How to start a blog

[Country Girl]

Can anyone help me to figure out how to add a blog to my website? I have a webmaster who maintains my site. Do I need this person to set up my blog as well, and if so, then every time I update would I need to go through my webmaster as well? Or is there an easier way to do it where I can do it myself? Is there online software? Also, for those of you who already have a blog, do you find it generates new/more/repeat guests? Do you receive a lot of feedback from your guests about your blog? Do you find it difficult to find the time to update it? How often do you update yours? Thanks.

 

[Morticia]

You can use different software to create a blog and then have your web person add it to your website. If you use Google Blogger you can make all the updates yourself.

 

[swirt]

Can anyone help me to figure out how to add a blog to my website? I have a webmaster who maintains my site. Do I need this person to set up my blog as well, and if so, then every time I update would I need to go through my webmaster as well?
The answer to that depends partly on your skills and partly on how much you want the blog integrated into your website. Since you have a webmaster make any updates to your site, you will likely need their help to set it up. The setup could be:
SIMPLE: Havine your webmaster add a link from your main site to your blog and then just use a hosted blog solution like blogger.com or wordpress.com Either of these sites will let you set-up your blog and choose from a variety of templates. Then just give the address of the blog to your webmaster and have them make the link on your main site to the blog.
ADVANCED: Have them install wordpress (wordpress.org) on your site and have them customise a template to match the look of your site so it fits right in. (they would also have to manage updates to the software that come out every few months).
The end result of either of these is that you would have a fully functioning blog, which means you can post to it immediately at any time you wish and not have to wait for your webmaster to post things for you.
Here's a bit more information I put together on B&B blogging if you need it.
The simple method would of course be the cheapest. Part of the decision would also come down to what you want the blog to be. IF it is posts specific to your B&B then you may want it more integrated into the rest of your site. If you want it to be more of a travel blog promoting your area, then you may want it as separate as possible.

 

[Morticia]

What I find the blog does is to keep the repeat guests informed. They can read about what's happening in town and to the family. Oddly, it's helped with a touchy subject...our dog is getting up there in years so taking pix of her out and about makes it easier for guests as they're sometimes nervous about asking about the dog not knowing if she's still around.
A few new guests have found us thru the blog, but not that many.
It can be hard to keep up with. I did a bunch of blogging and tweeting last night about events coming up. But I also did my email newsletter so I'm all info'd out! I just have to set everything up to tweet & blog & FB at the same time and save myself some work!

 

[Samster]

What I find the blog does is to keep the repeat guests informed. They can read about what's happening in town and to the family. Oddly, it's helped with a touchy subject...our dog is getting up there in years so taking pix of her out and about makes it easier for guests as they're sometimes nervous about asking about the dog not knowing if she's still around.
A few new guests have found us thru the blog, but not that many.
It can be hard to keep up with. I did a bunch of blogging and tweeting last night about events coming up. But I also did my email newsletter so I'm all info'd out! I just have to set everything up to tweet & blog & FB at the same time and save myself some work!.

Good Grief, I don't know how you do it! I need to update my blog and I am heading out the door to catch up on errands. I'm still catching up around here from being out of town for a few days and having guests arrive within 15 minutes of walking in the door on Sunday. It is now Wednesday.....

 

[user 26]

blogging helped me keep my hands off the website!!
i always wanted to tell guests about what was happening RIGHT NOW or i'd do a minute film of the boats in the harbor or something. and the vist our blog link was prominent. my son (webmaster) left a place for me right near the link where i could put in a 'teaser' ... i had just so many characters of text i could put in that place. and i could remove my text easily.
i don't like it when i visit i website and something that happened months ago is showing up on the site as though it's RIGHT NOW or COMING UP. or it will say 'current happenings' and there will be things on there from last year. it's like no one is paying attention to the site.

 

[Morticia]

blogging helped me keep my hands off the website!!
i always wanted to tell guests about what was happening RIGHT NOW or i'd do a minute film of the boats in the harbor or something. and the vist our blog link was prominent. my son (webmaster) left a place for me right near the link where i could put in a 'teaser' ... i had just so many characters of text i could put in that place. and i could remove my text easily.
i don't like it when i visit i website and something that happened months ago is showing up on the site as though it's RIGHT NOW or COMING UP. or it will say 'current happenings' and there will be things on there from last year. it's like no one is paying attention to the site..

