Blogging in the Political Field of Dreams: Build It & They Will Come

The 2008 presidential election is upon us. Ever wonder how best to make your opinion known to influence and provide perspective on what promises to be one of the most exciting presidential elections since 1960? Then, consider starting and maintaining a blog.

I made my first attempt at blogging in 2005. I had a lot to say and I wanted to share it with the world. I had already been writing freelance for almost 20 years and rarely did I miss opinion-generated shows such as the McLaughlin Group or Meet the Press.

However, with the increasing popularity of the Internet and Web 2.0 technology (user generated content creation), people are hungry to create, contribute and market their own opinions, images and ideas. Since the surge in popularity of the radio talk show in the 90’s, people have been scrambling to find ways to communicate arguably popular (or unpopular) schools of thought not readily covered by mainstream (i.e., liberal or conservative) media.

As result, blogging has come to serve as the great equalizer. In a recent article by Editor & Publisher, it notes that with the 2008 presidential campaign having kicked off earlier than ever, blogs are being more and more recognized as viable sources to catch all aspects and varying perspectives of the race while aiding in the competing with non-newspaper outlets.

Blogging allows the creativity of such expression. However, with the rapid pace of technological advancements, those of us over 30, 35 or 40 may be a bit shy when it comes to embarking upon this new phase of communications. But what many may suspect, once we launch a blog and make it known that it exists, you’ll be pleased to know the number of folk who value your opinion or welcome the opportunity to disagree with it.

So are you ready to get started? Then contact us today at blogginghelp@gmail.com to begin the process of becoming a regular blogger. Stop yelling at the TV and radio when you disagree with a pundit and save yourself the stress and strain of trying to get through to a call-in show you cannot quite crack and start blogging today!

'TIS THE SEASON FOR BLOGGING

Alright. Either you've been talking about doing this blogging thing for some time now, or you've made some attempt at it, but it's just become too overwhelming, confusing and seemingly complicated.

You've tried going to all the great sites on blogging to get info. You've even gone to Blogger and Google's help links, but most times, it's like reading a foreign language and you just don't get it.

What do Blogger, YouTube, Technorati, Feedburner, Feedblitz, Site Meter and all of the other popular "must have" site management links in order for your blog to be considered viable have in common?

The answer is none of them have a telephone customer service number or help line for you to talk to a live person.

Why?

Well, in large part because these sites are free! They are giving you all the tools to build your own platform and communications portal. Therefore, their position is that it's up to you to figure it out.

I remember when I first began to blog. I was excited, but scared as all get out. I wanted the blog to be a true reflection of me, my thoughts and my passion for the subject I wanted to blog about. I stopped and started the blog off and on for a year.

But near the end of 2006 and 2007 something happened. I took my time to get acquainted with the blogging world. I attended conferences on blogging and developed relationships with other bloggers. It was a far more enriching experience than I had expected.

Before I knew, I began doing things on the blog I thought I would never do like set up a photo or image in a blog post that could be linked to somewhere else; put a YouTube clip and other videos within a post; set-up Google Adsense to make some money; and the biggie - figured out an RSS feed was, how to use it and why it is critical to the success of any blog or web site.

Interested in positioning your blog to do all this and more for the holiday season and in preparation for the new year? Then contact us at blogginghelp@gmail.com.

You'll get a full one or two hour consultation by phone walking you through the blog set-up or enhancement process that will have you feeling like a blogging pro in no time.

Drop us a line. We'll be glad to help.

TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG: WELCOME TO BLOGGING HELP LIVE!

To blog or not to blog?

That is the question.

Are you ready for the answer?

If you have anything that you are passionate about, then the answer is a resounding, YES! You should be blogging.

You've heard about it. You know it's making an impact, but you don't know how much. You may have even made a veil attempt at it and became so frustrated that you gave up.

However, you know you have a message worth communicating. If there was just someone who was available to get you through the set-up basics that would allow you to "not look like a fool" with your blog out in the blogosphere, you'd might exhibit a bit more confidence and diligence in moving forward with the development of your blog.

Well, look no further.

Welcome to Blogging Help Live!

Blogging Help Live (BHL) is the blog and concept of the newly formed BHL Consulting, a consulting practice specializing in blog start-up, development and basic optimization for bloggers using Blogger.

What differentiates BHL from the other blog resources currently available is that it offers over the phone, one-on-one personal consultation for the blogger. Our customers are those who generally have been blogging for less than 2 years, and are looking to accelerate the learning curve so that they may be about the business of just getting their thoughts, opinions, service, product or profile out there for a waiting world.

How Blogging Help Live Works

1) Contact us at blogginghelp@gmail.com and tell us what you need help with as a blogger on Blogger.

2) You will be contacted with a personal response to your e-mail explaining how we are able to help you with 1 to 2 hours of personal live uninterrupted phone consultation.

3) If it's determined you want our services, upon payment and time schedule confirmation, you will be directed to a specially designated toll free number to call to begin receiving your phone consultation for the amount of time chosen.

4) At the end of your phone consultation, you should be able to engage in basic blog navigation and continue the development of your blog on your own with minimum to no further help.

In addition to personal consultation services, we are also marketing experts who can help you determine the purpose of your blog and whether it's worth the investment of your precious time and money.

So if you are tired of reading books, long blog posts and trying to track down blog managers who you have handed over your "blog baby" to like handing over your child for someone else to raise, then contact us today at blogginghelp@gmail.com.

Let's us relieve you of the headache of learning how to blog so that you can just plain blog.