How to Set Up a Personal Blog on Blogger

So you’re a closet writer. But the story you began writing when you were 12 is still lying incomplete in your grandfather’s Olivetti Lettera and you just never got around to finishing it. Blogging seems like the easiest way to get your thoughts out there without having to quit your 9 to 5 job to write a full blown novel. But how do you start? Here is a step-by-step guide to simplify the process:

Step 1

Choose a Blogging Platform

You need to choose between free platforms (like Wordpress, Tumblr, Blogger) and paid (self-hosted) platforms depending on what kind of blog you want. The plus point to using self hosted platforms is that you have complete control over your blog. For beginners, however, the easiest site to use is Blogger by Google. It’s also free!

Step 2

Create an Account

Since most people have an account on Google these days, you just need to sign in with your Google id (or make one) to create a blog.

Step 3

Click on the ‘New Blog’ button to open up a dialog box that looks like this

• Enter a name for your blog in the title bar, along with a URL that’s catch and will help readers find your blog with ease.
• Choose a template for your blog
• Click on ‘Create Blog’ to save your selection.

Step 4

New Posts

• To make a new entry, click on the ‘New Post’ button. This opens the post tab where you can post new articles and edit old posts.
• Enter the heading into the title bar. The body of post goes into the compose section. This tab also has options to format your font and insert media.
• The ‘Post Options’ button will allow you to disable/enable reader comments and other preferences.

Step 5

You can organize your blog into separate stand alone sections like “About me” or “Contact me” using ‘Pages’ tab.

Step 6

You can customize where you want these pages to appear using the ‘Layout’ tab.

Step 7

The ‘Template’ tab helps you customize page elements, change your template, and in general decide the ‘look’ of your blog.

Step 8

Blogger allows you to create single or multi-user blogs depending on your preference. You can also choose who can see and comment on your blog from the ‘Settings’ tab.

Step 9

Click on the ‘Save Now’ button to save your post, and then click on the ‘Preview’ button to preview your post before publishing to your blog.

Step 10

When you are happy with all your selections, click on ‘Publish Post’. And voila, you’re a blogger now!