I don't like that either. Heck, I get wound up when I realize I still have events on the website from last month. (Not a bad thing sometimes as they are yearly events.)
Good idea to put the teaser next to the link!

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

And...as you can tell I am passionate about blogging for this B&B - and it is an EXTENSION of the website.
A place to post EVENTS, PHOTOS, stuff you really shouldn't clutter up the website with. Things that change, that have expiration dates and seasons. Events that come and go, photos guests send you and things they saw or you saw. The website and blog have two entirely different purposes in my estimation.
I wrote a personal blog article recently and really try not to do that, I don't blog recipes or personal stuff. But guests really are interested in what innkeepers do when they leave their inn on vacation.
But, I typically try to steer clear of personal photos - which is why I asked the farm and stables lady to send pics of her and staff and surrounds, I might drop one on there of us on horseback to show the horses and scenery - but not close up if I can help it.
Open up your local paper and see what there is of interest. Click the links at the bottom of my blog to other blogs and see what they write about as well.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

Can anyone help me to figure out how to add a blog to my website?
Yes, it is FREE EASY AND FUN - I use blogspot. Go to mine and up in the top right just click CREATE BLOG. You can do whatever you want with it and make all the changes - super user friendly. http://claibornehouse.blogspot.com/
I have a webmaster who maintains my site. Do I need this person to set up my blog as well, and if so, then every time I update would I need to go through my webmaster as well? Or is there an easier way to do it where I can do it myself?
Have the webmaster LINK to your blog on a few pages or title bar and then YOU have control you can do whatever you want with it. Get it up and we can trade links if you wish. Make sure you put your B&B name in text in every blog article and a link to your website.
Is there online software? Also, for those of you who already have a blog, do you find it generates new/more/repeat guests? Do you receive a lot of feedback from your guests about your blog? Do you find it difficult to find the time to update it? How often do you update yours? Thanks.
YES! No reason to reinvent the wheel. If you are starting out there are plenty of blogging websites for you to try. blogger, blogspot among many many others.
My opinion is that the more info you provide for your guests the better. An article may catch their eye and they may stay with you due to that, or give your guests reason to EXTEND their stay or book a certain time of the year. My guests tell me of our blog all the time now. I love hearing about stuff they found interesting, AND they tell me things THEY have discovered in our area so I can blog about it. I have too much to write about, that is my problem, not the reverse.
I went horseback riding today and asked for photos emailed to me of them, the red barn, etc so I can blog about it. The more the merrier! We are in the information age - blast em with information.
#2 reason I love blogging, it gets me out of the house, grab my camera and go.
Today I saw a red hawk, a big ol' buck bedded down near the creek that hightailed it out of there, black eyed susans covering half a field and even BABIES BREATH! I have never seen babies breath growing in the wild, oh and PAW PAW growing - not ripe til Sept or Oct, which the indians used to enjoy and now being researched as it has some powerful anticancer agent, they think.
Have fun!

 

[swirt]

Can anyone help me to figure out how to add a blog to my website?
Yes, it is FREE EASY AND FUN - I use blogspot. Go to mine and up in the top right just click CREATE BLOG. You can do whatever you want with it and make all the changes - super user friendly. http://claibornehouse.blogspot.com/
I have a webmaster who maintains my site. Do I need this person to set up my blog as well, and if so, then every time I update would I need to go through my webmaster as well? Or is there an easier way to do it where I can do it myself?
Have the webmaster LINK to your blog on a few pages or title bar and then YOU have control you can do whatever you want with it. Get it up and we can trade links if you wish. Make sure you put your B&B name in text in every blog article and a link to your website.
Is there online software? Also, for those of you who already have a blog, do you find it generates new/more/repeat guests? Do you receive a lot of feedback from your guests about your blog? Do you find it difficult to find the time to update it? How often do you update yours? Thanks.
YES! No reason to reinvent the wheel. If you are starting out there are plenty of blogging websites for you to try. blogger, blogspot among many many others.
My opinion is that the more info you provide for your guests the better. An article may catch their eye and they may stay with you due to that, or give your guests reason to EXTEND their stay or book a certain time of the year. My guests tell me of our blog all the time now. I love hearing about stuff they found interesting, AND they tell me things THEY have discovered in our area so I can blog about it. I have too much to write about, that is my problem, not the reverse.
I went horseback riding today and asked for photos emailed to me of them, the red barn, etc so I can blog about it. The more the merrier! We are in the information age - blast em with information.
#2 reason I love blogging, it gets me out of the house, grab my camera and go.
Today I saw a red hawk, a big ol' buck bedded down near the creek that hightailed it out of there, black eyed susans covering half a field and even BABIES BREATH! I have never seen babies breath growing in the wild, oh and PAW PAW growing - not ripe til Sept or Oct, which the indians used to enjoy and now being researched as it has some powerful anticancer agent, they think.
Have fun!

