Blogging.... anyone here do it and what's the best?
Discussion
Morning all,
I'm setting out on a big weight loss programme this Monday, trying to lose eight stone as well as getting myself sorted financially and also hoping to help my struggling mental health at the same time.
Have previously lost a shed load of weight and did it quite publicly which seemed to help make it work so this time, thought I'd blog about it too. It's going to be more text-based with a few pictures rather than like, say, Instagram, which seems to be the other way around. I have my own personal website through Yola but I'd rather have a newer, fresher site and link to it from my site.
I don't want to pay a fortune, I have my own domain name that can be pointed to it as well. I guess most of you will suggest Wordpress but should I be looking elsewhere too? I had a quick stab at creating one on Tumblr but it seems going off online forums that Tumblr's dying a death. I'm not really into monetising it really, more just an online presence where folk can come and look at how I'm doing.
Thanks in advance.
I'm setting out on a big weight loss programme this Monday, trying to lose eight stone as well as getting myself sorted financially and also hoping to help my struggling mental health at the same time.
Have previously lost a shed load of weight and did it quite publicly which seemed to help make it work so this time, thought I'd blog about it too. It's going to be more text-based with a few pictures rather than like, say, Instagram, which seems to be the other way around. I have my own personal website through Yola but I'd rather have a newer, fresher site and link to it from my site.
I don't want to pay a fortune, I have my own domain name that can be pointed to it as well. I guess most of you will suggest Wordpress but should I be looking elsewhere too? I had a quick stab at creating one on Tumblr but it seems going off online forums that Tumblr's dying a death. I'm not really into monetising it really, more just an online presence where folk can come and look at how I'm doing.
Thanks in advance.
Edited by GloverMart on Tuesday 25th June 07:11
For just a basic blogging platform you can't go wrong with WordPress. I've used it on www.sgtberbatov.com, and I'm using it for my car thing on www.mywifehatesthiscar.com. It's when you start asking it to do more than blogging that's where it falls down.
I would also recommend using http://www.hemingwayapp.com/ after you've drafted your post. It helps you make it more readable.
I would also recommend using http://www.hemingwayapp.com/ after you've drafted your post. It helps you make it more readable.
Just use Instagram its so much easier and free, in all fairness though people loosing weight is a saturated marked and you will probably find apart from close friends / work colleagues nobody really is bothered.
I did it 3 years ago, 8 stone in total.
Just do it for yourself and enjoy it.
I did it 3 years ago, 8 stone in total.
Just do it for yourself and enjoy it.
My daughter-in-law is a successful blogger. The way she does it may or may not be the best system to copy of course. She makes a fair bit of money from it, and it supports her web-content management business.
Build a subscription list. Post regularly when you promise with content that will interest your target audience. Write for them and not yourself.
Do something different to catch the eye. Perhaps use diagrams or videos to support your blog. Or whatever.
I use Wordpress (WP) and with its new block system (Gutenberg) it is quite straightforward. With WP, hosting is dirt cheap. There's a few on PH who offer it. I have two different hosts, one which charges £35pa. You might want it 'managed' which is about £10 more. I'm not sure. It's what you should aim for.
View your competition, but don't copy; that's the biggest error most people make. Do your own thing.
Make it fun or else it is all a bit of an effort.
Build a subscription list. Post regularly when you promise with content that will interest your target audience. Write for them and not yourself.
Do something different to catch the eye. Perhaps use diagrams or videos to support your blog. Or whatever.
I use Wordpress (WP) and with its new block system (Gutenberg) it is quite straightforward. With WP, hosting is dirt cheap. There's a few on PH who offer it. I have two different hosts, one which charges £35pa. You might want it 'managed' which is about £10 more. I'm not sure. It's what you should aim for.
View your competition, but don't copy; that's the biggest error most people make. Do your own thing.
Make it fun or else it is all a bit of an effort.
Thanks for the comments guys, much appreciated.
AJB88 - I need to make it "public" otherwise I don't think I'll maintain it. I've joined the weightloss thread on here so hopefully Lemming Train will give me a boot up the arse now and again... but I also need the knowledge that people are (a) reading, (b) willing me on to do well and (c) able to dip in with bits of advice now and again. At 51 and so far overweight, I need to make this work.... maybe Instagram will be the answer, I'll certainly consider it as either one thing to do or as part of a bigger push.
Derek - appreciate the guidance on Wordpress.
SGTBerbatov - (great user name btw). Cheers for the links.
