How to Make a Blog

Whether you're the diary writing type who enjoys putting down your every thought, you want to publish a regular news bulletin, or you simply want to keep a journal during a particular event, weblogs, normally known by the more familiar name "blogs," are a superb solution, and they're easier to make than many people realize. Some methods of making blogs even allow for others to contribute comments to the articles you make, so this can be a very handy way for far flung family members to keep each other informed of what's happening.

Blogs are hosted on websites, and the information you type into a blog entry can normally be seen both in the form of a page in your favorite Web browser or by using a special RSS reader. RSS is the name for the way blog articles are formatted, organized and delivered. It stands for Rich Site Summary, Really Simple Syndication, and also RDF Site Summary, depending on which variation you're using, but don't be put off; all good blog software or services will take care of this for you. When people subscribe to your blog using their chosen blog reader software they'll get your new journal entries automatically; they don't even have to remember to check a website.

The easiest way to get you a blog is to sign up with a blogging service. There are a large number available, but Blogger is both popular and free, and it offers a decent selection of template designs for your blog's page layout.

To begin, go to www.blogger.com and click the "Create Your Blog Now" link. Pick a username and password, give your blog a title, pick a "blogspot.com" address, and then choose a template from the list of options. That's it; now click the Start Posting link and add your first entry. Give it a title and just start typing, then click Publish Post when you're happy. Your blog address will be the one you selected earlier, for example "justgodigital.blogspot.com."

You can choose to add a description of your blog, add it to Blogger's directory of hosted blogs, allow visitors to post comments about what you've said, and much more. Allowing comments, which is turned on by default, can make your blog a very interactive, collaborative thing. You can let anyone do this; restrict it to registered Blogger members, or only those who you add as a team member of your blog.

Another way to run your own blog is to use software on your own computer to create the files and have those uploaded somewhere for others to read. The Macintosh only iWeb, from Apple, does this well, although you'll need a ".Mac" subscription too. RapidWeaver, from www.realmacsoftware.com, also includes similar blog creation features.

With iWeb, you work on your own computer and add blog entries as new pages, and then you "publish" the new articles to your site when you're done. By using iWeb you can mix web pages with blog pages, include "podcasts" (audio blogs you record yourself), and even video based content. The only real downside is that you can't add blog entries when you're not in front of your computer. So, if you want to post a day by day account of your big holiday, for example, you'd better remember to take a laptop with you.

Open iWeb, click the Plus icon in the bottom left corner to pick a theme and the blog page type. This opens layout template where you can add or delete a photo and type in your journal title, date, and content and you can play with the layout all you like. This is automatically stored as a blog on your .Mac account when you publish it. When you add a new blog page any previous articles can be found in the Blog Archive page that iWeb makes for you.