Why it's worth asking for guest contributions

My husband, who is a musician, was recently contacted by a classical music blogger to ask if he wanted to take part in a series of guest posts/mini interviews about 'the first classical music recording that got me fired up.'

Great idea - a simple question, a simple request, aimed at someone who is not only likely to have something interesting to say to readers of a classical music blog, but who also may be (or become) one of the blog readers.

Blogging blurs the boundaries between the publisher and the reader - bloggers are kind of both, or at least they are potentially both.

Why not make guest posts or guest interviews a permanent part of your blog content plan? You could try asking for an entire guest post on a subject your guest specialises in, or a lighter request might be the single question/quick answer approach. Don't ask for much - 50 to 100 words max - that way you're more likely to get a 'yes', since busy bloggers may not have time for an entire post. Pull together three or four entertaining answers or quotes from people and you have an interesting blog post. You could even make it into a regular series.

Your 'guests' are highly likely to promote the post to their own blog readers, so providing handy exposure (and possibly new readers) for your blog.

Tech Tip: Hosted vs self-hosted blogs

Choosing your blog platform is a big decision. Many experienced bloggers go through a number of different platforms as their blog grows and their demands change.

The easiest way to start blogging is to choose a hosted platform, such as Blogger.com (where this blog is hosted), Wordpress.com, Typepad or Tumblr. 'Hosted' means that everything you post to your blog sits on that company's servers. A basic hosted blog is usually free to set up, comes with plenty of online help and support, and allows you a pretty good amount of customisation.

Textile designer, crocheter and online shop owner Emma Lamb
has a beautiful Blogger blog at http://emmallamb.blogspot.co.uk/

With so many blogs hosted on these platforms they are communities in themselves, and the software has built-in tools for connecting with other blogs. For example, Google owns Blogger, so it's easy to befriend other Blogger blogs and see their latest posts on your Blogger dashboard.

New Zealander James Squires' internet comic Moonbeard
is hosted at Tumblr - http://moonbeard.com/

If you go for a 'self-hosted' option, that means you need to download and install the blogging software on your own webspace. This means you are completely in control of your blog design, content and functionality - but you are also responsible for keeping the software and any plugins you install up to date, hosting, security, promotion and everything else to keep your blog up and running. One of the most popular self-hosted software solutions can be found at Wordpress.org (not to be confused with Wordpress.com - the same company, but the hosted version of their software.)

Lori Lange's Recipe Girl - http://www.recipegirl.com/
 is a self-hosted blog using the Wordpress platform.

If you are tech savvy, or planning to blog in support of an online business (for example), you may decide the self-hosted option is for you. My own business website is in fact a self-hosted Wordpress blog in disguise, whereas this blog is on a simple template hosted at Blogger. It has a lot less functionality, but  it was easy to set up and it serves its purpose pretty well.

There's more about this topic in Chapter 2 of Blogging for Creatives, and plenty of tips and advice to be found in the blogging community. Do some research and have a think about what is going to be best for you before deciding. Changing blog platforms isn't impossible, but you can't be doing it every few months!

My new baby!

It's here! I've just picked up a preview copy of the book. Here's a little intro...