AJB88 - I need to make it "public" otherwise I don't think I'll maintain it. I've joined the weightloss thread on here so hopefully Lemming Train will give me a boot up the arse now and again... but I also need the knowledge that people are (a) reading, (b) willing me on to do well and (c) able to dip in with bits of advice now and again. At 51 and so far overweight, I need to make this work.... maybe Instagram will be the answer, I'll certainly consider it as either one thing to do or as part of a bigger push.
Derek - appreciate the guidance on Wordpress.
SGTBerbatov - (great user name btw). Cheers for the links.
Do you want to concentrate on changing your life or become a web admin?
I would use the excellent system of YouTube and Facebook. Blogging is just a fancy name for telling people about stuff.
Daily or weekly updates to camera on youtube will be a hell of a lot easier to make and publish. Also it makes it personal and creates a connection.
A blog's a blog and every man and his dog does one hoping to hit the big time (not saying you are).
Also it's easier for people to just subscribe to a youtube channel and get updates automatically.
Very few people will want to keep going to some random wordpress site that looks like every other wordpress site.
I would use the excellent system of YouTube and Facebook. Blogging is just a fancy name for telling people about stuff.
Daily or weekly updates to camera on youtube will be a hell of a lot easier to make and publish. Also it makes it personal and creates a connection.
A blog's a blog and every man and his dog does one hoping to hit the big time (not saying you are).
Also it's easier for people to just subscribe to a youtube channel and get updates automatically.
Very few people will want to keep going to some random wordpress site that looks like every other wordpress site.
If you'e going for blogging, then WP was made for it.
Have a read of the intro to on https://www.wpbeginner.com/
I've run websites since the early 2000s, 2001 I think, using everything from FrontPage to WP. I like WP cause it is so easy to update and it is able to look like anything you want, if you're not a multi-national. I sell books on mine - oddly enough, I'm multi-national as the sun never sets on my readers. Recently I thought I'd finally cracked Tasmania, but the chap merely has a Tasmanian email address but lives in Japan. I've already got lots in Japan.
Once you get the hang of WP you'll load your site with too many apps - everyone does - and then keep just a few. I use Elementor for certain pages, which is a block editor much more sophisticated than Gutenberg. It's free for our level. I also run a club website purely on the basic WP with Gutenberg. There are apps for shops to slot into a website. I use Ecwid.
I get a lot of visitors through YouTube. I post the videos with a link to my site, and they occasionally come to buy. Videos are superb as the first stage of the marketing funnel. I've got 43,000+ views and most of mine are no longer than 2 minutes. I link to the YT vids on my site and include little stories or explanations around them.
There's only one thing that matters with blogging, and that is content. It's true not matter what medium you post it on, and there's no need to limit yourself just to one. Everyone mouths the words 'content is king' yet post bland SEO copy and blogs, but it is the difference between success and failure. I'm not sure that 'if you build it, they will come', but everything is secondary to content. Give people what they want and they'll be back for more.
Blogging is fun. Don't set yourself too high a frequency or wordage. I write for a living so 500 words is nothing much. If you will struggle, then make it 200. I wrote a 1600 word post after a particularly significant to me (but not, it seems, to my readers). I took ages over the content, but I got no comments and few shares, a sure sign they were bored. I posted what interested me, not them.
It's the same with frequency. You will think that there'll be enough content for daily posts, but it will probably soon slow and your hard-earned subscribers will drift away. Remember that you can always post more frequently or with higher wordage as you get more skilled.
I'm only too willing to help via PM, on the understand that you don't write books on cars or your time in the police service. Or the wiring of Rover V8 engined vehicles, the next one on my list.
Have a read of the intro to on https://www.wpbeginner.com/
I've run websites since the early 2000s, 2001 I think, using everything from FrontPage to WP. I like WP cause it is so easy to update and it is able to look like anything you want, if you're not a multi-national. I sell books on mine - oddly enough, I'm multi-national as the sun never sets on my readers. Recently I thought I'd finally cracked Tasmania, but the chap merely has a Tasmanian email address but lives in Japan. I've already got lots in Japan.
Once you get the hang of WP you'll load your site with too many apps - everyone does - and then keep just a few. I use Elementor for certain pages, which is a block editor much more sophisticated than Gutenberg. It's free for our level. I also run a club website purely on the basic WP with Gutenberg. There are apps for shops to slot into a website. I use Ecwid.
I get a lot of visitors through YouTube. I post the videos with a link to my site, and they occasionally come to buy. Videos are superb as the first stage of the marketing funnel. I've got 43,000+ views and most of mine are no longer than 2 minutes. I link to the YT vids on my site and include little stories or explanations around them.
