Because of curiosity and my love of all things Internet related, more than three years ago I attended a bloggers' get together. When asked if I had a blog, my answer was that "I do so much writing already, why would I ever need or enjoy creating a blog?” Since that memorable evening I read a few blogs, but still felt no desire to have one of my own. And then, it happened! I was bombarded by glowing reports of the importance of and marketing payoffs of having a blog.

In this article I share a description of blogs and blogging, the pros and cons of blogs, and the easiest way to set up your own blog.

Understand what a blog is and how blogs have become so popular. A blog (short for web log), is a personal website updated frequently with links, commentary and anything else you want to write about. New items go on top and older items flow down the page. Blogs can be political journals and/or personal diaries; they can focus on one narrow subject or range across a plethora of topics.

Consider the pros of setting up a blog.

• Blogs are a quick and easy way to publish -- and to become better known -- on the Internet. They offer more and different exposure.
• Blogs are another way to create community. The really interesting and well written blogs are visited regularly, and most give the reader an easy way to post comments. Regular reading and posting make the good blogs even better.
• Blogs give the writer and writers a way to post opinions, how tos and articles -- both short and long -- with freedom to express ideas without censure.
• Blogs help improve writing and thinking. When we are forced to publicly express ourselves through the written word, it is my opinion that we become better writers.
• Blogs avoid the spam filters that are causing havoc with our e-newsletters.
• The search engines are checking and listing blog articles more quickly and regularly than websites, because of the continual updating of c
  ontent.

What are the cons of setting up a blog?

• A blog is a commitment to keeping content fresh and new, so when writers become frantic about keeping up they can lag behind on quality.
• Unlike e-mail that just shows up in someone mailbox, blogs must be accessed by the reader - there are, however, ways to list the blogs one wants to visit regularly.
• Many blogs are boring journals/diaries filled with personal information of little interest to the general population. These give blogs and blogging a "bad name.” But, we must also remember that there are many far-from-delightful websites and e-newsletters too! All we need to do is click away - fast.
• Even though blogs are one of the latest trends on the Internet, and are growing in number by leaps and bounds, there is still a lot of confusion about what they are and why we should use them.

The quickest and easiest way to set up a blog (and it is free!), is to go to www.blogger.com and follow the directions. They say it takes five minutes. I admit that it took me a bit longer and I am still playing with it, but it is easy! Be sure to check out the many templates and also have an idea (or several) for the name of your new blog. Most of the common ones are already taken.

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