Can somebody point me in the right direction plase?

ewick · Mar 25, 2012

Hello everyone, I would like some advice. i would like to start a blog for my self but not sure where to start. If somebody can point me in the right direction i would appreciate it. I love sharing and commenting on here but I would like to get more familiar with the whole blogging thing. I have heard there are some places that are free to get started but basically I need To hear from people who already have one and what the pros and cons are. thank you so much.

CCericola · Mar 25, 2012

I started one a bit ago. I don't post as much as I thought I would though. I get so darn busy. I use wordpress (wordpress.org). I like it. Very easy to use.

ewick · Mar 25, 2012

Thank you. I will look into it and hopefully i get other TPF members to give out more options just so I can look around.

KmH · Mar 25, 2012

I use Blogger. There is a link to my blog down there in my siggy ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓

Of course most usually starts by doing an Internet search - http://www.bing.com/search?q=Free+blogs&pc=Z192&form=ZGAIDF&install_date=20110901&iesrc=IE-Address

analog.universe · Mar 25, 2012

I'll vote for wordpress too. :thumbup: It's simple if you want it to be, and also crazy expandable if you feel like really getting into it.

jamesbjenkins · Mar 25, 2012

Wordpress. If you want to use your blog for increasing exposure to your photography, WP does a much better job of integrating search engine optimization (SEO) than the other free options.

orljustin · Mar 25, 2012

Let me google that for you

ewick · Mar 25, 2012

orljustin said:
Let me google that for you

I know I can just google it. Thank you for the obvious, but I guess I just worded it wrong. Who do you blog with and how user friendly is it. I googled it and it gave me many different options so thats why I was asking if someone can popint me in the right direction to a user friendly one.

orljustin · Mar 26, 2012

Amazingly, the two mentioned here are on the first page of the google search. It's a blog. You type, hit save, and it shows up.

LRYoung · Mar 26, 2012

For me Wordpress is the only option worth considering. It is free (though you can get commercial support for it), and comes in hosted, or self hosted versions. I would start with a free account from Wordpress.com and you can migrate from there in the future if the need to move to running your own server or anything like that.

CCericola · Mar 26, 2012

I prefer wordpress.org to wordpress.com

analog.universe · Mar 26, 2012

orljustin said:
It's a blog. You type, hit save, and it shows up.

So it follows then: "It's a camera, you click the shutter, and you get an image."
or: "It's a car, you hit the gas, and you get where you're going."

athomasimage · Apr 6, 2012

Ewick:

By now you've got a sense of software recommendations - Blogger vs Wordpress. My question is why do you want to blog? Do you wish to share your experiences? Do you want to promote your studio? Do you want to promote yourself as an expert? All of which are valid. I have a blog also. My goal is to share my work and in the process, promote the type of photography I shoot.

I try to make my posts informative, so as not to appear as though I'm making a pitch for business. I use a plugin called Network Publisher. It automatically publishes my posts to my FB profile, my Studio FB Page, Twitter and my LinkedIn profile.

My biggest issue is trying to keep it fresh and keep the posts coming. I'll try to do a follow up to a portrait session and include a few images to help drive the point. Sometimes I'll use it as a marketing tool. For example I have a post for Hair, Makeup, Clothing and props. Then I refer clients to it in a sitting confirmation email. I photograph events for local professional groups I belong to. It prompted me to write a post for speakers and event managers to help them understand how to work with a photographer during a presentation. I often understand "writers block". So good luck and keep looking for topics.

LaineAp · Apr 7, 2012

I would suggest WordPress. .org version, for more control. As discussed before, it is darn easy and fun to have one of those.

I am also using WP (www.laineapineblog.com) and I am very happy with the site and all the actions, as well as with the level of intelligence of other people who interact, comment and so on. (Yes, here I am more thinking about the not-at-all serious """"blogging"""" thing that tumblr has created). WP blogs, if being under good upkeep, can give a very professional impression about the photographer.
Also, the blog an help you get better engagement with clients and keep some useful contacts with the same interests as you. Although, if you would like to hear some constructive feedback on your work, you should not post the photos there for this reason. Better throw them here, it's sometimes a real shark swamp

In the end: I would say: go and give WP a try!