The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging

Cover of The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging

Blogs (short for “web logs”) seem to be popping up all over the place these days. The barriers to entry into the blogosphere are so low, that just about anyone can do it. Sometimes it does seem like “everyone” is doing it; which is not to say that everyone “should” do it.

Few bloggers make it big or make any money blogging. However, it’s a great way to get some writing experience and to write about things that personally matter. There is nothing wrong with that.

The editors of The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging cite a 2006 survey done by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, on the most popular topic choices of bloggers:

“my life and experiences”
other
politics and government
entertainment
sports
general news and current event
business
technology
religion or spirituality
a specific hobby or illness

Obviously there are plenty of things to write about. Anyone can find a niche of interest in this list. A would-be blogger needs a place to start though, and The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging offers such a place.

How to Start a Blog

The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging is fairly complete. With chapters like “Welcome to the World of Blogs,” “Getting Started,” “Getting Noticed,” “Finding Your Voice,” and “Community: Creating and Building it,” it covers the basics well.
The editors explain the fundamentals of hosting a blog, how often to write posts, and all the simple things required to enter the world of blogging with at least some knowledge of what is involved. “Good” versus “bad” names for blogs are discussed as well as the pros and cons of using a free blogging service. Overall, the advice is good.

Other sections of the book are self-serving promotions for the Huffington Post (e.g. “A Blog is Born: A Brief History of the Huffington Post and its Impact”). Fans of the site will enjoy those parts. People interested in learning how to blog can safely ignore them.

Advice From Successful Bloggers

The book features sidebars containing words of wisdom from bloggers who have made it. Or, in most cases, people who had already made it and then got into blogging. There is a big difference.

It seems a bit disingenuous for these people to offer advice, encouragement, and insights into the world of blogging to the seething masses of unknowns who will start a blog that will probably only be read by friends and relatives (if that!). But, for some people that audience will be good enough.

Most of these celebrity bloggers blog on the Huffington Post, so it would have been more balanced if other bloggers without such affiliation were included in the mix. If your name is Bill Maher, Erica Jong, or Senator Gary Hart (who all have written for the Huffington Post), sure you can start a successful blog. Otherwise, it’s a long road to the top. Don’t quit your day job.

The Editors of the Huffington Post; The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging; New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2008.

January 23, 2012 Tags: blogging, books Posted in: Book Review