How to create a blog

type='html'>Make a blog for free using Google's Blogger!

A blog is also called a web-log is a type of web site. A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web, which is usually arranged in chronological order from the most recent post (or entry) at the top of the main page to the older entries towards the bottom. The activity of updating a blog is “blogging” and someone who keeps a blog is a “blogger”.

Past few years, blogs have become very popular as these are easy to create and even simpler to manage and update. There are several ways to make a blog for free and you can even put up one on your web site.

In this article I will be providing the steps on how you can make a blog web site for free using one of the best services - Google's Blogger.

I've also included screenshots so that you can follow the directions easily. Just follow the simple steps below and you will have your blog set up in no time!


Blogger - Google's free service to create your blog

First visit this site Blogger.com, then you will see the screenshot below. To make your first blog at Blogger, you need to get an account at the service or use an existing Google account. If you already have a Gmail email account, use the same username and password to sign in.

For those who don't have Google account; please follow the steps shown below.

Step-1. Making a Google account

Detailed instructions can be found on how to create a Google account but if you don't want to jump across pages, here is a brief on the same. To create a Google account, just click on the large orange colored "Create a blog” button (as shown in above screenshot), then you will view on “Create a Google Account” screen as shown below.

As described step by step in the below screenshot, enter your email address in the first two fields. Choose a password and put it in the next two fields. View the password strength bar and make sure it's not something people can guess outright and, at the same time, it's not so difficult that even you are not able to recall later on. The next field requires you to type in a display name which can be your real name or something else. The process is almost over - try to decipher the wavy security text and enter it in the field below. Hit on the "Continue" button when done.

Next, open another browser window or tab and go to the email account you had entered when making the blog account. You should see an email from Google asking you to verify the newly created account - click on the appropriate link.


Step-2. Name your blog

In the below shown “Name your blog” screenshot, what you enter in the fields is important.

First provide a name to your blog and then select blog address (web site address) for it. The "Check availability" link will let you know if the blog address is available. As you may know, web addresses need to be unique - you cannot use one which has been taken by someone else. When you do find a suitable blog address, click on "Continue" to move forward.

Please note: Your blog address at Google Blogger will be http://the address chosen by you.blogspot.com (This address will go live on the Internet)

Step-3. Choose a design template for your blog

We are almost done. The next page lets you pick a design template for your blog web site and there are many to choose from; click on the "preview template" link to see how it looks - refer images below.

Note: the preview opens in a smaller pop-up window. Once you've made your selection, hit the "Continue"
button.

Congratulations! You have been able to successfully create a blog using Google’s Blogger.

Now you can start entering your posts and start blogging! You may also refer How to make post in my blogger blog page.

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How to include HTML Code in a Blog Post

type='html'>Once you create your blog and start to make the blog posts, you may encounter certain situations where you need simple but important information in order to make your posts complete and effective. One such is to know how to include html codes within your blog posts.

There are many ways to do this, and one good simple way is to convert your HTML code into a ‘postable’ one. To do this, visit this link and simply convert all your HTML codes and place them on your blog posts: elliotswan.com/postable/

After you make the code 'friendly', copy and paste the code in your post in the 'Edit HTML' section as indicated in below screenshot and preview to make sure everything is in order before Publishing your Post.

One post where I have included HTML code using above method: Open link in new window

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Importance of Anchor Text

type='html'>Anchor text provides the user relevant description or clarification about the link's destination. Anchor text, sometimes referred to as clickable text is a vital element in SEO.

When creating links for the purpose of SEO, the most important part is the actual text that makes up the link, this text is called the Anchor Text.

If you want your page to rank highly for a specific keyword combination, you have to use these keywords in your Anchor Text in all of your external incoming links and internal links.

If the Anchor Text is made up from your Keywords, that link is weighted very heavily in the search engines especially in the Google algorithm. Therefore, using the specific key word links and connecting to your website is a very important aspect of your SEO.

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Palm's Pre Smartphone

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Palm's Pre smartphone is unusual in that it slides vertically to reveal the QWERTY keyboard. It uses the same curved sliding action found on phones like the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1. The vertical keyboard was used partially to stand out from other phones, and partially to adhere to the philosophy of easy one-handed use. The phone has a multitouch screen and, when the keyboard is hidden, just three physical controls: A top button, a side volume rocker, clickable button at the bottom. It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack, 3MP camera on the back (w/LED flash) all in a 4.8-ounce package. It's smaller than the iPhone in surface area, but it's noticeably thicker—even thicker than the BB Bold.

