What's a blog?

According to Wikipedia, a blog is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order. The term "blog" is derived from "Web log" and "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Blogs and blogging have become increasingly popular since 2004 and today, there are nearly 60 million blogs on the Internet (Ref: technorati).

How to start a blog?

Starting your own blog has never been easier thanks to numerous blogging tools which are available for free. Anyone can start a blog without any technical knowledge; and by following the steps below, you could be the next problogger in no time.

1. Look for a blogging provider/software which suits your needs. The most popular ones include www.blogger.com, www.wordpress.com, www.xanga.com, www.typepad.com, and spaces.live.com.

2. Think of a name, address (if you can), and description for your blog and sign up with a blogging provider.

3. Personalise your blog's template. You don't need to be a web professional to do this. There are thousands of free templates available for different blogging software on the Internet. All you have to do is google, and pick one!

4. Start writing. Everyone has something to say, something to share or something to show. It doesn't have to be about latest news or technology. It could just be about your hobby, about something you are passionate of, about your childhood, about a movie you watched, or a book you read, about celebrities, about the things you want to do before you die and the list goes on.

5. Publicise your blog. Unless you are writing for yourself and do not wish anyone to read about your thoughts and musings, it is a good idea promote your blog. Blogrolls, comments, bookmarks, tags and search engine optimisation are some of the most effective ways to get your blog found.

As with almost anything, writing is a skill which can be acquired and improved by practice. So start blogging now and have your voice heard on the Internet.

Welcome to the world of blogging!

— Ei Sabai Nyo