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Become A Blogger? The Video Tutorial by Yaro Starak

How to become a blogger - video tutorials by Yaro Starak

Yaro Starak has been my inspiration in setting up Viral Voices - as you can see from the Blog Mastermind link I have on the sidebar.

In recent development, he has launched a new website that contains video tutorial teaching you how to become a blogger. In painstaking details, Yaro will show you how to:

These fabulous content are free, and will remain so. What’s the catch? Yaro is using this educational platform to promote his Blog Mastermind programme.

Now that I have written the article series on how to set up a new blog, these videos will take your further in your exploration journey.

Have fun!

February 1, 2008 | Filed Under Blog Setup | 10 Comments 

Setting Up a Blog: Part 4 - Choosing Your Blogging Platform (Blogger, Wordpress, Movable Type)

There are many platforms available to power up your blog. They are free versions (like Blogger.com), and paid ones (like Movable Type). They are also those that will host if for you - but we already discussed that you should use your own domain name - and those that you can publish/install onto your own server.Here are my takes on three of the blogging platforms that I have used before - Blogger, Wordpress, and Movable Type.

Blogger.com

Blogger.com offers perhaps the simplest platform for you to get started. The interface is very easy to use. Granted, in recent months there are many new features being included - such as label for posts - but there are all good news.

Personally I think Blogger.com offers you the most flexibility when it comes to customising your template. There are tonnes of free Blogger templates on the web ready to be used. In fact, Blogger is so easy to use that it has become a platform of choice for many beginner bloggers.

Blogger.com also offers you free blog hosting under their own domain name, such as yourblogname.blogspot.com. Some of the money making blogs that I saw are taking advantage of this service.

Blogger.com allows you to publish your blog onto your own server, via FTP. I see a few advantages using this method:
1. You still can make use of Blogger.com’s simple functions
2. Your posts are saved on Blogger.com server. If anything happen to your web host, your posts are saved, at least

More info on this FTP publishing method can be found here. I used Blogger.com exclusively when I got started with blogging, and one of the grievances that I had was that it does not allow me to categorise postings. With the post label function, blogger can do that now.

But ever since I discovered WordPress, I have not looked back to Blogger anymore.

WordPress

WordPress is simple the most powerful publishing platform that I had the fortune to come across. Yes, at first it was a little difficult to navigate through it’s many advanced functions, but after you get the hang of it, you will never look to other platforms.

I can think of many advantages of WordPress:

1) You can write both posts and pages on WordPress. At times, you will want to create standalone pages for “timeless” information, such as the “about” page, the “contact information” page, the “advertise” page

2) You can easily enhance your blog with many, many different WordPress plugins. Plugins are special scripts developed by third party that you can install onto your own WordPress blog. On this blog, you can see the “Top Commentators” - that’s a plugin. If you leave a comment, you can subscribe to updates to your comment thread via email - that’s a plugin, too. You can’t see this - but on the back end, I am using the Askimet plugin to control spam comments, so that I do not have to spend half my day moderating and deleting spam comments

3) You can edit and change your template rather easily. WordPress’ powerful templating engine allows you to upload different themes into your blog, and changing between themes is a mere click away. With the right plugin, you can also allow your visitors to switch between themes for a more personalised experience.

I can go on, and on, but you can already see I am a big WordPress fan. And I am not alone - professional bloggers like Darren Rowse and Yaro Starak swear by WordPress as well.

If you are using the web hosts I have recommended, your hosting package will come Fantastico, which is a powerful script installation engine that you can easily manage via cPanel - where you control everything about your web hosting. Using Fantastico, you can install a WordPress blog by just three clicks. I won’t go into the technical details here, but drop me a comment if you found youself stuck installing WordPress on your Fantastico.

Movable Type

I left Movable Type to the very last for various reasons. First off, I must say that MT is the most advanced blog engine you can find. My problem with MT is that it is way too advanced for beginner bloggers. Even for advanced bloggers like yours truly are flabbergasted with all the technicalities in using the platform. I recently discovered that MT has a free version, but back then when I tried it out, I have to pay for my MT. With the free MT, I have limited functionalities.

When you can have a fully-controlled and user-friendly platform like WordPress, why go through the hassle, right?

So there you go, my recommendation in choosing your blogging platform. Obviously, I am highly recommending WordPress for your new blog. It will definitely set you up to a great start.

Now, get blogging!

