Passive Income Blog Experiment

I realize that I may be ahead of some people in the blogging department. So I’ve decided that it’s time to explain the basics of blogging.

Header: This is the banner that’s at the top of the page. It displays the name of the blog along with a graphic which may include your logo if desired.

Blog Name: The domain name and the blog name are not always the same thing. They should be similar or connected in some way, but they do not have to be the same.

Content: This consists of the posts you create.

Sidebar(s): Almost all blogs have at least one sidebar. Some of them have two. The are located to the side of the content. They contain your biography, Flickr pictures, your blogroll, Follow me or Feedburner links and adsense. This is the place for all of those ‘extras’. (Which we’ll discuss on Friday.)

Navigation:These are  links that connect from one page to another, these are most helpful when they connect from one post on your blog to another

Blogroll: The list of blogs that you write or read on a regular basis along with the link for other people to read them.

Comments: visitors can comment on your posts to let you know how much they enjoyed (or hated) your post

Trackbacks: this feature allows you to know when someone else posts something about your blog onto their blog

Tags: These are like keywords. Listing main ideas from your post can help search engines find you.

Categories: Putting your posts into categories can help your readers find information, relevant to their search, quickly.

Other notes:

When choosing a blog name don’t make it crazy, make it relevant to your business topic/niche/subject. If you’re writing about cats, don’t pick a name about hippos or sunflowers.
Correlate the domain name, blog design and blog title so that theymes together. Tag lines (those catchy little phrases under the blog name) are not necessary. However, if you have a business it can be your slogan or if it’s for your personal blog you can show off your humor.

If you are not fluent in html language (like I’m not) then there are plenty of free templates available for both Blogger and Wordpress. Check out some here: Free Wordpress Templates for Wahms or The Cutest Blog on the Block (for Blogger)
Want a reasonable price on a personalized template? Visit Tiffany’s Blog Design Studio.

Psssst: Need quality content at a reasonable price? That’s MY job. Freelance writer for hire 

Did I miss anything? Do you have any tips that might help the novice/beginner? I will be addressing more specifics soon.