Big Paper Blog

Over the past few months, I’ve had some conversations with local tech entrepreneur Marcelo Calbucci, of Seattle20.com, regarding how we can get more people in the startup community to blog.

We decided to write a joint blog post going over the basics of business blogging, and invited Scot Herrick and Ian Lurie to join us.

Here are the 4 articles to get you started:

• How to Set Up A Basic WordPress Blog, by Carolynn Duncan
• Finding Your Blogging Voice, by Marcelo Calbucci
• 15 Rules for Business Blogging, by Ian Lurie
• Marketing Your Career Through Blogging, by Scot Herrick

So, You Want To Blog, But…

Ok, so you’ve decided to take the plunge and start blogging. Except for one thing– you need to set up a blog. You’re not a geek, though, and you have zero technical skills– aack!

Should you hire a programmer? Is it worth it? How much will it cost? What do you do?

Take It Easy.

Relax. Setting up a blog is as easy as setting up a new hotmail or gmail account. You sign up, and there you go! Better than that, you can choose between $0 or $20 (total!) to set up a “blog-for-non-bloggers” on whatever website name you want.

10 Basics To Get Started

Here are 10 basic steps for setting up a basic blog using WordPress, (my favorite brand of blog!). You can also use Movable Type, TypePad, Blogger, or a bunch of others.

These instructions will be step-by-step for WordPress, but are generally similar to the other brands of blogs as well. You can click on any of the photos for a larger view.

Step 1. Go to www.wordpress.com and click “Sign Up Now!”.

Step 2. Create a WordPress account.

Step 3. Pick a free domain name.

Step 4. Go to your inbox and confirm your account.

Step 5. Go to your inbox to view the confirmation email.

Step 6. Take note of your username, password, and API key.

Step 6. Sign in to your new blog!

Step 7. Check out your “Dashboard”!

Step 8. Write a “blog post”:

Step 9. Change how your blog looks:

Step 10. Practice moderating comments.

The Fun Part!

You, my friend, are the proud owner of a fancy new blog you set up yourself. Not only are you a “blogger” now, you are now a GEEK! Enjoy that.

Final Thoughts

Most people don’t blog because they don’t know how (either with technical details, or the subject matter/content/writing), they just haven’t tried it, or they feel like it won’t make any difference.

Here is the truth: blogging is one of the easiest, most effective, cheapest, long-lasting, powerful ways to market yourself or your company/product.

If you are not blogging, ask yourself, WHY NOT? What is the hang-up?

If you are not blogging, I can promise you that you are leaving money on the table, and your competitors are eating you up online!

Two Ways To Get Help: Teach Yourself, or Hire Me

Teach Yourself

The best way to learn all the secret tricks to blogging is to jump in and start blogging. Click on a button and see what it does. (Try to be careful with the one called “delete”, however.)

You can find an encyclopedia of WordPress blogging tips here, here, or here.

Hire Me

If you would like to use blogging as a very, very easy & cheap way to kickstart your personal brand or as a part of your online marketing mix, but you need some 1-on-1 help to get things up and running, I would love to help.

Here are the options:

Have a few quick questions?

Ask me for free! (please limit chat to 5-10 min.)

Need personal 1-on-1 help for 30-60 minutes?

If you want to set up your blog yourself, but need help to troubleshoot problems, set up specific features, or otherwise get 1-on-1 help– set up a 30-60 minute “working coffee”.

(We’ll meet in person if you’re in Seattle or Portland, or online via webconference if out of the area. New clients– your first coffee is only $25!)

Email me at carolynn AT coffeewithanexpert DOT com to set up a time.

Want me to set everything up, including support through your first 5 blog entries?

Delegation– always a good choice.

I’ll set up your blog, including setting up your own domain name, website hosting, 5-10 themes you have handpicked, 5 pages (About Us, Contact Us, Services, Our Team/My Bio, and What Our Clients Say), and support while you write your first 5 blog posts.

I’ll also walk you through how to use it, and show you the secret tricks and add-ons you can use to push your brand even further.

Email me directly at carolynn AT coffeewithanexpert DOT com, to let me know you’re interested in a blog package, and we’ll go from there.

So… get started!

You’ve got 10 basics, and enough info to teach yourself or hire help today. If you do get started, leave a comment with your new blog info so we can start learning about you or your company.

Welcome to the blogosphere!