.

oh and PAW PAW growing - not ripe til Sept or Oct

All these years I've thought it was a made-up fruit for a Disney song (Jungle Book).

 

[swirt]

Can anyone help me to figure out how to add a blog to my website?
Yes, it is FREE EASY AND FUN - I use blogspot. Go to mine and up in the top right just click CREATE BLOG. You can do whatever you want with it and make all the changes - super user friendly. http://claibornehouse.blogspot.com/
I have a webmaster who maintains my site. Do I need this person to set up my blog as well, and if so, then every time I update would I need to go through my webmaster as well? Or is there an easier way to do it where I can do it myself?
Have the webmaster LINK to your blog on a few pages or title bar and then YOU have control you can do whatever you want with it. Get it up and we can trade links if you wish. Make sure you put your B&B name in text in every blog article and a link to your website.
Is there online software? Also, for those of you who already have a blog, do you find it generates new/more/repeat guests? Do you receive a lot of feedback from your guests about your blog? Do you find it difficult to find the time to update it? How often do you update yours? Thanks.
YES! No reason to reinvent the wheel. If you are starting out there are plenty of blogging websites for you to try. blogger, blogspot among many many others.
My opinion is that the more info you provide for your guests the better. An article may catch their eye and they may stay with you due to that, or give your guests reason to EXTEND their stay or book a certain time of the year. My guests tell me of our blog all the time now. I love hearing about stuff they found interesting, AND they tell me things THEY have discovered in our area so I can blog about it. I have too much to write about, that is my problem, not the reverse.
I went horseback riding today and asked for photos emailed to me of them, the red barn, etc so I can blog about it. The more the merrier! We are in the information age - blast em with information.
#2 reason I love blogging, it gets me out of the house, grab my camera and go.
Today I saw a red hawk, a big ol' buck bedded down near the creek that hightailed it out of there, black eyed susans covering half a field and even BABIES BREATH! I have never seen babies breath growing in the wild, oh and PAW PAW growing - not ripe til Sept or Oct, which the indians used to enjoy and now being researched as it has some powerful anticancer agent, they think.
Have fun!

.

oh and PAW PAW growing - not ripe til Sept or Oct

All these years I've thought it was a made-up fruit for a Disney song (Jungle Book).
.

Hey!!! What's a bear in the Jungle of India doing singing about a fruit that is indigenous only to North America?

 

[Country Girl]

Wow! Thanks everyone for the great information. I am very excited about starting this new aspect of my B&B!

 

[Morticia]

And...as you can tell I am passionate about blogging for this B&B - and it is an EXTENSION of the website.
A place to post EVENTS, PHOTOS, stuff you really shouldn't clutter up the website with. Things that change, that have expiration dates and seasons. Events that come and go, photos guests send you and things they saw or you saw. The website and blog have two entirely different purposes in my estimation.
I wrote a personal blog article recently and really try not to do that, I don't blog recipes or personal stuff. But guests really are interested in what innkeepers do when they leave their inn on vacation.
But, I typically try to steer clear of personal photos - which is why I asked the farm and stables lady to send pics of her and staff and surrounds, I might drop one on there of us on horseback to show the horses and scenery - but not close up if I can help it.
Open up your local paper and see what there is of interest. Click the links at the bottom of my blog to other blogs and see what they write about as well. .

OK, you got me going again. Blogged about an event YOU would love!

