Friday, May 13, 2016

Live The Life You've Imagined

Hi, I'm Rick Oliva and I'd like to welcome you to Rick Oliva on the Web, my new Blogger blog. I'm new to this, so please bear with me as I explore this strange new world. It's something I've always wanted to try but didn't necessarily imagine myself actually doing. That being said, I recently re-read Walden by Thoreau and got inspired by Thoreau's admonition to

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined."



Well, Henry David, I'm on board!

I'm going to start out with an overview of blogging that helped me get a feel for the ins-and-outs of my blogging adventure. So, here goes...

Blogging 101: Setting Up And Growing A Blog

With the advent of the Internet came the advent of blogging. Originally a contraction of the words “web log,” blogging has exploded into a lifestyle for many people. Popular sites across the web have become aggregates of content produced by writers, while the traditional single-author blog still remains prevalent on the web.

Today, blogging has become less about producing content (though of course, that is still a crucial piece of the blogging puzzle) and more about creating a community.  Through comments on posts and now particularly with the advent of social media, bloggers have found that they have particular sway and hold on their audiences, and their audiences have found that the writers and creators they admire are listening. As my research has told me, if you have ever wanted to get into the world of blogging, the time is ripe.

It seems the  first thing to consider when starting a blog is deciding upon your niche. Blogs that are about many topics are of course possible, but the easiest route to take when beginning a blog is to pick a topic and stay with it, at least in the beginning stages. You, as a unique human being, have something to say that nobody else could write- figure out what that is and go from there.  The beauty of blogging lies in the genuine expression of your character. It is strikingly obvious when a blogger is trying to be someone they aren’t, and their readers will notice.

Figured out your topic? Good. Now it’s time to find a place to host your blog. Typically, web pages are created by the purchase of a domain name from a server. The page is then populated with content using complex code. However, there are a myriad of ways to create your blog on a blog hosting service, which takes the hassle (and cost) out of the traditional method.

Do your research and select the best hosting site for your blog. You’ll want one with an interface that is easy to understand, especially if you aren’t particularly Internet savvy. The service you’ve chosen should help you set up your blog, but there are a few things to make sure you have set up. A built-in comments section on each post, options for connecting social media, and a basic site traffic monitoring system are all optimal. As you already know, I've chosen Blogger but I'm going to explore Tumblr and Wordpress, too.

Next, put on your creativity cap and get to work - it's time for content! If you’ve chosen a highly visual topic like fashion or food, you can combine images or videos with your text posts. If your topic is how-to or DIY, video can be an especially great addition to your blog (and a great source of extra traffic). Make sure your content is highly shareable and easy to understand.

The next thing for me personally is to set a schedule for posting and stick with it, so my readers (hopefully they'll be some!) will begin to get excited about my new posts.

Remember, live the life you've imagined!

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