web stuff 4 writers

There are many ways for writers to build up their profile online.  You might want to create your own website, have a MySpace page.  You could send out e-newsletters, contribute to online communities, or you could keep a blog.

What’s a blog?

Blogs (short for web logs) are online journals or diaries, updated regularly by one or more people.  Like you see on this page, the entries of a blog are usually displayed in reverse chronological order and are open to comments from readers.  In May 2007, the blog search engine, Technorati, reported that they were tracking over 70 million blogs! 

So there is obviously a lot of people blogging out there.  They’re writing about topics from cooking to gadgets, finance to politics.  Some are keeping their personal diaries online.  All bloggers are writers in a sense, but some of those 70 million are also journalists or poets, short fictions writers and novelists.  Well-known writers such as Meg Cabot and Neil Gaiman have blogs.  So should you be joining them?

Why blog?

Every blogger would probably answer this question differently, however, these are perhaps some of the more common responses:

• To express yourself.  To say what you want.  Most blogs don’t have an editor, which can be seen as a positive or a negative I suppose.
• To get into a habit of writing regularly.
• To keep a record of what’s happening.  This can be particularly useful in the lead up to the publication of a particular piece of writing.
• To interact with your readers and build up interest in your writing.   

Some blogs are also able to become a source of income through advertising and affiliate programmes.

 Reasons to reconsider

• Blogging can be time-consuming, and perhaps you’d prefer to focus on your other writing projects.  Or read books.  Or spend your free time in a hundred other ways.
• It’s not easy to keep coming up with topics to write about, and long silences can result in you losing your regular blog readers.
• While you can take steps to preserve your privacy, starting a blog means putting an aspect of yourself online.  You may wish to consider whether or not you’re okay with this.

Over the next month or so, I’m going to be writing more about blogging – covering topics from planning a blog to building your readership.  If you’ve got any questions, feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to answer either directly or in a new blog post.

Tags: Blogging //