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

Can anyone help me to figure out how to add a blog to my website?
Yes, it is FREE EASY AND FUN - I use blogspot. Go to mine and up in the top right just click CREATE BLOG. You can do whatever you want with it and make all the changes - super user friendly. http://claibornehouse.blogspot.com/
I have a webmaster who maintains my site. Do I need this person to set up my blog as well, and if so, then every time I update would I need to go through my webmaster as well? Or is there an easier way to do it where I can do it myself?
Have the webmaster LINK to your blog on a few pages or title bar and then YOU have control you can do whatever you want with it. Get it up and we can trade links if you wish. Make sure you put your B&B name in text in every blog article and a link to your website.
Is there online software? Also, for those of you who already have a blog, do you find it generates new/more/repeat guests? Do you receive a lot of feedback from your guests about your blog? Do you find it difficult to find the time to update it? How often do you update yours? Thanks.
YES! No reason to reinvent the wheel. If you are starting out there are plenty of blogging websites for you to try. blogger, blogspot among many many others.
My opinion is that the more info you provide for your guests the better. An article may catch their eye and they may stay with you due to that, or give your guests reason to EXTEND their stay or book a certain time of the year. My guests tell me of our blog all the time now. I love hearing about stuff they found interesting, AND they tell me things THEY have discovered in our area so I can blog about it. I have too much to write about, that is my problem, not the reverse.
I went horseback riding today and asked for photos emailed to me of them, the red barn, etc so I can blog about it. The more the merrier! We are in the information age - blast em with information.
#2 reason I love blogging, it gets me out of the house, grab my camera and go.
Today I saw a red hawk, a big ol' buck bedded down near the creek that hightailed it out of there, black eyed susans covering half a field and even BABIES BREATH! I have never seen babies breath growing in the wild, oh and PAW PAW growing - not ripe til Sept or Oct, which the indians used to enjoy and now being researched as it has some powerful anticancer agent, they think.
Have fun!

.

oh and PAW PAW growing - not ripe til Sept or Oct

All these years I've thought it was a made-up fruit for a Disney song (Jungle Book).
.

Hey!!! What's a bear in the Jungle of India doing singing about a fruit that is indigenous only to North America?

.

Hey!!! What's a bear in the Jungle of India doing singing about a fruit that is indigenous only to North America?

Have a guess where this paw paw photo was taken? Asimina triloba is the Native American Paw Paw (perhaps the Indian version is Papaya? These fruit look more like a mango tho) fact sheet here they grow in 25 eastern states

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba). Hoosier National Forest. Photo by Wayne Owen.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

And...as you can tell I am passionate about blogging for this B&B - and it is an EXTENSION of the website.
A place to post EVENTS, PHOTOS, stuff you really shouldn't clutter up the website with. Things that change, that have expiration dates and seasons. Events that come and go, photos guests send you and things they saw or you saw. The website and blog have two entirely different purposes in my estimation.
I wrote a personal blog article recently and really try not to do that, I don't blog recipes or personal stuff. But guests really are interested in what innkeepers do when they leave their inn on vacation.
But, I typically try to steer clear of personal photos - which is why I asked the farm and stables lady to send pics of her and staff and surrounds, I might drop one on there of us on horseback to show the horses and scenery - but not close up if I can help it.
Open up your local paper and see what there is of interest. Click the links at the bottom of my blog to other blogs and see what they write about as well. .

OK, you got me going again. Blogged about an event YOU would love!
.

OK, you got me going again. Blogged about an event YOU would love!

AARP?

 

[Morticia]

And...as you can tell I am passionate about blogging for this B&B - and it is an EXTENSION of the website.
A place to post EVENTS, PHOTOS, stuff you really shouldn't clutter up the website with. Things that change, that have expiration dates and seasons. Events that come and go, photos guests send you and things they saw or you saw. The website and blog have two entirely different purposes in my estimation.
I wrote a personal blog article recently and really try not to do that, I don't blog recipes or personal stuff. But guests really are interested in what innkeepers do when they leave their inn on vacation.
But, I typically try to steer clear of personal photos - which is why I asked the farm and stables lady to send pics of her and staff and surrounds, I might drop one on there of us on horseback to show the horses and scenery - but not close up if I can help it.
Open up your local paper and see what there is of interest. Click the links at the bottom of my blog to other blogs and see what they write about as well. .

OK, you got me going again. Blogged about an event YOU would love!
.

