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A blog is, without a doubt, the biggest thing to hit the Net since html.
And almost every web savvy individual that you know has a blog. If you do not have a blog yet and would like to understand how it works, continue reading.
If you already have a blog and would like to understand how to make money out of it, this is the section for you.
You can find a lot of comprehensive resources on blogging but this section should give you an idea about blogs and how you can make money out of it.
What is a blog
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A blog is short for weblog. A blog is a website that has regularly updated, chronologically ordered posts on a common webpage. People sometimes refer to it as an online journal or diary. Because blogs are easy to start and maintain, practically anybody with a PC and an Internet connection can blog. These days, net savvy politicians, celebrities, businessmen, students, housewives maintain blogs. Some bloggers even attain celebrity status that they can command good advertising rates for their blogs.
Blogs are such a hit because it gives a human face to an otherwise impersonal experience. Blogs can be very personal and some very good bloggers manage to forge very close, loyal relationships with their readers.
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How to start a blog
Starting a blog is straightforward and easy and does not require much technical knowhow.
 Look at the different blogging providers and decide which one you would like to use. The market leaders are Blogger, WordPress, TheDiary, Mindsay, Blog and Livejournal. You will find other providers as well. Some authoring software comes with a blog feature that allows you to integrate the blog into your website, if you already have one.
Sign up for the service. Most providers provide you with pre-made templates. Choose one and personalize it. You can also add features such as buttons, images, tagboards, guest maps, guest books, etc. You can find these things in the resources listed below.
Some blog providers allow you to set a password so that only people you invite can have access to your blog. However, since we are in the topic of using blogs for business, you should, ideally, make your blog available to everyone in the Internet.
Start posting. See how your site looks. Make the necessary adjustments until you are satisfied with your blog's look and feel.
Publish your blog. Presto! You are in the Net.
If you are a beginner, Blogger.com (owned by Google) is the best place to start. It is a free, hosted service and you can start in five to ten minutes.
Another free popular service is Wordpress. This is an open-source application. Meaning, anyone can download it and make modifications for their own purposes. Wordpress is very powerful but is meant for those more technically inclined.
If you like something that looks more sophisticated, you can opt for TypePad. This is the preferred choice of professional bloggers and business owners owing to its more polished designs. TypePad has three levels to choose from: Basic at $4.95 per month; Plus Level at $8.95 per month and the ProLevel at $14.95 per month. There is also the TypePad Business Class. This package has a customized pricing structure and designed for high profile and high traffic sites.
You can also consider Moveable Type. This is not a hosted service: meaning you have to buy the software and install it in your own web server. There is a free version so you can also take a look at this one first before you sign up for the paid option.
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