10 Great Resources for Beginning Bloggers

So you’re jumping on the bandwagon, as they say, and you want to be a blogger. I know what you’re thinking, though: the sheer magnitude of the information on the internet is intimidating. You know the resources are out there, but where do you begin?

I’ve done all the dirty work for you here in this list of beginning blogger resources. This is of course not a complete list, but would you really want that? Aren’t ten items enough? So I say: read it, use it and start blogging. Here you go:

1. Becomeablogger.com: The very basics of how to start a blog from scratch, including domain name selection, hosting, WordPress installation and writing and publishing your first post. These guys — Yaro Starak and Gideon Shalwick — have created easy-to-understand video tutorials instead of pages of text. So simple, a banana could do it.
2. WordPresstraining.com: Go here after you’ve gone to #1 on the list. Another great example of video tutorials. Kirk Biglione has done a magnificent job of organizing and explaining how to get around WordPress without ever touching a line of code. He deserves more credit for the work he has done. Mahalo, Kirk! 
3. Problogger.net:Don’t try to be a renegade or a revolutionary blogger without first knowing who one of the blogging industry masters are. Darren Rowse is the go-to guy for all about blogging. There are tons and tons of articles from several bloggers explaining just about every aspect about blogging. My advice: read a few posts but don’t get carried away. It’s better to write more than read.
4. Copyblogger.com: Here is another master of blogging, Brian Clark. His blog is more focused on the writing — especially copywriting — aspect of blogs. There’s also advice on how to get inspired, how to draw more readers, etc. A mellower and slower-paced version of Problogger.
5. Johnchow.com: John Chow claims that he makes “money online by telling people how much money he makes online.” It’s brilliant and it’s true. John is a true hustler and writes about his life and about show he makes a living online. Download his “How to Make Money Online” free report. I caution: this is the only guy who can get away with what he’s doing simply becasue he’s John Chow. Don’t copy him because you will fail.
6. Garyvaynerchuk.com: Gary is a high-powered, energetic visionary who works his ass off, loves people and loves life. He is so brash and raw that I can’t but listen to his advice, which he doles out in short, sporadic videos on his website. I can’t say he talks specifically about blogging but rather about the rising tide of social media and the upcoming “Gold Rush in 2009.”
7. Blogmastermind.com: Yaro Starak’s paid membership program that walks you through every aspect of blogging. Very comprehensive and thorough and worth the $500 one-time payment. You get to work yourself through about 25 self-guided lessons that include audio, video, text and a member-only forum. I was skeptical at first — as I always am — but it’s true, Blog Mastermind is the real thing.
8. Dailyblogtips.com: I’m still a little new to this one but it appears to be another decent resource on blogging. Likely to be oveshadowed by the behemoth Problogger content machine, though. Follow it in stride.
9. Wordful.com: Heheheh… Maybe not the best resource, but if you can stay tuned there are going to be some big changes around here. I assure you this will not be yet-another-blog-about-blogging blog, but something that will certainly help and inspire fellow web publishers.
10. You! That’s right, you are your own best resource. Without you, there is not blog. Don’t get too caught up in reading blogs or news or other content. It’s better to produce content than consume it, especially if you’ve got something interesting and original to say. Befriend a notebook while you’re at it…and get writing!