How Does A New Blogger Get Started?

Often when I tell people I'm a blogger, I often get asked the questions, "How did you get started blogging?" "How can I get started?" "What should I write about?" "Why do you do it?"

For many of you new to blogging, the task may seem daunting, scary, or just unknown. Getting started is actually quite easy. I blog because it's become my hobby and meeting new people is acually therapeutic. Chatting with other women going through similar things makes it seem like my family is really not as crazy as I thought (okay, maybe we are just a little crazy).

Many people blog for different reasons. Some do it to promote their business, product, or service. Some people have found their voice through writing, find relief in their pain, and/or want to chronical their lives.

I first started blogging because of Justice Fergie. She's an Internet junkie by trade (read, it's work related) so she knew all the ins and outs. She set us up on Google Blogger using a template and with just a few simple steps we were all set to go.

We decided to make the blog about us, our daily experiences, struggles, jokes, and joy. Then agreed that using aliases was better than disclosing our identities. Sure we eventually began posting pictures of ourselves and the kids but we didn't see any harm in doing so. Others may disagree.

If you are considering blogging or are new, I recommend you consider what limits you'll place on your blog, if any, and how much information you want people to know about you. There have been stories of bloggers losing their jobs because of what they wrote. So before you admit to hating your job, your boss, or spending your entire day blogging, consider whatt impact that could have on your career. I once had a co-worker reveal to me that she had stumbled upon my blog and since then had been a lurker. I quickly ran through my roledex of posts just to make sure I had not written anything I would regret.

So here are the simple steps of Blogging:
1.) Decide whether you want your blog on Google, Typepad, or Wordpress. Google is free, the other two are not. There may be more but those are the three that I am aware of.
2) Decide whether you want to use a template or if you want to have a template created for you. Having a blog designed for you can range from $10 for a header to upwards of $140 for tabs and several columns. Our design on MamaLaw cost about $80.00. Pretty affordable, right?
3) Finally, decide how much information is too much information. Try to not reveal other people's business. Like the secret your BFF told you last week. Also, reconsider writing about someone if you are really mad at them. If you decide to put pictures of yourself, remember that what you put out there will always be out there even if you delete on your page.
4) Let go and just write. Consider it an on-line journal. Reflect, release, relate, and enjoy!

For those of you new to blogging or who want to learn how to do it, we have just the sessions planned for you at Blogalicious. Just another reason why you should attend the conference.

Do you have any advice for new bloggers? If so, share your advice in our comments!

Sponsorship News

Blogalicious 2009 welcomes Success Rice and Mashable as event sponsors!



We'd like to thank them for being among the first brands to recognize the value of women of color bloggers and the significance of this event.

Blogalicious 2009 Chicago Meetup

If you are planning on attending BlogHer '09, we want to know! We've already got a Blogalicious 2009 Happy Hour Meetup in the works for all of you that will be in Chicago that weekend. Stay tuned for details and see you in July!

[Psst! If you'd like to see a Blogalicious 2009 Meetup in your city before October, we want to hear from you too!]

Ask Suze Orman!

The Blogalicious 2009 and MamaLaw ladies have been invited to participate in Avon’s Exclusive Blogger Audiocast Hosted by Personal Finance Expert Suze Orman, tomorrow! During the audiocast, we'll have the opportunity to ask Suze (as if we're on a first-name basis) questions about women starting businesses in this economy. We're asking our readers for any questions that you would like us to ask Suze and we'll do our best to make sure you're heard! So...if you could ask this finance and media queen a question about succeeding in business, what would you ask?

Deadline to leave your question in the comments is 9am EST on April 23rd. Sorry for the short notice, but we just found out ourselves!

Marketing to Bloggers of Color: The Hot Topic for 2009?

As women bloggers of color, we know first-hand the importance of brands marketing to our demographic and we also see the disparity between the number and types of invitations we get to company-sponsored blogging retreats. Of course, some companies, like Disney, do "get it" and have been leading the pack in terms of recognizing that their brand cannot afford to exclude (intentionally or unintentionally) bloggers or color. That includes women bloggers of color, and an even more important subset of that when it comes to buying power is mom bloggers of color. We applaud those companies and hope that others are paying attention and plan to follow suit.

Some companies, however, are still missing the boat when it comes to including diversity in their marketing campaigns. Most recently, Hallmark has been criticized as not including any women of color in their recent brand retreat. Not only are brands to blame, but also the mom blogging community as a whole has failed to recognize moms of color are powerful consumers worthy of having their voices heard. More than one bloggy friend (white and non-white) has told me just how "lily white" Blissdom '09 was and how it was mid-boggling in this day and age.

I, for one, am glad to see that this issue is gaining national attention and is not lost on other mommy bloggers, including white ones. Popular mom blogger and PR consultant, Kim Moldofsky, just wrote a thought-provoking post on inviting diversity to the mommy blogger marketing discussions, and she has put out a call for all mom bloggers to insist that brands invite a diverse crowd to their events. A bold move and a thoughtful one.

Looks like this is going to be a recurring topic in 2009. We hope that Blogalicious 2009 will play an important role in shaping the discussion!