My "starting a blog" tips

I've had a few people ask me how I started this blog- and I decided to answer and give you my "big 4" things I had to do to create this baby. Check out my tips here:

First, here are the basics for starting a blog:

1. Choose a blogging platform, domain name, and hosting option.
2. Modify your blog design to your desired look/feel.
3. Select the appropriate plugins for your blog.
4. Write blog posts with a select audience in mind.

Decisions, decisions, decisions

First, you have to choose a blogging platform. If you are strapped for cash (like me, haha) having a free website through weebly or wix helps! There is also WordPress, Blogger, and Squarespace. It allows you to buy a domain name for pretty cheap if you can't stand having ".weebly" or ".wix" in the address. There are other blogging platforms, but these are ones I find the best for beginners. If you don’t already have ideas on your address name, use your name, or think of something short, catchy and shareable. 

I've got style

It depends what "feel" you want your blog to have. My personal website has gone through a style overhaul multiple times. Don't try for anything too flashy or hard to navigate- and make your menu easy to read!

Plug, plug, plug

To be honest, you only need a few plugins on a site: “Google Analytics” and a simple Facebook and Twitter share-button plugins to make it easy to share your content. It takes a few seconds to install once you’ve started your blog. The best way to get information out there!

Content

I added this blog to my personal website to have an outlet to talk about topics of importance to me that didn't quite fit into The Fins United Initiative blog. Trust me, I post enough there -- but just about sharks and their relatives, not about marriage, science in general, gift ideas, etc. This blog allows me to do that. Figure out what YOU want to blog about.

Here are a few extra resources:

• 5 Beginning Blogging Mistakes You Can Fix
• Choosing a Blogging Niche
• How We Communicate: FAQs for Beginning Bloggers
• 7 Ways to Boost your success as a Blogger

What do you wish you had known
​before starting a blog?