Blogger Basics: Getting Started with Blogger
While we will only be doing one lesson per week from now on, I don`t really count yesterday`s post as a proper lesson so we`ll look at the first real one today.
Getting started with Blogger is pretty simple. You just need to sign up for an account if you don`t already have one. If you do have one, that`s fine, you can use the existing account or sign up for a different one. Some reasons you might want a different account from that which you are already using include:
- If you have lots of junk blogs on your current account
- If you don`t want business mixing with personal blogs
- If you have a better idea for a business account name
- If you want to separate several different ventures
Setting Up Your First Blog
The first thing you`re going to do once you have your basic account set up is to click on Edit Profile and make sure everyone knows who you are and what you`re about! This is a very important step since people will be clicking on your profile to find out more about you.
I actually don`t use my Blogger account for anything except playing around, so I don`t have a proper profile, but for the purposes of teaching, I`ll show you how to fill it out.
First, make sure you let people see your profile. This will let them get to know you and is an important part of networking. You can also select which blogs you want people to have access to through your profile. This is good if you are still working on a site or if you have a blog that you are testing ideas on but don`t really want anyone to actually see if they`re looking for your business blog.
If you are serious about creating a business presence online, it`s probably a good idea to use your real name.
The next section is Identity and you`ll need to set up your user name, etc. Whether or not you use your own name is completely up to what you want to brand. For example, on this blog, I use Genesis and my name is synonomous with my blog. However, some people will want to use a business related name, like I use Gourmet Mama when commenting on food blogs . . . referring to my food blog. Your display name on Blogger is what people will see on your blog.
Next, we have the photography and audio sections. Truthfully, I haven`t ever considered the audio clip idea, if you use that, let me know!
You should definitely have some sort of photo up. While you don`t need to necessarily have a portrait of yourself, you should certainly choose an image to portray. There are all sorts of options available, but one very popular and effective method is using a photo of yourself with your business logo on top. This has the advantage of portraying you as human, while still promoting your business.
Next, you`ll need to input your information, such as your URL, etc. This is pretty self-explanatory.
The next section is also pretty self explanatory. I`d stick to your business information, even if you have a day job, for the Work section.
Finally, you`ll see an area where you need to fill in your bio information. For a business blog, you don`t need to put in your favorite movies, music, etc. if you prefer not to. It does give people a better look at who you are . . . it really depends on how real you want to be and how professional. Either one can have great success.
Finally, save all your changes and you`re ready to start your first blog, which we will cover next week. For now, you might want to look at what you need to do in order to set up a blog. What are you going to write about? How will you appeal to your target audience? Just how personal will you be?
P.S. sorry for the blurred screenshots, I messed up somewhere along the way!
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