OK, you got me going again. Blogged about an event YOU would love!

AARP?
.

No, not that one. The new one.

 

[Country Girl]

And...as you can tell I am passionate about blogging for this B&B - and it is an EXTENSION of the website.
A place to post EVENTS, PHOTOS, stuff you really shouldn't clutter up the website with. Things that change, that have expiration dates and seasons. Events that come and go, photos guests send you and things they saw or you saw. The website and blog have two entirely different purposes in my estimation.
I wrote a personal blog article recently and really try not to do that, I don't blog recipes or personal stuff. But guests really are interested in what innkeepers do when they leave their inn on vacation.
But, I typically try to steer clear of personal photos - which is why I asked the farm and stables lady to send pics of her and staff and surrounds, I might drop one on there of us on horseback to show the horses and scenery - but not close up if I can help it.
Open up your local paper and see what there is of interest. Click the links at the bottom of my blog to other blogs and see what they write about as well. .

OK, you got me going again. Blogged about an event YOU would love!
.

OK, you got me going again. Blogged about an event YOU would love!

Bree, looking at your blog is what inspired me to think about starting my own! It's amazing and you are right, I would LOVE that event, especially the chocolate part!

 

[Country Girl]

Can anyone help me to figure out how to add a blog to my website?
Yes, it is FREE EASY AND FUN - I use blogspot. Go to mine and up in the top right just click CREATE BLOG. You can do whatever you want with it and make all the changes - super user friendly. http://claibornehouse.blogspot.com/
I have a webmaster who maintains my site. Do I need this person to set up my blog as well, and if so, then every time I update would I need to go through my webmaster as well? Or is there an easier way to do it where I can do it myself?
Have the webmaster LINK to your blog on a few pages or title bar and then YOU have control you can do whatever you want with it. Get it up and we can trade links if you wish. Make sure you put your B&B name in text in every blog article and a link to your website.
Is there online software? Also, for those of you who already have a blog, do you find it generates new/more/repeat guests? Do you receive a lot of feedback from your guests about your blog? Do you find it difficult to find the time to update it? How often do you update yours? Thanks.
YES! No reason to reinvent the wheel. If you are starting out there are plenty of blogging websites for you to try. blogger, blogspot among many many others.
My opinion is that the more info you provide for your guests the better. An article may catch their eye and they may stay with you due to that, or give your guests reason to EXTEND their stay or book a certain time of the year. My guests tell me of our blog all the time now. I love hearing about stuff they found interesting, AND they tell me things THEY have discovered in our area so I can blog about it. I have too much to write about, that is my problem, not the reverse.
I went horseback riding today and asked for photos emailed to me of them, the red barn, etc so I can blog about it. The more the merrier! We are in the information age - blast em with information.
#2 reason I love blogging, it gets me out of the house, grab my camera and go.
Today I saw a red hawk, a big ol' buck bedded down near the creek that hightailed it out of there, black eyed susans covering half a field and even BABIES BREATH! I have never seen babies breath growing in the wild, oh and PAW PAW growing - not ripe til Sept or Oct, which the indians used to enjoy and now being researched as it has some powerful anticancer agent, they think.
Have fun!

.

Can anyone help me to figure out how to add a blog to my website?
Yes, it is FREE EASY AND FUN - I use blogspot. Go to mine and up in the top right just click CREATE BLOG. You can do whatever you want with it and make all the changes - super user friendly. http://claibornehouse.blogspot.com/
I have a webmaster who maintains my site. Do I need this person to set up my blog as well, and if so, then every time I update would I need to go through my webmaster as well? Or is there an easier way to do it where I can do it myself?
Have the webmaster LINK to your blog on a few pages or title bar and then YOU have control you can do whatever you want with it. Get it up and we can trade links if you wish. Make sure you put your B&B name in text in every blog article and a link to your website.
Is there online software? Also, for those of you who already have a blog, do you find it generates new/more/repeat guests? Do you receive a lot of feedback from your guests about your blog? Do you find it difficult to find the time to update it? How often do you update yours? Thanks.
YES! No reason to reinvent the wheel. If you are starting out there are plenty of blogging websites for you to try. blogger, blogspot among many many others.
My opinion is that the more info you provide for your guests the better. An article may catch their eye and they may stay with you due to that, or give your guests reason to EXTEND their stay or book a certain time of the year. My guests tell me of our blog all the time now. I love hearing about stuff they found interesting, AND they tell me things THEY have discovered in our area so I can blog about it. I have too much to write about, that is my problem, not the reverse.
I went horseback riding today and asked for photos emailed to me of them, the red barn, etc so I can blog about it. The more the merrier! We are in the information age - blast em with information.
#2 reason I love blogging, it gets me out of the house, grab my camera and go.
Today I saw a red hawk, a big ol' buck bedded down near the creek that hightailed it out of there, black eyed susans covering half a field and even BABIES BREATH! I have never seen babies breath growing in the wild, oh and PAW PAW growing - not ripe til Sept or Oct, which the indians used to enjoy and now being researched as it has some powerful anticancer agent, they think.
Have fun!

