Using Images to Tell Stories

A blog with images tends to draw more attention than one that has only texts. (There are little images in this blog due its instructional nature). I shall share with you some freewares that you can download off the internet to help you in editing and storing good images.

Editing Photos and Pictures

• Windows Live Photo Gallery
  
  This is an application that can help you categorise your photos according to tags and date. You can also use it to do some minor adjustments to images. Download it free at www.photogallery.live.com
  
  
• GIMP - GNU Image Manipulation Programme
  
  Find professional image editing softwares too pricely? Download GIMP free at www.gimp.org. It allows you to do more advanced editing with similar functions as Macromedia Fireworks and Adobe Photoshop.
  
  
• Microsoft GIF Animator
  
  To do some simple animations with your images, you can use this software provided free by Microsoft.
  
  

Storage of Images

• PhotoBucket
  
  Providing you with free storage of images and allow you to easily embed it into your blog. You can also do some editing of your photographs with the easy to use functions available at photobucket.com
  
  
• Flickr
  
  Another site similar to PhotoBucket. Sign in at Flickr.com
  

Creating Slideshows

• Slide
  
  Create a fancy slide show presentation of photographs with easy addition of music and animations. Check it out at Slide.com

Now that you have some tools to work on images, try it out at your blogs!

Leveraging on Blog Directories

One common concern for new bloggers is how to drive up traffic to their blogs. One way would be to increase the exposure of your blogs and gaining inlinks (having other sites to hyperlink to your blog) for them. And to do so, we can leverage on Blog Directories.

A Blog Directory is essentially a site which categorises blogs into various categories and provides description as well as links to the blogs. Some Blog Directories are also social networking sites which allow interaction of Bloggers.

To place your Blog in the directory, the most common procedure is that you will need to register as a member of the directory (FREE) and then submit your blog. Usually, the blog directories would require Bloggers to drop a link to the directories in their Blogs, in return for a link from the directories. Different directories have different criteria for submission of blogs. Some would require a high Google PageRank, others would prohibit new Blogs, etc., so do read the instructions clearly before registration.

Some of the Blog Directories available are:

• BlogFlux (http://dir.blogflux.com)
• Blogarama (http://www.blogarama)
• BlogTopList (http://www.blogtoplist.com)
• Blog Catalog (http://www.blogcatalog.com)
• Ranking Blogs (http://www.rankingblogs.com)

Through these directories, you could also find like-minded Bloggers who you can request for Blog Link Exchanges.

What to Blog

You've set up your Blog and you are now faced with the question of

What to Blog???

Commentary Blogs

Blogs provide a platform for people to get their voices heard. You too can do the same. Most people start off by commenting on current affairs and government policies. This way, you can never go out of topic for your Blog.

Diary Blogs

Most people would like to document their lives online for their friends and relatives to read. By writing on interesting happenings for the day can prove to be a good read. Often such blogs would draw in more readers with the use of photographs.

Company Blogs

If you run a company Blog, you can also write on updates to your industry or company. Your target audience would most probably be your affiliates and partners, although most of the time, your rivals would also "spy" on you.

Event Blogs

For active individuals, you may want to write on events that you attended. By instilling your own opinions and feelings of the event, you can gather readers who either missed the event and those who went but want to find out more on it.

Talent Blogs

Blogs are a good avenue to showcase your talents. Be it photography, art, music, video, etc., you can use Blogs to connect to your Fans.

Instructional Blogs

Expert in a field of your own? Teach others with the use of a Blog.

Blog Shop

Have some stuff to sell? Blog shops are increasingly popular among the young.

Choosing the Right Blog Platform

There are many free Blog hosting sites that you can use to set up your blog. Let us look at what are the more popular ones and how you should decide on which blog platform to use.

Blogger by Google
www.blogger.com

This is the most popular choice among blog hosting sites. Some of the merit points:

• Drag-and-Drop feature for Beginners to play around with Blog template, without the need for prior knowledge on HTML codings
  
• Single Google account can create multiple Blogs
• Ranks higher in Google
• Is a good publisher tool for custom domain
  
• Easily embed Google Adsense into Blog
  

Some of the bad points:

• Limited Templates ready within Blogger database, therefore you will need to search for templates yourself
• Cannot add Adsense into post
  

Suitable for Bloggers who prefer convenience and who wants to earn from their Blogs.

Wordpress
wordpress.org
wordpress.com

Why use Wordpress:

• Many varieties of templates within Wordpress website itself
• More Widgets that you can add
• Templates provided look more aesthetic and neat
• Can add Adsense into posts
  

Why some people refrain from using Wordpress:

• One account can only have one Blog
• Gets Spam more easily, so there's a need to install anti-spam in your Blog
  

LiveJournal

Increasingly popular for setting up of Blog shops, perhaps due to its clear-cut presentation. Not ideal as there are advertisements by LiveJournal on it. Also, one account can only create one Blog.

Blogs hosted by Social Networking Sites

These would include Blogs hosted by Friendster, Multiply, etc. Not ideal as there are advertisements by the sites on it as well. It's fine to be use such Blogs as your online diary but it would not be useful if you would like to professionalise your Blog.

Introduction

Before blogs are called blogs, they are known as web logs.

With increasing ease of access to the Internet and the prevalence of popular youth culture, blogging has been an activity that is gaining increasingly more enthusiasts.

If you're new to blogging, this blog will serve as a guide for you to embark on this addictive trail.

If you're already blogging, this blog will serve to provide some tips and techniques in promoting and marketing your blog so that you can maximise the potential of your blog.