A couple friends asked for blogging advice recently, so I thought I’d share some basics about blogging platforms for those new to blogging, and how to decide between free vs. paid hosting.

DISCLAIMER: I’m not a blogging expert. It’s taken me over three years to “get it right” using WordPress, so I disclaim that I don’t have all the answers. The learning curve continues - guess I’m at the “Blogging 201″ level. I try to learn by my mistakes, so I’ll share my blogging mistakes with you. As my Mom used to tell me:

“Don’t do as I do. Do as I say do.”

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WordPress 2.6 is available. It’s stable, overall. I experienced a couple minor bumps in the road. This is the first test drive around the blogging raceway. Overall, I’m super excited use WordPress 2.6. However, I’m ecstatic about how easy it can be to upgrade automatically to the latest version of WordPress 2.6.

WordPress Auto Upgrade Plugin Screenshot

WordPress Auto Upgrade (WPAU) is a plugin that REALLY works! First, WPAU sounds like the name of a Hawaiian fish. But it didn’t take any work to savor and enjoy this delicate morsel! WPAU will become my entree of choice for all future WordPress upgrades. (more…)

Blogging is a great tool for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Forget the technical details about pinging and how search engines read blogs a little differently (better) than regular Web pages. Blogging helps create two-way content, dialogue between you and your users and between your site and the search engines.

Static websites are a monologue. Enter into a dialogue by setting up a blog. Blogs also provide a great way for that conversation to be “SEO-friendly.” Be nice to the search engines, and they will like you and interact with your site.

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