Wednesday, July 13, 2005
How to blog
Yeah, like I know how to blog.
For some time, now, I've been asking people to consider blogging as a passtime. The Berkeley Blogsphere has fallen to shambles, because people get tired, or graduate, or whatnot, and nobody seems to want to fill the delightful empty space. There are a few other blogs out there, but we're spread so thin, finding a niche is as easy as rounding pi to 3. (Yes, yes, I understand that if you actually want to do things with your calculations, rounding pi to 3 is actually extremely difficult)
One challenge the Berkeley Blogscape has is that we don't have a very well-defined goal. We're not writing LiveJournals here, but, with the possible exception of Calstuff, we're not journalists. The fundamental thing is abstract whining. That is, we don't whine about how our day went, we whine about how stupid that dude on the ASUC is acting. If you like whining about things that are none of your business, then the Berkeley Blog Community is for you.
(As a sidenote, while complaining about things going on nationally is frequently done, part of being in the Berkeley Blogoscope is to be interested in what's going on in Berkeley. Luckily, there's plenty to whine about at Cal.)
So here we go. The quick 5-step process to building a blog:
1. Start the blog. Yes, before you've decided on your niche, before you even know what your first post is, start the blog. That way, when you do get it in your head to write something, you'll be all set. Starting a blog is easy. Blogger is an extremely user-friendly host, and essentially does all the work for you. All you have to do is type what you want to say and hit the button. More advanced users can do fancy things and move to other hosts, but frankly, Blogger is sufficient for most casual blogging. Just follow the directions, and if you have questions, ask one of the current bloggers. Most of us are happy to help.
2. Start whining. If you have something public you want to whine about, just start whining. You don't need some great mission statement or something for your first post. It'll probably change, anyway. Once you start whining, eventually you'll settle into some kind of groove and establish your niche, but don't worry about actually trying to guide your blogging to some goal.
3. Start linking. It takes a little bit of HTML skillz, I think, but it's really quite simple (and, as always, you can ask for help). Start linking to the other blogs in the Berkeley Blog Complex. Craft detailed rebuttals to posts that others have made, rather than quick blurbs in the comment box. For a whining community to succeed, we have to whine at each other, too.
4. Advertise. No, don't spend any effort advertising. Just let some of the current bloggers know you've started blogging. The cool cats in the Berkeley Blogopolis are free with linking and will do the advertising for you.
5. Coast. Once you've started and are part of the Berkeley Blogtorium, blogging just comes pretty naturally. I've been coasting without putting out any effort at all for the past two years or so.
And that's it! It isn't about how talented you are, it's about bringing another perspective. So just start it. You can always quit later.
Beetle Aurora Drake
Berkeley Blogville Elder
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