There's only one thing that matters with blogging, and that is content. It's true not matter what medium you post it on, and there's no need to limit yourself just to one. Everyone mouths the words 'content is king' yet post bland SEO copy and blogs, but it is the difference between success and failure. I'm not sure that 'if you build it, they will come', but everything is secondary to content. Give people what they want and they'll be back for more.
Blogging is fun. Don't set yourself too high a frequency or wordage. I write for a living so 500 words is nothing much. If you will struggle, then make it 200. I wrote a 1600 word post after a particularly significant to me (but not, it seems, to my readers). I took ages over the content, but I got no comments and few shares, a sure sign they were bored. I posted what interested me, not them.
It's the same with frequency. You will think that there'll be enough content for daily posts, but it will probably soon slow and your hard-earned subscribers will drift away. Remember that you can always post more frequently or with higher wordage as you get more skilled.
I'm only too willing to help via PM, on the understand that you don't write books on cars or your time in the police service. Or the wiring of Rover V8 engined vehicles, the next one on my list.
AJB88 said:
Just use Instagram its so much easier and free, in all fairness though people loosing weight is a saturated marked and you will probably find apart from close friends / work colleagues nobody really is bothered.
I did it 3 years ago, 8 stone in total.
Just do it for yourself and enjoy it.
Pfft! Amateur! 5.5 stone in 6 months here I did it 3 years ago, 8 stone in total.
Just do it for yourself and enjoy it.
.I have a blog on Blogger/blogspot for a niche topic. The daily updates generally contain new data sets which no-one else has yet posted online so my blog is search result #1 on google and usually every other search engine too which gets me a f
kload of traffic. Unfortunately it's too niche to be monetised but I get a lot of donation support from my subscribers and followers for my time and effort to collate and post the fresh data. None of that will be of any interest to you OP, but my point is that if you need good search engine rankings and you have unique keywords, blogger/blogspot does a sterling job of crawling and indexing your new blog posts very quickly without you needing to do any of your own SEO.Derek Smith said:
If you'e going for blogging, then WP was made for it.
Have a read of the intro to on https://www.wpbeginner.com/
I've run websites since the early 2000s, 2001 I think, using everything from FrontPage to WP. I like WP cause it is so easy to update and it is able to look like anything you want, if you're not a multi-national. I sell books on mine - oddly enough, I'm multi-national as the sun never sets on my readers. Recently I thought I'd finally cracked Tasmania, but the chap merely has a Tasmanian email address but lives in Japan. I've already got lots in Japan.
Once you get the hang of WP you'll load your site with too many apps - everyone does - and then keep just a few. I use Elementor..........
Unless it's changed since I last used it about 6 months ago it's absolute garbage !! It's the biggest load of bloated unresponsive crap that I've ever seen. Takes forever to make changes/edits once you get beyond half a dozen elements. The huge number of 1-star reviews for it indicate that I'm far from alone with my experiences too.Have a read of the intro to on https://www.wpbeginner.com/
I've run websites since the early 2000s, 2001 I think, using everything from FrontPage to WP. I like WP cause it is so easy to update and it is able to look like anything you want, if you're not a multi-national. I sell books on mine - oddly enough, I'm multi-national as the sun never sets on my readers. Recently I thought I'd finally cracked Tasmania, but the chap merely has a Tasmanian email address but lives in Japan. I've already got lots in Japan.
Once you get the hang of WP you'll load your site with too many apps - everyone does - and then keep just a few. I use Elementor..........
Thanks again, plenty to chew over here.
I've got a little website package with a US company called Yola that costs me nine quid a month but I can have up to 25 websites on there. They're very basic templates and will win no prizes for design and beauty.
As I'm only using five of the twenty five right now, it would probably pay me just to build a simple four page blogging-type site through them. I've bought the domain name anyway so only have to attach it to this site and off we go.
I've got a little website package with a US company called Yola that costs me nine quid a month but I can have up to 25 websites on there. They're very basic templates and will win no prizes for design and beauty.
As I'm only using five of the twenty five right now, it would probably pay me just to build a simple four page blogging-type site through them. I've bought the domain name anyway so only have to attach it to this site and off we go.
Lemming Train said:
Pfft! Amateur! 5.5 stone in 6 months here .
