FYB - Fuel Your Blogging

The Bloggess

Re-frame "I am stuck inside" to "I can finally focus on my home and myself". With all the new found time, why not start something special during these quarantined days? Perhaps, start a new quarantine ritual - a daily journal or a blog to jot down thoughts and feelings to reflect on later.

Blogging can be whatever you want it to be. It can be a side hustle. A full time hustle. A place to write. A place to share photographs. A place to monetize your creativity. A place to experiment with something new. And if you blog for long enough, it might even be all these things at different points in time.

I have been blogging for 3 weeks now. For an introvert with bottled up feelings, it's such a great emotional outlet. I love that my little space online is always there for me, and can serve as a creative canvas whenever i need my inner self to flow. The best blog strategy is the one that works for you at any given time. Remember , the way it feels today won’t necessarily be the way it feels tomorrow, or next month, and definitely not 3, 5 or 10 years from now. Consistency, commitment and patience are the key essentials.

Before my first blog post I did a lot of contemplating and the constant refrain in my head was " am I doing it right?". But playing by stringent rules takes the fun out of creating. My relationship with my blog has changed alot ever since. Let your blog be what you need it to be for now; the beauty of owning a blog is that it can evolve with you, and with any luck, even surprise you in the best ways.

Everything you need to know about blogging is right here:

What is blogging?

A blog (abbreviated form of "weblog") is very similar to a website. But it is more of a personal diary that is (mostly) maintained by one person – the blogger, and is shared online. Usually, blogs are updated quite often (once a day, once a week, once a month). Blogs can be private, but most of them are available on the internet for others to see. In this online journal, you can talk about your daily life or share things you do. It is seen as an opportunity to communicate any information in an innovative way.

Why do people blog?

• To express themselves.

• To deliver valuable information and news to other people on the internet.

• To make money (Yes, some people are making a lot of money with blogging).

• Self-promotion

• To connect with like-minded people.

• To gain knowledge.

• To find a better job.

• To improve writing skills.

Step-by-step guide on how to start a blog:

Creating a free blog on Blogger:

• To create a blog, go on to Blogger.com.

• Click on Create Your Blog.

• Login with your Gmail account credentials.

• To create your blog, log on to www.blogger.com. Sign in with your Gmail account and click on Create New Blog.

• Fill out the Title, Address of your choice and choose a theme if you like. Hit Create Blog! If you need help choosing a name for your blog, you can check out Satori Webmaster Academy’s Blog Name Generator.

Selecting a theme:

• Click on the Theme menu item on the left side menu list.

• Then choose the theme of your choice from the many available options. You can preview it before applying.

Make Sure Blog is Visible to Search Engines:

• Under the Settings menu item, click on Basic.

• Then click on Edit for the Privacy settings.

• Answer ‘Yes’ to both the questions – Add your blog to our listings? And – Let search engines find your blog? Click on Save changes.
  
  

Pick A Logo for Your Blog:

•  Click on the Layout menu item on the left side.

•  In the Header section, click on the edit

•  For the Header image, you can either choose a file from your computer or insert the image URL.

•  Save the changes you made.

Insert Sidebar Links Using Gadgets:

•  Click on the Layout menu item on the left menu list.

•  Under Sidebar Top or Bottom, click on Add Gadget.

•  In the pop-up window, scroll down to Link List and click on the plus sign.
  

•  Fill out the details in the form that pops up, click Add Link and Save.

•  When you preview the blog, you will see the Sidebar link on the left side.

Writing Your First Blog Post:

•  On the blog page, click on Posts from the left side menu. Then click New post to create a new post.
  

•  Enter your text, add images and links just like you would with a word processing tool. Then hit Publish.

•  If you want to preview your post before publishing it, you can do so by clicking on the Preview button in the top right corner.

•  This is how the preview of the post will look.
  

Insert images in a blog post:

• Open your post in Edit mode and place the cursor at the spot where you want the image.

• Click on Insert Images in the toolbar.

• If you are uploading images from your computer, click on Choose Files and select the required image file.

• You can preview the post with the image before publishing it.

Insert YouTube Videos in A Blog Post:

•  Find the YouTube video of your choice and click on Share at the bottom right.

•  Copy the shareable link that pops up.

•  Go back to your blog post in edit mode and click on the Add/Remove Link

•  In the box that pops up, enter the text and URL for the YouTube video you want to post. Click on OK.
  

Create an About Us and Contact Us Page for Your Blog:

• Click on the Pages menu item on the left side menu list.

• Then click on New Page.

• Enter the Title and Content for the page and click on Publish.
  

I believe this article helps you create a blog on Blogger and start blogging. Blogger is one of the simple and free blogging platforms to create a blog for free. Everyone can create and set up a blog without any expertise. If you still have any questions, please leave a comment.

If you have just started blogging and need more traffic, leads or sales you can submit your blog to feedspot. I submitted my blog Charms and Cheesecake and got it featured in Top 100 Indian Lifestyle Blogs.

If this article helped you get a new blog bestfriend; I want to see. Comment below your blog's URL and I'll make sure I check it.