Gesture Area

The gesture area is the black space that extends below the screen of the Pre. Like the screen itself, that area is fully multitouch-capable, and allows you to perform various gesture-based actions within WebOS. Palm said they implemented the gesture area because they feel one-handed control directly on the touchscreen itself can be difficult at times. They say the gesture area will make it easier to move through WebOS without the need for a second hand.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Linux-based Palm-built WebOS operating system and UI

• 3.1-inch, 320x480 capacitive LCD multitouch screen

• Vertical slider form factor with full QWERTY keyboard

• 8GB flash storage

• Multitouch gesture area and scrollball

• 3G EV-DO rev. A and wi-fi

• Bluetooth and GPS

• 3.5mm headphone jack

• 3-Megapixel camera

• LED flash

• TI OMAP CPU

• Micro USB connection with mass storage support

• Wireless induction charger

• 4.8 Ounces

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What could be causing my computer to run so slow?

type='html'>There are many possible causes of a slow PC. Because your computer is constantly working with files - moving, copying and deleting from place to place - it will eventually get cluttered with leftover files, some of which are not needed and just take up valuable disk space.

If your PC crashes or freezes up, it may be a symptom of a slow or cluttered PC. The brain of your computer is the Processor, and it may be that your processor is too slow to run today's demanding software. The processor can also struggle if you have multiple programs running at once - for example, if you have Word open to compose a letter while downloading a file from the Internet and also playing a song through your media player.
Following are some steps you could take to increase the speed of your computer.

1. Hard Drive is nearing its capacity:
Try removing programs that are no longer needed to free up some space. Be sure to use the programs uninstall tool (if available). If the program does not have an uninstall tool, then remove the program using Add/Remove Programs in your Control Panel. Also, use the Disk Cleanup tool (start>> all programs>> accessories>> disk cleanup) to free-up additional space.

2. Increase RAM
RAM is the temporary memory the computer uses to do its calculations. If you do not have enough RAM, your programs will run slowly.

3. Your files could be excessively fragmented:
Try using the Disk Defragmenter tool (start>>all programs>> accessories>>systems tools>>disk defragmenter) to restore the fragmented files to their proper location.

4. Too many Icons on your Desktop:
Excessive desktop icons will make your computer run slow. Try removing the icons (right click the icon and select delete) that you rarely use. Removing an icon from your desktop is only removing the "shortcut" to the program, not the program itself.

5. Spyware Installed on Your System
You may also have programs running in the background using up memory that you are unaware of, and in some cases, the problem may be a malicious program such as a virus or spyware.
Many web sites on the Internet install "spyware" on your computer so that it can actually "spy" on you. As you surf the web, more and more spyware gets installed. This will eventually begin to slow your computer very noticeably. Therefore, it is important to perform frequent anti-spyware scans with capable software to remove these unwanted parasites. A couple of programs for this purpose are:

Antivirus & Anti-Spyware - 2010
Total Internet Security - 2010

6. Too many programs running at Windows startup:
As you continue to download programs, all of these programs startup and run in the background. To stop these programs from running:

1. Go to Start>> Run. Type in: msconfig [Enter] or click OK.
2. Click the Startup tab.
3. All of the programs listed in this menu that have a checkmark are the programs that are currently running. Deselect (by clicking in the checkbox) the ones that you do not want to run any longer. Once you have done this, click OK.
4. Exit the Microsoft Configuration Utility.
5. You will be asked to restart your computer. Go ahead with the restart. Depending on how many programs that you've stopped from running, you could see very positive results in your computers performance.

7. Others
Other components of your PC can contribute to poor performance, particularly your Graphics Card when it comes to running media and games software. Some hardware needs special programs called Drivers and these need to be kept up to date.

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Why are blogs popular?

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Blogs have become almost as popular as websites. They have exploded in popularity in the last few years. They have their own search engines, ad directories and forums.

The main reason for the popularity of blogs is the ease with which they can be created and maintained. And updating your blog by posting new entries is quite easy like typing paragraphs in your MS Word or composing emails.

A web site consists of individual web pages developed using HTML (HyperText Markup Language). Web pages may also have code of other programming languages such as PHP, ASP or Perl embedded in the HTML. However to crate a blog you don't need to know any web programming language.

Another reason blogs have gained in popularity is they are free! You don't need to pay for hosting or a domain name with a blog. You could easily create a basic Blog using famous blogging software such as Blogger or WordPress.

Follow easy steps to Create a blog for free using Google's Blogger.

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Hard Disk Basics

type='html'>Hard disks were invented in the 1950s. They started as large disks up to 20 inches in diameter holding just a few megabytes. They were originally called "fixed disks" or "Winchesters" (a code name used for a popular IBM product). They later became known as "hard disks" to distinguish them from "floppy disks." Hard disks have a hard platter that holds the magnetic medium, as opposed to the flexible plastic film found in tapes and floppies.

At the simplest level, a hard disk is not that different from a cassette tape. Both hard disks and cassette tapes use the same magnetic recording techniques. Hard disks and cassette tapes also share the major benefits of magnetic storage -- the magnetic medium can be easily erased and rewritten, and it will "remember" the magnetic flux patterns stored onto the medium for many years.

Nearly every desktop computer and server in use today contains one or more hard-disk drives. Every mainframe and supercomputer is normally connected to hundreds of them. You can even find VCR-type devices and camcorders that use hard disks instead of tape. These billions of hard disks do one thing well -- they store changing digital information in a relatively permanent form. They give computers the ability to remember things when the power goes out.

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