“I just don’t know what to blog about.” I can’t tell you how often I hear that one. While the obvious answer is, “Then don’t blog!” I suspect the problem is more fundamental. Many people who blog or think they should blog don’t know why they’re doing it…except that it seems everyone else is blogging. So before you start blogging…or give up on an apparently unsatisfactory blogging experience, consider these 21 steps. They’ll help you know how (or even if) you should go forward.

Now, as a twist today, I crafted this post in response to a challenge over at Copyblogger. Author Brian Clark suggested we all take a page from a current issue of PC World and create a post with a list headline. You can see his post by clicking here.

I’m not going to elaborate on any of these 21 items as my post would be impossibly long. But I promise to return to some of these subjects in future posts and explore them in greater depth. Also the items are in no particular order. Enjoy.

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“I have a great designer and a really beautiful website…it’s gorgeous!”

That’s what someone said to me the other day. My reply was immediate, “That’s great, but you want the interest value that an ever-changing front page buys you.” Since that exchange, I’ve been thinking more about the importance of a blog, and I’ve decided to devote several posts to the subject. I look forward to your questions and comments.

Okay, so let’s consider website beauty for a moment. I think we’ve all admired drop-dead gorgeous sites from time to time. I’ve seen some really nice sites, and their talented designers deserve our recognition and admiration. But to be successful, designers need the support of strong editorial direction.

Be honest now…How many times have you returned to a website because you loved the way it looked? Not many I wager. But how many times have you returned to a site that:

* Answered an important question
* Gave you guidance you wanted
* Helped you make a decision
* Introduced you to a new service or product
* Held out the promise of much more information and assistance

More than once, I suspect.

Here are the facts:

* Websites are NOT window dressing for companies.
* Websites are selling tools that encourage their owners to “sell” by informing prospective customers.
* Websites must be dynamic and stay current with all the latest information.
* Websites are not constrained by the costs and time of production…this fact must be reflected in the content.
* Content is STILL King…and we must never forget that fact.

Well, actually, in our current economic times Cash is the real king. So listen to me when I say that the quality of your content is the key to your ability to earn cash online. Or in the case of authors, earn readers who will buy your books. Blog platforms provide a built-in text editor that enable everyone to post and manage the content on their blog sites.

What you need is a blog strategy for your editorial content..the subject of our next post.

Whether you’re an author or business owner, you probably are looking to the Internet to expand your reader or client base. That means, of course, you’re using email to connect with prospects.

If you’re considering creating a blog or even a static website, you’ve got to have it hosted someplace. With so many free resources, you may be thinking of saving your money for other marketing efforts and taking advantage of the freebies. Here are a couple things you need to consider.

* There’s power in the right URL (that’s Uniform Resource Locator, and quite simply it’s your web address).
* You want to build your OWN brand, not someone else’s.
* The right URL builds your brand.

The free services are terrific. They enable you to do so much to get the word out about your products, services, even books. And in future blogs we’ll help you put these to work. But you need your own base of operations. And that’s your URL. Free social network sites can help you build a following, but eventually you’ll want to drive these followers back to your own blog or website.

So start your online efforts by securing a meaningful URL. The first thing you have to consider is what you are marketing and branding…yourself or your product. If you have (or plan to have) multiple products, books or services, you may want to promote yourself as the common denominator in all these. In that case, you should buy your name, such as www.yourname.com. If you want to push your book, you can lock in the title, such as www.booktitle.com.

It’ll cost you less than $10 to get most URLs. GoDaddy is a cost-effective source for buying URLs. And hosting should cost you something between $5 and $20 a month, depending on the services you select. Get your blog or website up and then be sure to create your email. Only a few years ago, it was acceptable to have an AOL, Yahoo! or similar free email account. NOT TODAY. Now it just labels you as a small player. Not something you want to broadcast to your customer or prospect base.

Start right. Be a pro. Create the brand that will impress readers, clients and prospects…YOUR brand.

You’ll find this and more in our eCourse “Write Your Way to More Book Sales.”

Unless you don’t use Amazon at all, you probably are aware of the Kindle digital book. It’s very cool. The basic unit:

* weighs just 10.3 ounces with a 6? screen capable of 600×800 pixels and gray scale images
* holds more than 200 titles (more memory available)
* has a library of more than 160,000 books, blogs, newspapers, magazines and ebooks available for download
* charges just $9.99 for most books
* handles audiobooks and music as well as text
* uses cell phone technology to link (so you don’t have to find a wi-fi hot spot
* lets you read for about a week on a single charge
* charges you only for what you download, no monthly wireless bills, contracts or service plans
* allows you to annotate text
* makes available free samples and first chapters for your review before buying

But even with all this to commend the Kindle, you may be thinking the price is still too high for you (at $359). Kindle: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device Are You Thinking Kindle? But did you know you can get a $100 rebate if you buy with your Visa card? And conventional wisdom suggests the price will continue to fall. Still some readers think it best to wait for Kindle 2.0 to come out before they buy.
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But as writers, you should know that about 250,000 Kindles have been sold. This is a platform you should probably be considering for your book or ebook. Amazon now has a section for authors to go to learn more. So check out the Digital Text Platform and start preparing to publish for Kindle.