Creating My First Blog

I felt the step by step directions Jay gave made it surprisingly simple to get my first blog up and running. I found the Blogger interface very easy to navigate which made it fun to play around with the look and content of the blog.

I tried out different templates, fonts and colors until I settled on the look and layout I liked the best. It was interesting to see the variety of gadgets you can add with just a couple of clicks. I learned a few things when I added a picture for the banner which I created in publisher and imported using the page elements editor.

I think blogging can be fascinating when people are sharing things they are interested in or passionate about. Eventually when I have information or experiences I want to put out there and something I think people will be interested in reading, I will use a blog to do that. I posted the cartoon of the dogs not because I am cynical about blogging, but because that is how I would feel if a I created and tried to maintain a blog just to have a blog.

I thought the blogs that were linked are very interesting particularly the infopeople blog, but honestly I do not think I would actually take the time to follow them. Although I did read the Problogger book when we got in the library earlier this year, because I was curious about blogs and how people could make money just by blogging. If I were to continue to blog I might subscribe to that blog because he had great information not only how to make money with blogs, but also he had good advice on design, content and driving people to your blog.

I do not actually follow any blogs right now although do regularly read a magazine called Artful Blogging: Visually Inspired Online Journals. It is a beautiful magazine where people share their blogging experience which is usually related to creative aspects of their art, their homes, their work and their lives. I look at blogs featured in that magazine, but I do not actually follow them. I am sure this class will push me to take the time to get organized and set up RSS feeds for those that I find most inspiring,