Starting a blog

[honeydew]

Okay....I am finally ready to start my blog. Now, for the record, this has been a long, thought out process, and is not my first website.

But...I used to use front page to make my website, but when my old computer bit the dust, I couldn't get all my old programs to work on my new computer (arg!).

I'm hoping a few of you can help me with the process of getting it going. I'm cringing because I don't really know how a blog format is different from a regular website format.

I'm not interested in buying software I will only use minimally.

SOOOOoooo...I did a bit of research, and learned that you can use wordpress, not only to blog, but with the right template even as an e-store. I will need these capabilities, so this is what I want. I also want it to be available as my own domain name. I use GoDaddy as a hosting company.

What I'm looking for is some feedback regarding the actual use of wordpress or maybe other blog platforms.

What's the simplest - to create, to upload/update, to incorporate paypal with?

Does anyone know where to find templates that incorporate paypal that are not over the moon expensive, yet attractive, better yet, easily customizable?

What considerations would the noob not even think about - that maybe should be thinking about?

TIA
Marie

[ottawagardener]

I can't comment on wordpress as I use blogger and don't have need for a storefront but I can comment on blogging in general. I have noticed that many small companies are using blogs to update clients on the goings-on of their business, to personalize it so to speak. One of things they often fail to do is to be an active blogger. If you want to 'exist' to other internet users, as a blogger than you have to make sure the communication goes both ways. Comment on other people's blogs, connect yourself to online groups, be social. Internet hobnobbing is as important as networking for visibility. Also, regular posts are more likely to attract attention but they are difficult to maintain if you are trying to write quality. I used to be linked to some business blogs because I was interested in what they were doing but they generally posted once in a while and so I lost interest and deleted most of them from my blog roll. Also, blogging as a front for selling can turn some readers off so it has to be a 'free' service that doesn't obviously push product.

It is more work than it initially looks. It sounds like you have thought quite a bit (and did the accompanying work) into what you are trying to accomplish but if it is just updating your clients semi-regularly then a 'this is what's happening open letter' might work just as well. You might want to focus your energies on creating a useful reference page or database that will draw people to your website instead. If, on the other hand, you really want to add your voice to the citizen journalism that blogging at its best can be, then jump on board but if you haven't done so already figure out what 'voice' you want, if you are going to be friendly, informative etc... and then set yourself publishing deadlines - weekly / monthly. Figure out the content - locally related events, book reviews and so on. Next, be prepared to develop an online network and spend time on their sites.

That's all the advice I have and they are just my observations to be taken with various grains of salt.

Good luck!

[honeydew]

Thanks Telsing for the great advice! I think the fact that it is such a commitment is a big part of what has stopped me so far....the other big thing being that I am so out of touch with webmastering and have never been involved with blogging. I ~barely~ have any experience with the forums!

As for blogging as a front for selling ---- I hope that it doesn't end up looking like that. Being that I am serving a mostly local market, hopefully it won't...

Thanks again!

[stone]

You can use wordpress like a static site if you want.

Using the default template, you can add an e-store... search "ecommerce plugin wordpress" to find a plugin. Or just wait until you have wordpress installed, and search from the admin back end.

I had an e-comerce plugin on a test set-up, it was an easy install...

You don't have a link to your current page, and I'm unable to see what you currently have.
Adding wp is a breeze... If you can use ftp.

Some free sites don't allow ftp. Some free sites don't allow php.
Some free sites allow limited php.

If you have an account that you are paying for, and have ftp access, there's no reason why you couldn't set up a wordpress.

I like filezilla as my ftp client. It's free, and very easy to use.

Setting up wordpress is very easy, you set up a mysql for it from your cpanel, and a name with full access, and you are ready to go. It's a snap.

Need help, ask.

If you choose to blog, it's perfectly acceptable to pick out a product and discuss it... what colours it comes in, how to use it, how it compares to others in the marketplace... Overt sales doesn't do well, but letting people know about a new product that just became available is an appropriate use of the format.

I've been reading a book on the history of blogging, and I found it interesting when the book mentioned a tailor that explained simple concepts like thread-count on his blog.

One precaution...
I've read about some of those "free templates" that have garbled code, which may link to places you don't want to link to, and may have bad scripts hidden in the garbled code.

I would be very careful about where I got a template from.

On my wordpress, I created a child theme that matched the rest of my site. Nothing much to it if you've been using html and css, and not trying to do anything fancy.