The following is an example of an article, originally published as part of the Blogging University. Sign up for one of our ten programs and start your blog.
You're going to publish an article today. Don't worry about how your blog looks. Don't worry if you haven't named it yet or if you feel overwhelmed. Just click on the "New Post" button and tell us why you're here.
What is your objective?
- Your new readers need context. What will you talk about? Why should they read your blog?
- This will help you focus on your ideas about your blog and how you want to develop it.
The article can be short or long, contain a personal introduction about your life, describe the mission of your blog, present a manifesto for the future or simply state your topics for publication.
To help you get started, here are some questions:
- Why are you creating a public blog instead of keeping a personal diary?
- What topics will you be addressing?
- What is the preferred target of your blog?
- If your blog passes the first year successfully, what do you hope to have accomplished?
Answering these questions doesn't lock you permanently into a path. What's wonderful about blogs is that they are constantly evolving as you learn, develop and interact with others. But it's good to know where and why you're going. Articulating your goals may simply help bring new ideas for articles.
Not sure how to start? Just write down the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of an excellent book on the writing process, says that it is necessary to allow yourself a "messy first draft. It's an essential lesson: start by writing, you'll be busy editing your text later.
Once you are ready to publish, assign your article three to five tags that describe its subject matter: literature, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, etc. These tags will help Internet users interested in these topics to find you in the Reader. Make sure one of these tags is "zerotohero" so that new bloggers can find you too.