New Blogging for Dummies Hits Bookshelves

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Originally released in 2006, the second edition of Blogging for Dummies has just been released. From folks looking to get a blog off the ground to large companies wondering if the reward outweighs the risk, ‘Dummies’ covers a myriad of blogosphere issues.

* Choosing what to blog about
* Setting your goals
* Making mistakes
* Keeping your job
* Avoiding embarrassment
* Protecting your privacy
* Choosing the right software and hosting
* Handling spam and comments
* Making money blogging
* Blogging for companies

Written by self-proclaimed blogging “nerd” Shane Birley and “blogging expert” Susannah Gardner, the book, like most ‘Dummies” products, seems to be a good launching point for those new to blogging. I’ve always found these books to be useful in answering all of those questions you’re afraid to ask in public.

9 Ways to Romance Your Readers

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What if you looked at your blog’s readers as potential girlfriends or boyfriends? Wouldn’t you do everything you could to score?

Recently, Shawn Graham, author of Courting Your Career and Randy Bitting, co-founder of InterviewStream, offered up 10 ways to romance your dream job. In light of Valentine’s Day, what if we tweak their advice for blog readers? [Read more…]

WordPress For Small Business – A “Revolutionary” New Theme

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It’s no secret that businesses can benefit from blogging. Regularly updated content keeps the reader interested in what’s going on, gives them a sense of accessibility to the business, and can mean return visitors and potentially clients. But one of the challenges to blogging for your business is the choices you have to make when stepping out. What platform should I use? Should I go with a free theme, or have a custom theme developed?

I like WordPress. I really like WordPress. And strangely enough, there are countless small to medium business owners who are still unaware that WordPress can not only fill their blogging needs, but also serve as a fantastic platform for updating their website as well. The technical phrase for it is a “Content Management System” or CMS. Using WordPress as a CMS isn’t terribly difficult, especially since WordPress was one of the first blogging platforms to use a “page” system where static content could be published. [Read more…]