I have a blog on Blogger/blogspot for a niche topic. The daily updates generally contain new data sets which no-one else has yet posted online so my blog is search result #1 on google and usually every other search engine too which gets me a fkload of traffic. Unfortunately it's too niche to be monetised but I get a lot of donation support from my subscribers and followers for my time and effort to collate and post the fresh data. None of that will be of any interest to you OP, but my point is that if you need good search engine rankings and you have unique keywords, blogger/blogspot does a sterling job of crawling and indexing your new blog posts very quickly without you needing to do any of your own SEO.
Wait till you put it back on in 6 months as well .I have a blog on Blogger/blogspot for a niche topic. The daily updates generally contain new data sets which no-one else has yet posted online so my blog is search result #1 on google and usually every other search engine too which gets me a f
kload of traffic. Unfortunately it's too niche to be monetised but I get a lot of donation support from my subscribers and followers for my time and effort to collate and post the fresh data. None of that will be of any interest to you OP, but my point is that if you need good search engine rankings and you have unique keywords, blogger/blogspot does a sterling job of crawling and indexing your new blog posts very quickly without you needing to do any of your own SEO.
AJB88 said:
Wait till you put it back on in 6 months as well
Holding good under 80kg with a good mix of nutritional foods lowish in carbs which are keep me feeling filled up, so no desire to eat beyond that. It's the nutritionless carbs that cause people to put it all back on again, stuffing their faces with pies and cake over and over because they only keep you feeling full for 5 mins and then they're reaching for the biscuit tin to satisfy the next craving.GloverMart said:
Thanks again, plenty to chew over here.
I've got a little website package with a US company called Yola that costs me nine quid a month but I can have up to 25 websites on there. They're very basic templates and will win no prizes for design and beauty.
As I'm only using five of the twenty five right now, it would probably pay me just to build a simple four page blogging-type site through them. I've bought the domain name anyway so only have to attach it to this site and off we go.
If you are looking to change to UK based cloud server, let me know or visit my site (link in profile) I host a few WP sites for bloggers and businesses here on PH I've got a little website package with a US company called Yola that costs me nine quid a month but I can have up to 25 websites on there. They're very basic templates and will win no prizes for design and beauty.
As I'm only using five of the twenty five right now, it would probably pay me just to build a simple four page blogging-type site through them. I've bought the domain name anyway so only have to attach it to this site and off we go.
Happy to help. Lemming Train said:
Derek Smith said:
If you'e going for blogging, then WP was made for it.
Have a read of the intro to on https://www.wpbeginner.com/
I've run websites since the early 2000s, 2001 I think, using everything from FrontPage to WP. I like WP cause it is so easy to update and it is able to look like anything you want, if you're not a multi-national. I sell books on mine - oddly enough, I'm multi-national as the sun never sets on my readers. Recently I thought I'd finally cracked Tasmania, but the chap merely has a Tasmanian email address but lives in Japan. I've already got lots in Japan.
Once you get the hang of WP you'll load your site with too many apps - everyone does - and then keep just a few. I use Elementor..........
Unless it's changed since I last used it about 6 months ago it's absolute garbage !! It's the biggest load of bloated unresponsive crap that I've ever seen. Takes forever to make changes/edits once you get beyond half a dozen elements. The huge number of 1-star reviews for it indicate that I'm far from alone with my experiences too.Have a read of the intro to on https://www.wpbeginner.com/
I've run websites since the early 2000s, 2001 I think, using everything from FrontPage to WP. I like WP cause it is so easy to update and it is able to look like anything you want, if you're not a multi-national. I sell books on mine - oddly enough, I'm multi-national as the sun never sets on my readers. Recently I thought I'd finally cracked Tasmania, but the chap merely has a Tasmanian email address but lives in Japan. I've already got lots in Japan.
Once you get the hang of WP you'll load your site with too many apps - everyone does - and then keep just a few. I use Elementor..........
I tried the beta on localhost and in the early days it had enough bugs to ensure I didn't try it on either of my live sites. I didn't find it difficult to edit even then. Once it went live in March(ish) it was a lot slicker. Most of the 1-star reviews criticised the fact that it was a change from the traditional WP. While I can see their point, block editors are what most people want and I can also see why WP went for the mass market. I can't say I'm a particular big fan of the change, but for someone new to WP, the fact that it's changed has no relevance. It would be interesting to see if those who posted poor reviews actually moved to Joomla! as they promised.
I'm not sure what you mean by unresponsive. WP is one of the slickest ways to a responsive website.
I think for a beginner, WP has little against it. The ease with which themes can be used is a good feature. I also have Atomic Blocks and Ultimate Addons which have extended the usefulness on my club site and it runs well. My own site I use Elementor, which is a step up in functions. I used it before the change to Gutenberg so I was pleased that it made no difference to my site. Perhaps that's why I started using Gutenberg with an open mind.
