May 14th Column
From the Grand Bend Strip Community Newspaper
Never blog while operating heavy machinery
…as you may become dizzy by all of the no cost, easy to learn options available.
Blog is a term that describes a thing, a website. It also describes an action. To blog is to add (post) something to your website. It is a part of what has been dubbed the Web 2.0 revolution; the move to collaborative information sharing on the internet.
What is it in English? It is anything you want it to be. It is an opportunity to share your world view, your passionate hobby, news & events for a small business or simply to post your family photos. It can cost a little money to start or nothing at all. If you can compose an email, you can publish to the web in 15 minutes or less. There are millions of people doing it and hopefully after reading this column a few more folks will jump in and contribute to the Grand Bend area bloghood.
Special software structures your blog like an interactive diary. New posts show up at the top and older posts eventually become archived. Your blog can be open to the public, or a private website you share only with family and friends. If you choose, people who read your blog can leave comments. They can easily subscribe to your blog and see your new posts automatically. Not long ago, adding interactive features like this to a website required extensive computer programming knowledge. Blogging software now makes this and many other features quite simple.
If you consider yourself a newbie I recommend that you begin the journey by trying out Goggle’s free service, http://www.blogger.com. Follow the online instructions or take the quick tour for more information.
Once you have created your blog you can post new stuff by logging in from your computer, by sending an email to a special address or even post from your cell phone via text message.
It doesn’t take long to become a pro and you will discover there are countless services and software packages to satisfy your blogging needs. One of my favorite websites for learning is http://www.wikipedia.org. Here you can decipher any computer lingo you encounter along the way as you explore the ever expanding blogosphere.
Some of my local favorites include:
The self described “Beautiful Bodacious Succulent Diva” who authors the Red Hat Society blog for Grand Bend & Bayfield, http://sisterhoodofcelebration.wordpress.com/
Follow along as David Bannister shares his latest photography projects
http://web.mac.com/davidbannister
Stay informed with up to the minute news affecting our communities at http://www.grandbendstrip.com
