August 7th, 2009 | 
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Are you bemused by blogs? Eager to become a blogger? Google Blogger For Dummies can help you start blogging sooner than you think. More than 14 million people are promoting a business, connecting with family and friends, and sharing opinions with Google Blogger. This book helps you start a Blogger account, create content, build an audience, make money from your blog, and more, all without learning to program. You’ll be able to: Learn the parts of a blog, what Blogger … Buy Google Blogger For Dummies at Amazon
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4.0 out of 5 stars
not too technical
thanks! i like this book… it is “readable” and not so technical.
i am still reading but looks like i will become a more knowledgeable “blogger”.
First Line: So you made the decision to start a blog.
This is a decision that thousands, if not millions, of people have made. If Google Blogger is the blogging platform chosen, how much help isGunelius’ book? A lot!
From Part I where the author describes Blogger’s features and compares it to other blogging software, Gunelius takes the reader step-by-step through opening a Google account, starting a blog, choosing a template, writing and publishing blog posts– everything a beginning blogger should know.
From the basics, she moves on to covering how to monetize a blog, blogging from different media such as podcasting and mobile phones, how to use social media such as Twitter to network and build a community, and how to obtain your own domain. There’s even a section for troubleshooting problems. Everything is written in clear, concise language and easy to follow instructions.
People who have been blogging for a while may wonder if Google Blogger for Dummies contains anything worthwhile for them. My answer would be yes. For example, I had questions about obtaining my own domain, just what does “bounce rate” mean, and how to increase my search engine ranking. This book answered all those questions and many others. This book is for everyone using Blogger, both novice and pro.
The “Dummies” franchise is notoriously uneven with lots of low-quality titles and a relatively few good ones. “Google Blogger For Dummies” is a winner.
Susan Gunelius effortlessly walks the reader through the history of blogs and Blogger, in particular, the mechanics of starting, maintaining and growing a blog and ehnhancing your blog with templates, widgets, elements and gadgets. Then Gunelius segues into “Making Money with Blogger”.
This section is surprisingly well done and thorough. It lists a number of resources for monetizing your blog and has a pretty detailed discussion of Google’s AdSense program. Gunelius then moves on to networking and relationship building.
All in all, Susan Gunelius has turned out a very usable guide to getting started with Google Blogger, growing into as sophisticated a blog as you like and, if you are so moved (and have enough traffic), monetizing and growing it. Good work. Do remember that this guide is oriented toward Blogger beginners.
If you’d like a good introduction to WordPress, Google Blogger’s major competitor, checkout another “dummies” title, WordPress For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)).
Jerry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everything you need to know
This book has just about everything you need to know about blogging. I think most people will want to keep it as a reference book, and that is its value IMO.