I've used lots of webauthoring software over the years and WP is about the best for a blog. I know none that are as easy to update. This guy want's ease of use. The guy doesn't want to spend time on code, or ftp interfaces. In other words, he would probably prefer Gutenberg to the historic interface that WP had. My host did everything for me on my first WP site. It was the easiest new host/new site/new software I'd experience in more than 15 years.
With WP there's no need to be tied to a host like those that promise block editors cheaply, at least initially. I took over a website from one of the major players and the price rocketed without warning. In fact, they removed money from the club credit card two months before the renewal date and refused to cancel. I just told them to Go and got the CC company to return the money.
Although I'm happy withe WP and Elementor on my own site, I'm intending to move on from WP, but that's to something a bit more complex and that's only for a bit of fun.
WP itself is fine for the majority of folks, but the problem with the site builders like Elementor is that you're tied into them. Many people have found out the hard way that once they decide to give up with the plug-in and stop updating it your site is rendered useless when WP themselves update or make changes to the platform as your entire site is reliant on the plug-in working and being compatible.
edit-typo.
edit-typo.
Edited by Lemming Train on Thursday 27th June 00:55
Lemming Train said:
WP itself is fine for the majority of folks, but the probably with the site builders like Elementor is that you're tied into them. Many people have found out the hard way that once they decide to give up with the plug-in and stop updating it your site is rendered useless when WP themselves update or make changes to the platform as your entire site is reliant on the plug-in working and being compatible.
It's easy enough to cope with. I've got a full, non-Elementor but otherwise identical, site on local host, as you never know. I also keep all copy on Word. It's only sensible. I've heard of problems with hosts being hacked, but I've had no problem since 2001. There are pros and cons to every type of webauthoring software of course. I rather enjoyed using an ftp, Fileziller, but now I've got WP, I can see that it was merely self-indulgence.
It could be that the best for a beginner is one of those block builders that are attached to a host. I would not recommend them though due to my difficult relationship with one that wouldn't let me go. I'm a believer in control, whatever the level.
At the moment, I'm playing with Dreamweaver, courtesy of a generous friend. It's fun. It's challenging. It's likely to be rewarding I'm told. However, it's not for beginners.
Come to that, I'm not too sure it's for me at the moment.
SCEtoAUX said:
If you use Wordpress, do not use the abysmal Gutenberg editor. It's the spawn of the devil. Despite being an official Wordpress release, it's so hated they went back to bundling the Classic Editor into the latest versions as well. Use that.
Have you got a specific problem with it? Spawn of the devil is not exactly helpful. I run a club website. Some of the pages are 'owned' by committee members, all but one of whom has no idea about IT other than occasional users. After 10 minutes instruction all could do the necessary. It could hardly be more straightforward. The OP is a beginner and, I would assume, would prefer the easy option initially, and that is where Gutenberg scores.
I will admit to not using Gutenberg on my own website, but I've been webauthoring for a few years now.
Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated.
Have decided, for the moment, to go with a normal Yola website and set it up with a blog-type look. Yola don't do a blog anymore, which is puzzling, but given I'm not really into monetising this, and I'll be linking to the site via Twitter and Facebook (where people can comment!), I don't really see the point of coughing up more for a site, Wp or otherwise.
Have decided, for the moment, to go with a normal Yola website and set it up with a blog-type look. Yola don't do a blog anymore, which is puzzling, but given I'm not really into monetising this, and I'll be linking to the site via Twitter and Facebook (where people can comment!), I don't really see the point of coughing up more for a site, Wp or otherwise.
Edited by GloverMart on Thursday 27th June 16:02
Derek Smith said:
SCEtoAUX said:
If you use Wordpress, do not use the abysmal Gutenberg editor. It's the spawn of the devil. Despite being an official Wordpress release, it's so hated they went back to bundling the Classic Editor into the latest versions as well. Use that.
Have you got a specific problem with it? Spawn of the devil is not exactly helpful. I run a club website. Some of the pages are 'owned' by committee members, all but one of whom has no idea about IT other than occasional users. After 10 minutes instruction all could do the necessary. It could hardly be more straightforward. The OP is a beginner and, I would assume, would prefer the easy option initially, and that is where Gutenberg scores.
I will admit to not using Gutenberg on my own website, but I've been webauthoring for a few years now.
I was going to ask how youd managed to make the transtion to using Gutenberg.
I tried using it but kept having to work around it and finally downloaded the plug in to disable it.
Then it turns out youre not using it all
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