Web for Writers 101, Part 2 – Why Blogging is Better than Just Setting Up a Site

Hi Everybody,

Hungry for more information about how to establish a web presence the right way? Here’s Part II of Web for Writers 101.

Why Blogging is Better than Just Setting Up a Site

Last time, we talked about “web presence,” choosing a domain name, and the basic functions of a website. Today we’ll discuss what Thomas thinks about blogging as opposed to just setting up a website.

Here we go!

Rita: Hi Thomas, thanks for hanging with us as we pick your brain about websites and web presence.

Thomas: My pleasure.

Rita: So which do you prefer, a website or a blog?

Thomas: Actually, I highly recommend writers set up a blog rather than utilizing a traditional, static website. A blog and a website might be practically the same, but a blog enables you to dynamically create new content.

Why? Because most blogs come with advanced, built-in features like search bars, and comment boxes. These allow users to post their feedback. So all a writer has to do is write new content, press a button, and…boom, a new page or post is published to their website in a predetermined format!

Rita: That’s true. When I first decided I wanted to blog, I dabbled with WordPress. I was terrified at first, but it proved to be much easier than I thought. Everything was basically done for me. All I had to do was supply the content.

Thomas: Right! Setting up a blog is definitely a “no-brainer.” And not only does blogging make life easier, it’s also a good way to improve (and maintain) your site-ranking among search engines.

Another good thing about blogging is, there’s plenty of free blogging software out there to choose from. You mentioned WordPress, which is great, and then there’s Joomla. These two are probably the most popular software, and the easiest to use. You’ll also find that there are tons of free, pre-designed themes for WordPress and Joomla. Of course, you can’t claim a free theme (meaning, its never really YOUR theme; anyone else can use it), yet these themes definitely come in handy if you don’t have the skill or capital to design your own.

Rita: Where can our writers go for more information?

Thomas: For WordPress, go to www.Wordpress.com. For Joomla, go to www.Joomla.org.

Rita: Any tips before starting a blog?

Thomas: Definitely. If you decide to set up a blog, remember to include and/or implement the following features:

• Set up your blog to require your approval BEFORE visitors post their comments. Otherwise, you may find yourself the brunt of cruel and unusual comments.
• Include a disclaimer / terms of use page that relinquishes any responsibility for the comments made by your viewers. Also, your terms of use page should clearly define your rules for user commenting.

Well everyone, that does it for today. Hope you got some good information from this piece.

Remember, you can reach Thomas at: ThomasHubbard.net

Next time our topic will be, Part 3 – Does “Color” Matter in Your Website?

Best wishes and happy writing!

Rita Lorraine