Why Blog?

Exactly What is a Blog ...

It seems everyone these days is talking about blogging. Everywhere I go, I find articles and forums devoted to this craze. I also have heard from many moms who are trying to figure out what a blog is and how they can use one to their benefit.

The term "blog" is short for "weblog", which just means an online journal or "log". You can jot down personal thoughts and notes, post articles you've written or keep track of interesting websites you find. The sky is the limit, it seems, when it comes to blogging. A blog is something entirely of your own creation and you can use it to share your thoughts with the world, well..with anyone you can get to read it anyway.

One of the main debates going on about blogs is whether blogging can be done to improve Search Engine rankings for businesses or to create a buzz about business websites. Both of these can be true if the blog is used correctly. Many resources show that once a blog is created, many times it is listed in Search Engines within 48 hours. This was true of the blog I created for Christian Work at Home Moms.

These are many ways to create a blog. The easiest by far is to use one of the free tools available online, such as Google's Blogger. You can create your blog for free using their online tools and templates(nothing to download). After you have created the blog, you can then publish your blog through them and "Wa-La" - your blog is posted online for the world to see.

Once you've created your blog, you will need to decide how you will use it. Will it be a personal blog, full of thoughts and comments for yourself alone or maybe your family? Or will it be a business blog, with articles and tips for potential customers? If you want your blog to be found by others, blogging experts recommend that you begin by setting the title and descriptions for your blog. These are similar to the the title and descriptions you set for your website. Try to make them meaningful because they are what people will see when your blog is returned in a Search Engine. If your description is simply "my blog", you may not draw the attention you'd like.

If you are blogging in the hopes of attracting customers, make sure to use wise use of words and links in your blogs. Try to avoid the "click here" link. Instead, opt for links within descriptive sentences.

Add the HTML link within the sentence and attach it to the words that are closely related to the page or site you are linking to. For example, to link to my website I would not use "click here" as my link. I would say, "Please visit Christian Work at Home Moms for home-based work resources" with the link within the text.

There are many ways to get your blog noticed outside of optimizing them for Search Engines. For instance, there are entire websites devoted to listing blogs dedicated to any topic that you can think of. One of the best such websites devoted to women-created blogs, is BlogDaisy.com. You can also use free tools such a FeedBurner.com to track the traffic on your blog and to create a dynamic title box that can be used to display your blog headlines on your website or even in your email signature. Each time you update your blog, these headlines are instantly updated.

There are many ways to use a blog for either personal or business use. If used correctly, a blog can be a terrific tool to inform potential customers of your business. Be sure to update your blog at least once a week so that the content remains fresh and you remain in the Search Engines.

Jill Hart is the author/editor of Christian Work at Home Moms, http://www.CWAHM.com.

One of the newest forms of communicating with large groups of people is blogging. Some people think this started through computer geeks, but I am more inclined to believe that it got started through teenagers. It is very easy to create a blog and there are multiple websites available to share your space with millions.

I do not have children so I had not heard of having a blog until I over heard a few of my younger co-workers talking about this. One of the co-workers was reprimanded for blogging at work. When I heard this I inquired what this meant.

The concept of blogging was shared with me. At first I found it hard to believe that people would create a blog site about there personal life and others would go to the site and be interested. I did not think anyone would be interested enough in my life to go to a site.

I was discussing this with one of my sisters over lunch because her son was going to create a blog site that he wanted everyone in the extended family to contribute to. He thought this would be a great way to keep up with everyone.

We could download pictures, let others know what we were doing and plan family gatherings all in one space. This was a good idea. I have lost touch with many of my nieces and nephews now that they are adults and raising children.

Having one space where holiday gatherings could be planned was also a great idea because it would cut down on the number of phone calls that would have to be made. I was surprised to find out that it does not cost anything to create a blog and that multiple people can share one site.

Since that time my nephew has created the site and most of our family members are contributing to it. This has been a fun way to keep updated with everyone and the best part is that you can do this at a time that is convenient for you.