If our TVs are to be believed it’s happening in cars, in toilets, in bathrooms, in bed….. but what is this blogging thing and how do you get started?

Blogging has been in the news lately; the annual SA Blog Awards results are being announced on 3 April so it’s probably a good time to tackle Blogging 101.

Yes…. The fact that so many people in SA don’t have access to the web has meant that we’ve have been a little slow on the uptake when compared to other countries, but when our internet connections get faster and cheaper they’ll hopefully be plenty of people hitching a ride on the ‘big blogbus in the sky.’

So we’ve covered the micro-blogging service twitter in a previous article…. some people say that micro-blogging is destroying blogging and that blogging is dead. My personal view or as the online peeps say (IMHO – In My Humble Opinion) I think that in SA blogging is still (for most) relatively new which means it’s far from dead.

A weblog (web-log), or "blog", is a journal on the Web. The term blogging covers a very broad spectrum of topics and forms - personal blogs, group blogs and brand or business specific managed blogs. Some blogs are highly influential and have enormous readership, while others are mainly intended for a close family and friends to read.

Perhaps in SA at the moment, especially for the music industry, micro-blogging is quicker and easier to get going. Twitter is proving to be an easy and quick way for some local artists and bands to communicate with their fans as updates can be sent quickly and easily while they’re on the go. The Rudimentals, Jax Panic, Goldfish and The Parlotones all maintain active twitter accounts.

Some other local bands are using facebook or myspace to send out notes and what are actually blog style updates to fans. But as far as I can see there aren’t any local bands who are maintaining active real blogs….let me know if I’m wrong as I think a well run blog can add value to artists and bands.

Look at Afrigator - this site lists all the blogs in Africa and is a good starting point to see who is writing what….. for international blogs take a look at Technorati

Once you start your blog you should also list yours with these sites.

Unlike the typical standard website a blog is updated frequently and usually displays articles / posts or entries in a diary-style chronological way. Most blogs allow readers to post comments and link from their blog to your posts. The content of most blogs is distributed and using an RSS feed, people then subscribe to receive updates as they are published either using an RSS Reader or email.

Some basic points to consider before you start a blog

•    There should be a real reason / need for starting a blog (whether you’re an individual or a business.) Blogs should be kept up to date and therefore requires effort…. A lot of people start blogging and then don’t maintain it as it becomes a chore, if there’s a good reason to blog it makes it easier to drive.

•    Why do you want to blog?

•    What will you blog about?

•    What is the nature of the subject matter of your blog? If it’s very weird or risqué you will probably need to write it under a pseudonym and divorce it from your real personality in order to keep your rep in check.

•    Google doesn’t forget – don’t put odd stuff out there without giving it good thought (it’s the same as putting naked drunk pictures on facebook…. the boss *will* see.)

•    If you blog about something that relates to your career or studies it’s a good way to build your online profile and possibly secure further employment.

•    It takes effort but can be enjoyable and for most people the cool thing is being able to instantly create a place on the web that you can grow and adapt.

Where do I start my blog?

You could start a blog within a wider community…. like here on the 5FM site for example you can register to have your own dedicated blog space.

If you want to do something separate I would recommend either Wordpress.com or Blogger.com as two easy to use blogging platforms from which to start.

You can use your own url www.myname.com or you can host it for free on the wordpress or blogger sites www.myname.wordpress.com for example.

You can customise the look and feel, header, name, fonts and really make it your own online space. You should then list for free with an aggregator like Afrigator so that people can discover your blog.

My personal, free preference is Wordpress as I find it has improved functionality and options as you grow. It may not seem as easy to use as blogger.com but I have completely non-tech friends (non-tech as in have no idea how to get music from their pc to ipod) who have recently moved to wordpress.com and haven’t had any issues.

These are just my preferences; there are plenty of other local and international platforms that you can choose from.

Local help on blogging

All the blogging101 basics are here on Afrigator.

Afrigator– local blog listings.

Amatomu– local blog listings.

Technorati– International blog listings.