Perfect!!! I love your site. Thanks for all the tips!

 

[Morticia]

And...as you can tell I am passionate about blogging for this B&B - and it is an EXTENSION of the website.
A place to post EVENTS, PHOTOS, stuff you really shouldn't clutter up the website with. Things that change, that have expiration dates and seasons. Events that come and go, photos guests send you and things they saw or you saw. The website and blog have two entirely different purposes in my estimation.
I wrote a personal blog article recently and really try not to do that, I don't blog recipes or personal stuff. But guests really are interested in what innkeepers do when they leave their inn on vacation.
But, I typically try to steer clear of personal photos - which is why I asked the farm and stables lady to send pics of her and staff and surrounds, I might drop one on there of us on horseback to show the horses and scenery - but not close up if I can help it.
Open up your local paper and see what there is of interest. Click the links at the bottom of my blog to other blogs and see what they write about as well. .

OK, you got me going again. Blogged about an event YOU would love!
.

OK, you got me going again. Blogged about an event YOU would love!

Bree, looking at your blog is what inspired me to think about starting my own! It's amazing and you are right, I would LOVE that event, especially the chocolate part!
.

Thanks for the compliment! But I don't hold a candle to Junie B. That's a woman with a passion.

 

[Samster]

Can anyone help me to figure out how to add a blog to my website?
Yes, it is FREE EASY AND FUN - I use blogspot. Go to mine and up in the top right just click CREATE BLOG. You can do whatever you want with it and make all the changes - super user friendly. http://claibornehouse.blogspot.com/
I have a webmaster who maintains my site. Do I need this person to set up my blog as well, and if so, then every time I update would I need to go through my webmaster as well? Or is there an easier way to do it where I can do it myself?
Have the webmaster LINK to your blog on a few pages or title bar and then YOU have control you can do whatever you want with it. Get it up and we can trade links if you wish. Make sure you put your B&B name in text in every blog article and a link to your website.
Is there online software? Also, for those of you who already have a blog, do you find it generates new/more/repeat guests? Do you receive a lot of feedback from your guests about your blog? Do you find it difficult to find the time to update it? How often do you update yours? Thanks.
YES! No reason to reinvent the wheel. If you are starting out there are plenty of blogging websites for you to try. blogger, blogspot among many many others.
My opinion is that the more info you provide for your guests the better. An article may catch their eye and they may stay with you due to that, or give your guests reason to EXTEND their stay or book a certain time of the year. My guests tell me of our blog all the time now. I love hearing about stuff they found interesting, AND they tell me things THEY have discovered in our area so I can blog about it. I have too much to write about, that is my problem, not the reverse.
I went horseback riding today and asked for photos emailed to me of them, the red barn, etc so I can blog about it. The more the merrier! We are in the information age - blast em with information.
#2 reason I love blogging, it gets me out of the house, grab my camera and go.
Today I saw a red hawk, a big ol' buck bedded down near the creek that hightailed it out of there, black eyed susans covering half a field and even BABIES BREATH! I have never seen babies breath growing in the wild, oh and PAW PAW growing - not ripe til Sept or Oct, which the indians used to enjoy and now being researched as it has some powerful anticancer agent, they think.
Have fun!

.

Sidetrack alert.....
Was the Paw Paw still blooming and did it stink? I have a Muscadine vine here but it has never borne fruit, I think it needs a friend. I've bought some local Mayhaw jelly and it is really tasty. Never had it before I moved here.