Blogging Basics
Tools
WordPress.com – Free version of one of the most popular blogging platforms. Easy set-up, doesn’t require any programming or Web design experience. Dozens of free, customizable templates are available, as well as paid upgrades for those who need extra storage and multimedia features. Includes built-in Web analytics and social media sharing tools. WordPress applications for the iPhone, iPad and Android phones allow for mobile blogging.
Posterous – Another popular, free blogging platform, Posterous allows you to publish new blog posts simply by sending an email. Applications are offered for the iPhone and Android phones.
Tumblr – This blogging tool fills the niche between regular blogging (e.g. WordPress) and microblogging (e.g. Twitter). It’s is an easy, low-friction way to quickly publish short posts, links, photos, audio and video. Also available for iPhone, iPad and Android phones.
Tutorials
Learn WordPress.com – The official WordPress tutorial aims to take you “from blogging zero to blogging hero in 10 quick levels.” Clear, detailed visual guides will help you get started, get focused, get famous and more.
Posterous tutorial – This video tutorial walks through how to get started on Posterous and publish text and photos simply by sending an email.
Tumblr Help Center – Although Tumblr is very simple to use, technical difficulties are sometimes unavoidable. These concise guides will help you customize your Tumblr blog, manage and create new blogs and integrate your blog with RSS and social media services.
Articles & Resources
WordPress Support – Having technical difficulties with your new WordPress.com blog? Find answers by browsing on a number of different topics, including writing and editing, choosing and changing your theme, managing comments, integrating with social media, and monitoring site traffic.
Blogging Basics 101 – A blog devoted to better blogging. Avoid “newbie blogging mistakes” like choosing an uninteresting name, using light text on a dark background, unintentionally plagiarizing text and photos, and not considering privacy issues.
When Journalists Blog: How It Changes What They Do (Paul Bradshaw) – Results of a survey by the author of the blogging habits of 200 journalists from 20 countries. His key finding: “I was surprised at just how much these journalists felt their work had been changed by the simple act of blogging.”
Notes on blogging for journalists (Felix Salmon) – Financial journalist and blogger answers the who, what, where, when, why and how of blogging, and reaches some counterintuitive conclusions: Quantity matters at least as much as quality, and journalists need to be willing to be wrong on their blogs.
Why journalists must understand link journalism (Daniel Bennett) – News organizations have traditionally been reluctant to link out to other sources on the Web. This article explains why linking is one of the fundamental features of online writing and why journalists must embrace the ethic of the link.