(Razlan’s Note: It has been some time since I last updated the blog. Sorry if you have been waiting for updates. Much stuff has happened recently in my personal life, so the little hiatus was a little inevitable. But I am back! Thanks for the patience :) )

January 26, 2008 | Filed Under Blog Setup, Wordpress | 2 Comments 

Setting up a blog: Part 3 - Choosing and Subscribing to a Web Host

My previous post will give you details on how you should choose your domain name, and which registrars that I have used before to register my domain name.

Now let’s move on to the next important thing:

Step 2: Choosing and subscribing to a web host

Arguably one of the most daunting decisions that you’ll need to make as a blogger is choosing your web host. Your web host is a service provider whom will be providing you with the server space and bandwidth to run your site. There are literally thousands of web hosts out there, from very big out fit like GoDaddy.com that serves international customers, to your local web host provider (like IT Works Interactive in Singapore, to your many resellers whom most often than not working on a one manshow basis.

Over the years, I have subscribed to (and in some cases, ditched) many web hosts. In my experience, often when you choose a web host, there are a few key things you need to consider:

How much web space do you need? Typically as a blogger, you don’t really need that much of web space. Unless of course, if you are a photoblogger (but even so, you can get started with a free photo hosting service like Flickr). As a guideline, a 100 MB webspace will be more than enough for you to get started. Remember to check that your web host provides easy option for you to add on space later on without too much hassle.

How much bandwidth do you need? Again, a typically blogger really does not need a lot of bandwidth. Unless you are streaming live video (why not use YouTube?) and audio (consider imeem.com?), 1GB bandwidth is more than enough for a starter blog.

How much setup support do you need? This depends on how much technical knowledge you have. If words like “web space” and “bandwidth” and “DNS settings” set your brain all fuzzy, you’ll need the best customer support there is from your web host, who can guide you, step by step, in setting up your blog. That narrows your choice somewhat, and often you need to pay more for such helpful hosts. If you are okay with (or willing to learn) these technical aspects, than you will have more web host options

How much technical support do you need? Specifically, find out if your web host provides back up. If so, how often? Is the site hacker proof? What kind of uptime does the host promise? I will recommend a weekly back up host, with certain measures in place to protect your server from hackers, and 99% uptime will be sufficient. Why is this important? Well, as someone whom recently lost three years of hard work due to a hacking incident of my largest site, you don’t want to be in my shoes. The recovery is literally a pain in the ass.

Let’s move on to recommendations. Personally I can vouch for the following services:

Don’t be deceived by the bare (and seemingly unprofessional) website. MJZ Hosting, ran almost single-handedly by Matt, offers a no frill web hosting at unbelievably cheap prices. I have been hosting many of my sites with him. The thing about Matt is that, he is very flexible with your needs, and he responds to your email personally. His hosting plans are really, really affordable. I remember subscribing to his ATOMIC plan - which offers 500MB web space, and 15 GB bandwidth, at US$19 a year! That’s like less than US$2 a month! I highly recommend MJZ Hosting for blogger beginners.

Recently I have moved one of my sites to Mid Phase Hosting due to recommendation by a high-profile blogger. Also goes by the Anhosting, the web host offers unbelievably package for the price they are charging. The package that I am having right now is for 500 GB, and bandwidth of 5000 GB a month! That’s like 100x more than what I used to get, all for less than US$5 a month! My buying experience with Mid Phase Hosting has been pleasant experience. According to some past users, they have very strong customer service, robust back up system, and hacker-proof protection. Not sure if the promo that I subscribe to before is still there, but I suggest you check out their packages. Not only that, they also offer you free domain name, as long as you are subscribed to their service!

While I can recommend and vouch for these two web hosts that I am using, I am sure there are others good web hosts out there. If you have any recommendation, do drop a comment so that I can include in this list from time to time.

My next post will be on the final step in your blog setup, before you actually start blogging, and that is choosing your blogging platform.

January 17, 2008 | Filed Under Blog Setup | Leave a Comment 

Setting up a blog: Part 2 - Choosing and Registering Your Domain Name

To set up your blog, there are three things that you will need to work on, often simultaneously. And with practice, you can repeat the exercise easily whenever you launch another new blog.1) Choosing and getting a domain name
2) Evaluating and subscribing to a web host service
3) Choosing and using a blogging platform

So, let’s get down to work:

Step 1: Choosing and getting a domain name

What is the easiest way to choose for a domain name? Whenever I need to choose a domain name for my blogs, there are a few things that I often consider:

It should be something related to what I blog about. Well, that is something blatantly obvious, really. If I am blogging about, say, manga dolls, I will choose a domain name like www.mangadollsunited.com, rather than something less related like www.ilovedolls.com. Well, if you are planning to write in a personal capacity and try to monetise that, you can use your own name as the domain name, like I did.

