Bloggers Boot Camp

Anyone can build a blog. It's quite easy. The difficult part is keeping it relevant, technically sound, and popular. Bloggers Boot Camp shows you how to blog for success. It teaches you how to find a niche, find your unique voice, and how to hold a conversation with an audience. It provides information on all the right tools for the blog, and it offers best ways to promote your blog and content for maximum success and a profitable life. Though rules in creating compelling content haven't really changed, ways in which the world blogs has since the last edition. The authors have learned a lot about social media since writing the previous edition's manuscript. They understand and know how social media can make or break a blog. Microblogging is a new trend brought on by the wide utilization of social media. To that same end, networking with other bloggers and content creators on the web is another form of building one's blog and one's reputation as a writer.

Charlie White is an author and consultant who's been writing articles published in magazines and websites since the early days of the Internet. He's written for Wired and Popular Science magazines, was Senior Editor of Mashable, Senior Associate Editor for gadget site Gizmodo and Deputy Editor of NBC Universal tech site DVICE. He's written more than 9,000 published articles, totaling more than 3 million words. Before he began writing magazine articles, blog posts and books, Charlie enjoyed a 30-year career as an Emmy award-winning television producer/director, directing five national television series for PBS John Biggs writes about technology for the 46 million page-view-per-month website TechCrunch. He was former editor of Gawker Media's Gizmodo. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economic Journalism from NYU and is currently completing a non-fiction study of Marie Antoinette's watch (he's also a watch nut). After spending four years as an IT programmer during the dot-com era, he became a full-time journalist. He's the author of the book, Black Hat: Misfits, Criminals, and Scammers in the Internet Age.

Chapter 1 The Niche What's Your Name, Private? What the Heck Is Blogging? What Is a Blogger? NEW Blogging And The Mainstream Media The Four Questions The Two Rules Chapter 2 Getting Started Basic HTML for Bloggers NEW Basic CSS For Bloggers Pick a Domain NEW Ready-made Platforms - Add new platforms here How Do I Pick a Platform? NEW Why Themes Are Important NEW Buying Themes Should You Hire a Web Designer? Tools of the Trade. 42 Chapter 3 Target Practice The 1,000 Words Rule Enhance Your Writing by Reading The Bloggers Duffel Bag: Essential Skills for Getting Through the Day Blog Photography Tips Videography NEW Mobile Photos And Video NEW Podcasting Chapter 4 Hello, World Introducing Yourself Producing Intro Posts Writing Your Contact Page NEW Gaining A Social Media Presence NEW Dangers Of Social Media NEW Three Rules For Spreading The Word NEW To Microblog Or Not To Microblog Chapter 5 How to Write a Blog Post Types of Posts Deadly Headline Kills 200,000 Innocent Readers To Capitalize or Not Capitalize. 106 Use Perfect Grammar or Your Credibility Is Shot. 107 Top Five Grammar Goofs The Finer Points Blogging Traps Graphics and How to Use Them When Should You Post? Snark and the Single Blogger Post Length Being a Better Blogger NEW Sourcing NEW Writing So Someone Will Read You Chapter 6 What to Write About Need to Know How to Decide What Matters to Your Readers. 81 Finding News NEW RSS Readers NEW Twitter NEW LinkedIn NEW Google Plus More Sources: Press Releases from PR People Conferences/Trade Shows Dinners & Events Tipsters Dealing with PR People Review Units How to Snag Review Units Review It or Not-Pan It or Skip It? Should I Return Review Units? Ten Questions to Ask Before Posting Chapter 7 Mob Rule, Inciting a Riot, and Freedom of Speech You're in Control Dealing with the Angry Mob Understanding Spam NEW Which Comment Platform To Use? Rewarding Loyal Fans NEW Should You Turn Off Comments? Chapter 8 Building Traffic, Making Money and Measuring Success SEO for Bloggers Off-Page The SEO Bottom Line Social Media Sharing Contests Measuring Success How To Make Money Chapter 9 Blogging Ethics Libel and Slander Shield Law Mr(s). Cellophane Junket Junkies Free Stuff Caught in a Trap Leaks and Trust Stand Up Straight, Private NEW Be Nice Or Be Right NEW Blogging's Golden Rule NEW Chapter 10 The Perks Of Being A Blogger NEW The Job Hunt NEW Networking NEW Building A Brand NEW Changing Careers NEW Spreading The Word Chapter 11 Building an Empire Knowing When to Call in Reserves How to Be a Blogger Boss How to Find Bloggers NEW Networking For Bloggers Firing Paying Bloggers Group Blogging Workflow Story Tips Via Email Communicate! Joining a Blogging Team Be Careful What You Wish For Appendix A Tips and Tricks of the Trade