02_770841 ftoc.qxp 12/28/05 7:54 PM Page ix Contents at a Glance Introduction .................................................................1 Part I: The What, Where, Why, and How of Weblogs .......7 Chapter 1: Understanding Blogging at Last ....................................................................9 Chapter 2: Blogging Options ...........................................................................................25 Chapter 3: Living the Blogging Lifestyle........................................................................35 Part II: Starting a Blog Today......................................57 Chapter 4: MSN Spaces....................................................................................................59 Chapter 5: Yahoo! 360 ......................................................................................................73 Chapter 6: Finding a Home in Blogger ...........................................................................85 Chapter 7: Creating a TypePad Blog ............................................................................113 Part III: Installing Your Own Blog Program ................149 Chapter 8: The Ins and Outs of DIY Blogging..............................................................151 Chapter 9: Running a Movable Type Blog ...................................................................167 Chapter 10: Blogging with WordPress .........................................................................189 Chapter 11: Power Plus Ease in Radio UserLand .......................................................225 Chapter 12: Hybrid Blog Hosts: Power Without the Pain..........................................241 Part IV: Total Blog Immersion....................................249 Chapter 13: Hooking into RSS Feeds ............................................................................251 Chapter 14: Rules of Blogosphere Citizenship ...........................................................267 Chapter 15: Blogging for Bucks (or Pennies)..............................................................283 Chapter 16: Using Your Real Voice: Podcasting..........................................................297 Chapter 17: PhotobloggingCOPYRIGHTED and Audioblogging..........................................................305 MATERIAL Part V: The Part of Tens ............................................313 Chapter 18: Ten Blog Engines and Directories ...........................................................315 Chapter 19: Ten Resources for the Power Blogger ....................................................331 Glossary...................................................................341 Index ......................................................................349 02_770841 ftoc.qxp 12/28/05 7:54 PM Page x 02_770841 ftoc.qxp 12/28/05 7:54 PM Page xi Table of Contents Introduction..................................................................1 About This Book...............................................................................................1 Conventions Used in This Book .....................................................................2 How to Use This Book .....................................................................................2 What You’re Not to Read.................................................................................3 Foolish Assumptions .......................................................................................3 How This Book Is Organized...........................................................................3 Part I: The What, Where, Why, and How of Weblogs .........................4 Part II: Starting a Blog Today ................................................................4 Part III: Installing Your Own Blog Program..........................................4 Part IV: Total Blog Immersion...............................................................5 Part V: The Part of Tens.........................................................................5 Icons Used in This Book..................................................................................5 Where to Go from Here....................................................................................6 Part I: The What, Where, Why, and How of Weblogs........7 Chapter 1: Understanding Blogging at Last . .9 The Truth about Blogs ..................................................................................10 The technical answer...........................................................................10 The practical answer ...........................................................................12 Understanding Blog Mechanics....................................................................18 Entries, posts, indexes, and archives ................................................18 More about archives ............................................................................19 Common blog elements.......................................................................20 The Design and Appearance of Blogs..........................................................23 Chapter 2: Blogging Options . .25 Blogging in Social Networks .........................................................................26 Blogging and Nothing but Blogging .............................................................29 The High Road: Self-Installed Blogging Programs......................................30 Web Hosts with Blogging...............................................................................32 A Comparative Look at Blogging Options...................................................32 02_770841 ftoc.qxp 12/28/05 7:54 PM Page xii xii Blogging For Dummies Chapter 3: Living the Blogging Lifestyle . .35 The Rhythms of Blogging..............................................................................36 Different paces for different cases .....................................................36 The rhythms of readership .................................................................37 Finding a Voice................................................................................................40 Using Comments in Your Blog......................................................................41 Understanding TrackBacks...........................................................................43 TrackBack basics..................................................................................43 TrackBack specifics .............................................................................47 Obsessing with Blog Search Engines...........................................................49 Promoting Your Content ...............................................................................52 Digging for traffic..................................................................................53 Del.icio.us links.....................................................................................54 Part II: Starting a Blog Today ......................................57 Chapter 4: MSN Spaces . .59 MSN Spaces Overview...................................................................................60 Customizing Your MSN Space.......................................................................61 Designing your page.............................................................................62 Making other space settings ...............................................................65 Blogging in MSN Spaces ................................................................................65 Sharing Photos in MSN Spaces.....................................................................67 MSN Spaces Recap.........................................................................................72 Chapter 5: Yahoo! 360 . .73 Getting Started in 360 ....................................................................................74 Me-centric, Not We-centric ...........................................................................74 The Yahoo! 360 Page......................................................................................77 Blogging in 360................................................................................................78 Photos in 360 ..................................................................................................81 The Yahoo! 360 Upshot..................................................................................82 Chapter 6: Finding a Home in Blogger . .85 The Blogger Look ...........................................................................................86 Getting Started with Blogger ........................................................................89 Three Crucial Settings ...................................................................................91 Writing and Posting Entries in Blogger .......................................................93 Composing an entry and publishing it ..............................................93 Editing your entries..............................................................................96 Inserting a photo in an entry ..............................................................98 02_770841 ftoc.qxp 12/28/05 7:54 PM Page xiii Table of Contents xiii Personalizing Your Blogger Blog..................................................................99 Switching Blogger templates ..............................................................99 Building your Blogger profile............................................................102