It should be something short and catchy. There are two main reasons why I consider this. A short URL like viralvoices.com has a better chance being recalled by readers, rather than something lengthy like i-blog-for-money-and-you-can-too.com. Secondly, those long complicated domain names packed with search-engine friendly keywords are often spam sites, or, in the case of blog, splogs. You don’t want to be associated with those, do you?

It should be something that is SEO friendly, if possible. I know, this is in contradiction with what I have said in the point above. The main thing is that you should choose something that is related to your topic and short. If you blog about email marketing, an ideal domain name will be emailmarketing.com (obviously taken), rather than inboxconnection.com (one of my now defunct blogs).

At the end of the day, the domain name you have chosen should be something you really like. After all, you will facing it day in, day out.

Now you have chosen a domain name, it’s time to register the domain name. This is a process where you check that no one else owns this domain name, you claim it as your own, and everyone who keys in this domain name in their browsers will be directed to your blog.

Over the years I have been using a couple of domain name registers, and I can vouch for these:

I was firstly attracted to Yahoo! Domains because of its low fee! During that particular promotion period, annual fee for each domain name was a mere US$1.99, and I can register up to five years! I guess that particular promo attracted many customers, so right now Yahoo! Domain only offers US$1.99 for the first year only, and even so this offer is not available all the time. Personally I also find that Yahoo! Domain control panel is the most user-friendly one among those that I have used. Changing DNS settings, redirection etc were a breeze (it is okay if you don’t what are those), especially if you have been using Yahoo! services

NameCheap.com

Another domain name registrar that I use is NameCheap.com. If you have never heard about the company, you should visit the site and get an idea on the wide range of services that they have. The whole site gives you a very professional feel, and my past experience with their customer service (despite a very brief one) has been pleasant. Their control panel has very good features that allows you to do advanced stuff with your domain names. Advanced users will like it (though I still find Yahoo! is easier to use). The price of the domains vary, but do check out the promotion that they’ll have from time to time.

In my next post, I will share with you my experience in selecting web hosts, what you should be looking out for etc. But before that, do share with me what domain name registrar that you have used before, and how was your experience like?

January 16, 2008 | Filed Under Blog Setup | 6 Comments 

Setting up a blog: Part 1 - The thinking before you start

Many blogger beginners jump into setting up a blog without thinking clearly, if they are ready to blog for profit, and if they have choose an appropriate blog topic that they can blog about passionately and monetise at the same time.

Don’t jump into that trap.

Even if setting up a blog is as easy as registering an account with any of the free blogging services out there, diving into it without having a solid foundation of your blogging strategy will often cause costly mistakes, not to mention lost of interest, down the road.

Okay, now let’s assume you have already done the necessary. If you know what you are going to blog about, and is ready to make some moolah online, let’s get your blog set up.

What options do you have?

Arguably the most popular blogging platforms out there are Blogger and Wordpress. CNET did a reasonable job in comparing various free blogging service (although Wordpress was somehow not part of the list).

But wait a minute. Is a free blogging service suitable for your blogging-for-profit project?

John Chow puts this issue into perspective:

“Having your own domain makes you look more professional. While it may not make you a pro-blogger, the ad networks will take you a lot more seriously. Some ad networks will not accept a site unless it has its own domain name. If you do it right, having your own domain and web hosting won’t cost you anything because the income the blog generates will more than offset the cost”

So therefore, stay away from free blogging service, if you can. While they are fine choices for a personal blog, but when it comes to blogging for money, you are better off having your own domain name, and have full control of your web hosting service. It also makes more sense from a branding point of view.

From here on I will be writing from my personal experience. As much as I am tempted to spend hours researching online on resources that will have you in setting up your blog for the first time, the only ones that I can comfortably recommend to you and am able to vouch for will be those that I have tried before.

(And so should you, when you start blogging. Speaking something from your experience and not simply rehash what other has said on the subject will go a long way in earning the respects from your readers)

My next post will be on how to choose a suitable domain name for your blog, and how you can register your domain name.

January 15, 2008 | Filed Under Blog Setup | Leave a Comment