I keep mentioning WordPress as being the blogging platform of choice. But why do I say that? And why WordPress.org, instead of WordPress.com? What’s the difference?

Simply put, a WordPress.org blog is the most versatile platform there is. Your blog can look and function like a blog, or it can look and feel like a website. You can optimize your blog entries and pages to be search-engine friendly — important for rankings. You could spend days looking at just thre free plugins that are available!

There are also hundreds, if not thousands, of free themes — so you can change your blog’s look and feel at a moment’s notice.

However, there is a catch; if you’re new to WordPress, it can be bit on the intimidating side (to say the least).

Introduction to WordPress

There are a couple of things you can do to get used to the WordPress.org blogging platform, and the very first thing is to…sign up for a free WordPress.com blog! The reason is that the interface (the dashboard, the way you create and edit posts, etc.) is basically the same. So, you can fiddle around to your heart’s content, without worrying if what you’re trying to change will crash your blog.

Next, buy a copy of the book “WordPress for Dummies” by Lisa Sabin-Wilson. Lisa does a wonderful job of taking you through WordPress, and explaining all the screens and fields. You can get a copy at the library, your local bookstore, or online at Amazon.

Then comes the step that takes a little courage; with your new information, sign up for web hosting and set up your blog!

The nice thing is that your actual setup only needs to be done once per blog. Once everything is in place, you won’t need to fiddle with it anymore — unless of course you want to!

The Great Blogging Experiment

Sorry, I mentioned that I would be posting the names of some of the blogs David and I created in our blogging experiment using WordPress Goldmine this past weekend. To tell the truth, I was glued to the TV watching Hurricane Gustav’s progress through the Caribbean and on into Louisianna.

At any rate, here are a few of the blogs that David and I have created and tested:

So, in two weeks with three of these blogs, we made more income than I have in 2 or 3 months with some of my big websites! Now I consider that a success!

Naturally, we’ve started some more blogs as well, and I’ll be keeping you posted on how they do as well.

So, whatcha waitin’ for? Get blogging!