BLOGGINGPresentation By:

Mr. Obilor Benneth ChijiokeChief Systems Analyst,

Directorate of Information Technology and Media Services,University of Ibadan, Ibadan

Email: bc.obilor@mail.ui.edu.ng; benobilor@yahoo.comGSM: 08055122215

What is Blogging?• Blogging is a part of sharing your knowledge in which you not only

share your perception, but readers can also comment and participate in the discussions made on the blog. • Blogs provide information on a particular issue, event. • The act of creating and writing on a blog is called blogging and the

writer and creator who does all the tasks is known to be as Blogger.• The all collective community of blogs is called blogsphere. • The best part to be a blogger is that you can work from anywhere, you

just need a laptop/Phone and all your work will be done. There are various types of blogs and they focus on different-different niches

Different types of Blogs & Blogging

• #1 – Corporate Blog• A blog can be of any type if it is a corporate blog, then it contains information about the organization, it’s culture or

it’s strategies, purposes that is called corporate or official blog.• #2 – Niche Blog• Fix type of stuff blog which provide information on a particular topic is called a particular/Niche blog , like their niche

is fix it may be education, phones, Music, fashion, arts, web designs, sports and thoughts.• #3 – Personal Blog • These are most common type of blogs. Blogging is not just way of communicating and sharing, it is more than that.

Personal Blogs are commonly written in the personal language and with emotional touch for friends and colleagues.• #4 – Forum Blogging • It is a place to discuss general blogging issues of where blogger can share their thoughts about blogging. Here you

can ask question, give answers, express things, share how we can improve in blogging.• #5 – Review Blog• It is a blog where a blogger share reviews about like Mobiles, iphones and other products. Readers can also give

comments on the product reviews & Discuss more about it.

Why Blog (Purpose for Blogging)

• Have fun• Make friends• Make extra money• Draw attention to ideas• Improve and increase business (Popularize your business –attract customers)

Types of Blogging Platforms

HOSTING WEBLOG PROVIDERS• Hosting weblog providers is a type of blogging platform where the blogger has to simply sign up

and setup a blog account. To start blogging, you don’t need any special software to download and install in your computer. All you have to do is sign up and start blogging. Signing up is easy, its just a matter of having to fill out the required information about you and you can start blogging.

• This type of blogging is one of the easiest and simplest ways to start blogging. Blogging this way is suitable for people who doesn’t know how to blog or are beginners in the world of blogging.

• To set up your account, you first need to visit the blog providers’ website, sign up for a new account, and customize your blog page. Customizing in a blog provider’s page is easy; they usually have a step by step instruction to help you design your blog page. It will require you to choose templates, colors, themes, font, blog style and more.

• This type of blogging platform is perfect for people who don’t have knowledge about programming like HTML or CSS, and other website technical programs.

Best Blogging Platforms

• WordPress (https://wordpress.org/)• It’s almost infinitely customizable, designed for both novices and professionals and is one of the largest blogging platforms in

the world. WordPress is a do-it-yourselfer’s dream blogging environment, WordPress allows users of all types to customize their blogs using either the pre-designed themes (of which hundreds are readily available), or HTML, CSS and PHP.

• Tumblr (http://www.tumblr.com)• Tumbblr is a “microblogging”. Users can post to their free Tumblr accounts via apps on their mobile devices, the Web and/or

dedicated apps on the PC and Mac.Tumblr pages tend to be sparse in design, allowing bloggers to focus more on content, rather than customizability.

• Blogger (http://www.blogger.com/)• Google’s Blogger blogging platform is very popular for its “quick” setup and because it’s tied to a user’s Google account.

Getting started is quite easy. Simply create a title, what the address should be (name.blogspot.com) and select a template. After that, you can add a custom domain name, modify your template or pick from a variety of others to truly make your blog your own.

• Squarespace (http://www.squarespace.com)• Squarespace is more than just a blogging platform – it’s a way to create a beautiful site of any kind in minutes. While you will

have to pay a monthly fee (upwards of $8.99), the prices are well worth it. What you get in return is a state-of-the-art content management system, built-in analytics and a host that almost never goes down.

Best blogging platforms…• Movable Type (http://www.movabletype.org)• Movable Type has emerged as the “power blogger’s platform.” It offers plugins, like WordPress, to customize the

experience for both the blogger and the reader, including Twitter and Facebook integration, code sanitization and photo galleries. Movable Type comes in two flavors – the .com version is for non-developers who want their blog hosted for free by Movable Type and the .org version is for people who want to host their site using external services for greater control.

• TypePad (http://www.typepad.com)• TypePad is kind of like a hybrid of Squarespace and Movable Type, which makes sense because TypePad is based on

Movable Type. It’s not free, like WordPress or Blogger, but follows more of Squarespace’s tiered plans model. There’s a free trial available, but after your trial period is up, you’ll have to pay a monthly fee of $8.95, $14.95 or $29.95

• TypePad is great for a semi-regular blogger who doesn’t want to fiddle with design and would rather have everything taken care of by the service. Many businesses, journalists and professionals use TypePad to showcase their brands.

• Posterous (http://www.posterous.com)• If you’re just looking for a way to share your thoughts with the public, a specific subset of people or even yourself,

Posterous might be the way to go. Once you sign up for a free account, you can set up what are called “spaces” for people to follow. There’s a mobile app, so you can post on the go and a mobile-friendly version of your site that automatically renders when viewed on a smartphone or other personal Internet-connected device.

STAND-ALONE BLOG

• Stand-alone blog software is another type of blogging platform. This type of platform requires the blogger to download and install a software to their computer. They can either acquire the software in the internet for free or with a minimal fee.• This way, you have more control of your blog designs and it also has a wide

variety of themes which you can apply in your blog webpage. You just have to have a web host on where you can post your blog.• This type of blogging platform is beneficial for users who want to have more

freedom in customizing their blogs. You also have the choice of adding functions and design templates for your blog page. If you plan on choosing this platform, you should be knowledgeable about the technical matters to make it work or you should know someone that can help you with the technical matters.

REMOTE BLOGGING

• The third type of blogging platform is the remote blogging system. With this platform, bloggers have the option to host the blog system in the integrated blog host or by using your own domain.• When you use remote blogging system platform, the set up guideline is

like that of the blog host provider, if the user wants their blog hosted by other websites. If he or she wants to have his or her own domain, the blogger should provide the FTP details to the remote web blog system, the details usually includes FTP address, FTP account user name and password.• This type of platform is recommended for users who have advanced

knowledge about blogging and internet technical matters.

What Types of Blogs Earn the Most Money?• The types of blogs that make money are ones that solve a problem

Tips for writing a better blog• Understand Your Audience• Plan a Calendar• Structure your Blog• Be mindful of links and keywords

Tips for becoming a Successful Blogger

• You must keep on posting continuously.• Don’t move away from your niche, stick on specific topics you usually

talk upon.• Don’t blog only for money, but for passion.• Let the people share their views also• Respond to Commentators• Respect your readers.• Use tags, which will help you in come up in searches.