Google Blogger For Dummies

Are you bemused by blogs? Eager to become a blogger? Google Blogger For Dummies can help you start blogging sooner than you think.

More than 14 million people are promoting a business, connecting with family and friends, and sharing opinions with Google Blogger. This book helps you start a Blogger account, create content, build an audience, make money from your blog, and more, all without learning to program. You’ll be able to:

• Learn the parts of a blog, what Blogger does, and how to choose goals and blog topics
• Choose a domain name, learn to use the dashboard, pick a template, and configure settings
• Dress up your blog with themes and find out where to get plenty of free ones
• Learn blogging etiquette and some secrets for long-term success
• Make money from your blog with Google Adsense, contextual and text link ads, and merchandising with CafePress
• Set up multi-user blogs or branch into mobile blogging, podcasting, or video blogging
• Take advantage of social networking sites and learn simple search engine optimization techniques
• Maintain your blog with tools like Blog This! and Quick Edit
• Moderate comments effectively, track your stats, and more

Google Blogger is a great choice for beginning bloggers, and Google Blogger For Dummies gives you the know-how to venture confidently into the blogosphere.

Introduction 1

Part I: Introducing Google Blogger 7

Chapter 1: Choosing Blogger as Your Blogging Software 9

Chapter 2: Welcome to the Blogosphere 19

Chapter 3: Blogging Basics and Buzzwords 29

Part II: Using Google Blogger 41

Chapter 4: Getting Started with Blogger 43

Chapter 5: Setting Up Your Blog 57

Chapter 6: Writing and Publishing Blog Posts 81

Chapter 7: Enhancing Your Blog with Templates 99

Chapter 8: Adding Features and Functionality with Elements and Gadgets 121

Chapter 9: Managing Your Blog 157

Part III: Making Money with Blogger 179

Chapter 10: The Business of Blogging 181

Chapter 11: Maximizing Revenue with Google AdSense 209

Part IV: Growing Your Audience 235

Chapter 12: The Power of Networking and Relationship Building 237

Chapter 13: Boosting Your Search Engine Ranking 259

Part V: Extending Your Blog 273

Chapter 14: Growing or Downsizing Your Blog 275

Chapter 15: Blogging from Different Media 287

Chapter 16: Moving Beyond Blogger 297

Part VI: The Part of Tens 307

Chapter 17: Ten Useful Social Networking and Social Bookmarking Sites 309

Chapter 18: Ten Common Blogger Problems and Possible Solutions 319

Chapter 19: Ten Places to Find Free Blogger Themes and Templates 327

Glossary 337

Index 345

Susan Gunelius is President and CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a full-service marketing communications provider. She is also a professional blogger and seasoned marketing and branding expert with two other books to her credit. In addition to being the Guide to Web Logs for About.com, she authors blogs for a variety of clients as well as her own blogs, WomenOnBusiness.com and KeySplashCreative.com. Here's what you need to know to get started with Google Blogger

Want to share your opinions, promote your business, network with others, and maybe pick up a few extra dollars, all without learning to program? Millions of people are doing it with Google Blogger, and you can too. This book helps you create a Blogger account, write compelling content, build an audience, make money from your blog, and more!

• What's a blog, and what's Blogger? — learn the parts of a blog, what Blogger does, and how to choose goals and blog topics

• Nuts and bolts — choose a domain name, learn to use the dashboard, pick a template, and configure settings

• Blog effectively — learn blogosphere etiquette and some secrets for long-term success

• Fun bells and whistles — dress up your blog with templates (lots of them are free!)

• Does making dollars make sense? — explore options for Google Adsense®, contextual and text link ads, paid posts, and merchandising with CafePress

• Spread the word — promote your blog through search engines and social networking sites

• A family of blogs — set up multi-user blogs or branch into mobile blogging, podcasting, or video blogging

• Get more Google — use Picasa®, YouTube, Feedburner, and more

Open the book and find:

• How to choose a blog topic and personalize your blog

• What you should know about moderating comments

• How to maintain your blog with tools like Blog This! and Quick Edit

• Simple search engine optimization techniques

• Tips for tracking your blog traffic

• Where to find cool free templates

• How to make money from your blog

• Ten useful social networking sites