So, I want to start my own blog... What next?

[Rez78]

Originally Posted by steampunkette

Is it possible on own-domain blogs (or whatever they're called - I'm referring to a blog whihc is NOT created through a big blog site) to screen user comments before they are posted?
Not just for spam, but if you're not keen on people using offensive language, for example, or someone writing "the Butler did it!" and spoiling the end of your weekly-updated murder mystery serial?

NB: the butler never did it in any of my mysteries, so stop looking at me like that! My butlers do exactly what they should do; they buttle.

There's usually an option in the settings area. I'm not using neither wordpress or blogger but I have my comments set on screen. Just depends on what platform you're using I suppose. It's almost a standard feature these days.

[bsolah]

Originally Posted by steampunkette

Is it possible on own-domain blogs (or whatever they're called - I'm referring to a blog whihc is NOT created through a big blog site) to screen user comments before they are posted?
Not just for spam, but if you're not keen on people using offensive language, for example, or someone writing "the Butler did it!" and spoiling the end of your weekly-updated murder mystery serial?

NB: the butler never did it in any of my mysteries, so stop looking at me like that! My butlers do exactly what they should do; they buttle.

Definitely. You can set comments to be moderated if you're using certain platforms on your own domain such as Wordpress. What's your blog address?

[Steam&Ink]

Originally Posted by bsolah

Definitely. You can set comments to be moderated if you're using certain platforms on your own domain such as Wordpress. What's your blog address?

Thanks for the info.
I don't have a blog address yet; a friend who knows about this sort of thig has offered to design the page for me, so I wanted to find out what I could control on there. If I couldn't screen comments I guess I would have just left them off my wish-list

[bsolah]

You should definitely get your friend to design to blog with Wordpress. I use it for my self-hosted site and it's great.

[Starhorsepax]

HI. Been reading this thread & wondering. Can anyone tell me which if any work well for a mac? I've been looking to start another blog. (myspace is just for my product line & my website is all horses & teddy bears.) I had to dig to discover that blogger has a problem letting mac users add photos. They say to use photobucket. (My mac hates photobucket. Takes forever to load.) I'd rather know about these glitches before I sign on for one.

[bsolah]

I don't think wordpress.com has been a problem with Mac users.

[Starhorsepax]

Trying Wordpress. Seems to be working. Mac friendly!

[bsolah]

That's good to know considering I use a Wordpress blog and am about to switch to Mac.

[Skyhawk]

So what really is next? What's my first move? I need to start a blog in an effort to build an author platform. Do I start with Wordpress? Are there any writers out there that are doing this?

[PVish]

Originally Posted by Starhorsepax

HI. Been reading this thread & wondering. Can anyone tell me which if any work well for a mac? I've been looking to start another blog. (myspace is just for my product line & my website is all horses & teddy bears.) I had to dig to discover that blogger has a problem letting mac users add photos. They say to use photobucket. (My mac hates photobucket. Takes forever to load.) I'd rather know about these glitches before I sign on for one.

Use a browser other than the Mac-native Safari. I use Firefox for my Blogger blog with no problem and I upload lots of pictures.

Skyhawk, my blog is part of my author platform, too. But it's not just about my writing.

[Falen]

Originally Posted by Skyhawk

So what really is next? What's my first move? I need to start a blog in an effort to build an author platform. Do I start with Wordpress? Are there any writers out there that are doing this?

I went with blogger but that's because it was what i was familiar with. And a blog is not a bad idea for building a platform, but just make sure it's something you want to do. It can be a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of work.

[DisobedientWriter]

I prefer Wordpress because it has categories, Akismet (spam fighting software) and functionality is scalable so I can brave something more involved when the time comes. As far as I could tell, Blogger didn't compare in these areas.

[Madrye]

Nancy SV,
let us know how it goes. I just got caught up in this thread b/c I'm curious about blogging too...a lot of info to chew on!

