How to Become a Blogger

I just started this blog last night and one of the first things I was asked is to explain how to blog.

Wow. Okay. I'm new to this, but here goes.

I posted on Facebook telling my friends that I was thinking about starting a blog giving advice on PCs, mainly Windows 7 and 8. I asked if they thought it was a good idea and, if so, what was a good, free blogging service. Several said they thought it's a cool idea and to go for it (paraphrased).

One friend said that he uses Blogger, which I found out is the Google blogging service. His blog focuses on his hobby of painting miniatures. Here's his page, by the way: Sergeant Crunch. (If anyone else has a blog, send me the link, or share it in a comment below.)

When I figured out that Blogger is a Google service, I used my Gmail account to create a Blogger account. It was pretty simple, really. I opted to go with the basic blogger account account instead of upgrading to Google+. After I chose the basic option, I was presented with the option to create a blog. I had options to name the blog, create a unique URL, and select a template style. Then the blog shell was created and I was taken to the "dashboard" where I was able to edit my profile. I updated some of the basic information and settings and saved it.

Back to the dashboard - I think it looked a little different this time, because I was able to select the options to create a new blog or create a new post in the blog I just created. I decided to create my initial post introducing myself, explaining my background, and the intent of my new blog. I had initially created a Word documented that I was going to share on Facebook, so I had it already started. I copied and pasted in the part I wanted, selected the font style and size, made the edits I wanted, etc.

There's a button that allows you to save the post as a draft so you don't lose anything (it also autosaves periodically). You can close Blogger and come back later to edit your post. You can also preview the post and publish, of course, it when you're done.

There's a toolbar with buttons that allow you to enter URL hyperlinks by highlighting text and insert the link, and you can upload photos and videos, change the font type / size / color, etc.

Most of the features and functions are pretty straightforward. If you hover your mouse cursor over a button in the toolbar that has a symbol instead of a printed name, you'll see a pop-up that tells you what that button does.

That's about it, really. Feel free to post any comments or questions.