’ve been reading blogs for at least a few years in my field, without ever starting one. Finally, after reading your post, I’m giving it a shot.
The final tipping-point for me in deciding to create one: a desire to change practice areas as an attorney. I’m hoping my blog will help me to increase my reading in the practice area I hope to enter and will help me to gain some expertise in the area.
As you noted, no one is reading yet, but I hope to start gaining some readers as I learn more and converse more with others interested in the same topic.
My new blog: http://povertypolicy.blogspot.com
Thanks again, Karen
Posted by Karen Eaton | March 26, 2007
Read your article on networking. I will agree it can be important but I think working on your qualifications is more important and should have been noted as such. The world is full of con men who think they can network. Hardworking people who have documented qualifications are more scarce.
* * * * * *
Here’s why working on netowrking is at least as important as your qualifications:1. A wide body of research — for example Bob Sutton (Stanford) or Tiziana Casciaro (Harvard) — shows that people would rather work with someone who is lacking skills but is likeable. Sutton even has a cost benefit analysis that shows dealing with someone who is unlikeable is not worth the cost.
Networking is the act of being nice and making yourself likeable. If you think it’s something else, you don’t know what you’re doing.
2. The best way to get an interview for a job is not to have the perfect skills, it’s to have the perfect network. How many times have you heard someone say they were perfect for the job advertised and didn’t even get an interview? The reason is because someone who is better at networking got the interview.
Penelope
Posted by James W. Beane | March 30, 2007
3/2007
Relationship development and how we treat other people determines the level of success we have in life.
Getting beyond getting to get adds a demention to giving that is hard to explain.
But here goes:
Getting to get is fine. It helps us move towards giving because it is benificial to the people we help period.
Also it’s easy think we are helping others when in fact our help is neither necessary or wanted.
So some simples rules apply:
Any time you can work through a 3rd party agency to help others, do it. When we can’t, be carefull because we think we are helping when we are just making things worse for the people we are helping.
Example: Most poor people are poor for a reason or many reasons. and giving them money might seem good on the surface. But we run the risk of having them think: That was easy I’ll just do that. I’ll just be a person who depends on the genorosity of others.
Now when people are hungry, and they have children who are hungry then all bets are off we need to do what ever we can to help.
Helping others is very important (for us) irregardless of why we do it.
Ward Campbell
Thermopolis, Wyoming USA
Posted by Ward Campbell | March 30, 2007
I am trying to find out how to start my blog and am still not sure what to do. I have so many thoughts i’d like to put out there but am a little in the dark still. There seems to be so much to do. I feel the need to say things that I think are insightful and would empty my head of so many thoughts. I will continue to try to understand and hopefully will find (and be able to accomplish) my wish. Sincerely, proud grandmother from NC Andrea Gibson.
* * * * * *
Hi, Andrea. You are right in thinking that a blog is a great way to empty your head of thougths that keep coming. That’s a big reason I like to blog. What would I do with all my thoughts otherwise?!?!
It’s very easy to start. You just write. Go to wordpress.com and you can click start and just type and then publish. Don’t worry about making mistakes. It’s very very hard to make a mistake at the beginning. Maybe impossible.
Good luck!
Penelope
Posted by Andrea Gibson | September 1, 2007
siteltelc
Posted by chierorpasmo | November 17, 2007
interesting
Posted by Leontios | November 29, 2007
read comments re: your blogg.First, how do I get onto your blogg.I like the idea of blogging,however, I do not fully undersatand the concept.If it is O.K for you to drop me a line it would be much appreciated. barry.
Posted by barry hariperad | January 5, 2008
New bloggers with no or low budget should opt for blogger blogs. Later they can migrate to Wordpress platform. One advantage with this migration policy is that your back links remain intact.
Posted by Rajeev Edmonds from Mint Blogger | February 5, 2008
What an interesting way to get people interested in reading! Book trailers are like movie trailers, but for books! You can find them all over the internet now, but here is a site that’s featuring them on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/booktrailers
Posted by sathish | March 19, 2008
Thanks for the tips!
Posted by Sarah | March 21, 2008
Useful Post! Thanks for the tios.
Blogging is being a huge commitment most especially at first. Its depend on how you define success for yourself.
Posted by Biodun | April 2, 2008
So love this post.
You describe the “blog with training wheels” or “learning lab” approach I’ve used to quietly and persistently practice, experiment, learn, experiment some more for a while now. It’s helpful to see it summarized here, with some other ideas to try.
The rest of your blog looks great, too.
Thanks so much!
Posted by Jan Richards | April 23, 2008
There is no comment to write… sorry!
Posted by Annaliza Aguirre | April 28, 2008
wow thanks for sharing start a blog :)
Posted by start a blog | May 5, 2008
I really appreciate this post. I think it will be helpful to a lot of people. I have linked to it at the blog I started partly by the influence of it. Thank you for your help.
Posted by FIBer | May 9, 2008
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