[georgeflint]

Hello,

If you want to start a blog you must have the content which should be appropriate and post it to the blog sites.

Thanks,
George Flint

[cbuck1]

Whatever you decide, get your own domain name and point it to your blog if you're not hosting yourself. Then, if you want to change the location of your blog, you don't have to deal with notifying anyone, you just change where your domain name points takes people. You can set it up so that no matter where your blog is, your readers' browsers will still tell them they're at your domain name.

cheers,

Craig Faustus Buck

[SylviaPeters]

I've tried wordpress and found it too time-consuming. I have recently begun in blogger, and found that it's so much easier to maintain. Having said that, I'm also pretty new to blogging and social networking.

It can be daunting for a new person to know where to start. Personally, I have no clue, but I decided that I had to take the plunge and at the very least try some social networking as part of the writing process.

[Matera the Mad]

My #1 advice: Don't start every goddamn post with "So..."

PLEASE!

[Alan Creffield]

Hey everybody,

Just thought I would ask a generic question and see what your thoughts are on generating traffic to a blog?

Cheers

[Tenshi]

I am a new blogger myself and this is my fourth time tring to start up a blog and have good amount of viewers but it seems that it is not catching on.

Is there something I can do for people to look and comment on my blogs or do I just have to give it time and just keep posting?

And another good site, that I found that give alot of flexibility and creativing is webs.com. Here is what I have done using this site : pathlesstraveled.webs.com

[Peggy Blair]

I use Wordpress. The nice thing about it (besides the fact that it is easy to post to and upload images/URLs to) is that it lets you blogroll i.e link to other blogs which is a good way to drive traffic. Tumbler doesn't let you do this, and I've found it really helps. It's a clean, fast-loading site and you can control comments if you wish. It also filters spam. Whenever I've asked my writing friends if they want to link blogs, it's turned out their blogs (unless they're using Wordpress) won't let them. That's enough for me ...

[Peggy Blair]

PS. Wordpress also puts up new posts on a kind of home page, also identified by tags, and that can drive traffic to you as well.

[BSU_Tammy]

I use Blogger and it is very user-friendly. The disadvantages, which with any blog, is having strangers read about you and/or your family and the security that could mean. Using the Blogger you can read a large audience from around the world.

[Chrisla]

Being new to all this, I could use a little clarification. What may appear obvious to you experienced bloggers leaves me a bit befuddled. When you mention hosting your own doman, do you mean that you just buy a domain name and go from there, or do you mean that you get the domain name through one of the many hosting sites, then install your blogging software from there?

Also, if you start a free WordPress blog, can you later incorporate it into the paid version, should you need to go that route?

Thanks!

[laffarsmith]

Hosting and domain name are actually two separate things and are purchased individually. Usually, when you pay to have a site hosted your first domain name is included in the hosting package. A website host will provide you with space on their servers for you to store the files that make up your website (you'll also need them to provide a SQL database as part of your hosting package).

Wordpress is a package of files you install into your hosting space that builds the backbone of your blog. Most hosts have scripting software that will allow you to install an instance of Wordpress with a few simple clicks but if not then you can follow the detailed installation instructions on the Wordpress.org site.

Wordpress.com is basically Wordpress that is hosted on someone else's hosting space. You're limited to the most basic features and have to pay for extras (such as having your own domain name or customizing your theme). If you're brand new to blogging then I recommend starting with Wordpress.com while you "get the feel" of the dashboard and discover if blogging is really something you'll enjoy doing over the long haul.

When you're ready, you can export your Wordpress.com blog and import it into the Wordpress.org blog you set up in your own hosting space. Let me know if you'd like me to recommend a host to you. I've tried most of the popular ones and have my favorites. :-)

[Chrisla]

Thanks, Rebecca. That is exactly the information I was looking for. Now that I have that clarified, I'm going to install WordPress, as you suggested, and am already exploring options for a host site. Thank you.