I’ve found that a good way to get blogging is transition what you’ve already been doing in text messages, emails, letters to the editor, forums, Facebook, and tweets into comments on your own blog. If you are using WordPress, then you can make this transition easy by installing the ‘Press This’ plugin on your browser toolbar. Once installed, every time you get the urge to comment on something you’ve read or seen, you simply click on ‘Press This’ and start typing. If the target of your comment is offline, a book for example, first find the book online (on the publisher’s or author’s site, for example) and then press ‘Press This’.
As you build up content you’ll want to think about a category hierarchy and tags, but don’t let content management be an obstacle to getting started.
If you’re used to tweeting, then you’ll want to include the Twitter plugin on your blog so that you can tweet new comments.
If you need to blog asynchronously, create bookmark folders aligned with your blog categories and then bookmark articles and the like for ‘pressing’ at your leisure.
If you like visual blogging, then you might want to install the ‘Pin It’ plugin on your browser toolbar to ease the population of your Pinterest boards.
‘Tumblelogs’ enabled by software such as Tumblr. Podcasts – see Audacity. ‘Vlog’ = video log; can also be posted on YouTube. Photolog or sketchblog.
Blogging Books:
Blogging For Dummies – includes chapters on choosing between and using blogging software and hosted services including WordPress and Tumblr. (Note that there are also several niche blogging books in the Dummies series.)
Using WordPress – includes a DVD and a key for signing up on Safari for the electronic version of the book.
The former is more useful for determining what to blog about while the latter is better for configuring WordPress.
The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging xx
Building a WordPress Blog People Want to xx
DreamHost article with WordPress tips.
DreamHost 2023 article on 100 best WordPress plugins.