Starting ventures or projects online have their rewards and difficulties.  One of the major hurdles is to create a space for oneself amongst all the competition.  How to get noticed when there are literally billions of websites out there?

The subject of this entry is not to discuss how, but “when.”  Most projects start with a hope.  A hope to make it someday…  That hope, however, becomes reality when from “soliciting” attention, people come to you to offer partnerships or to present themselves.  Of course, your responsibility as the owner or webmaster is to always increase the visibility of your site, but as people came to me, that was the triggering point for me in telling myself… “well, this project of mine is starting to show potential.”  Potential because others, in addition to myself, are starting to see “something.”

When you receive validation, that is a real morale booster.

“Websites” (please refer to the distinction made in the previous post) offer more flexibility in terms of design. Although it would be preferable to have some knowledge of html, that is not necessary. There are few softwares on the market that allow people to make websites such as FrontPage, etc. (FrontPage is now discontinued by Microsoft, but I forgot the names of the new programs currently on the market. I say “new programs” because Microsoft has one for normal websites and one for SharePoint websites.)

The good thing about having a website as opposed to a blog is that a “traditional” website can have static content, meaning that you don’t have to feel compelled to write an entry regularly. On the other hand, a blog that is not updated on a frequent basis cannot succeed.

Another consideration when choosing between starting a blog or a website is the purpose of your undertaking. Obviously, a blog would not be the appropriate format for an online store.

The above being said, many people choose a “hybrid solution,” which is to have a website and a blog incorporated as part of the website. A blog incorporated as part of a website does not have to be updated as frequently, yet is a good medium to communicate with visitors without being too formal.

In recent years, there has been a steep increase in the number of blogs on the Web, which begs the question: “If I want to establish an online presence, should I choose to start a website or a blog? Although technically blogs are also websites (because the latter term is all-encompassing), I will use this artificial distinction for the purpose of this entry.

1. Blog defined: “A blog (a portmanteau of web log) is a website where entries are written in chronological order and commonly displayed in reverse chronological order.” - Wikipedia as of September 3rd, 2007.
2. Website defined: “A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN.” - Wikipedia as of September 3rd, 2007.

From experience, someone should start a blog if that person is not technically inclined. Blog platforms are user-friendly and once a blog is set up, a blogger can go ahead an write his/ her entries without having to worry about design or formatting issues. There are few websites that offer free blogging accounts such as Blogger or WordPress, but I would not recommend opening a free account. Blogging is time-consuming and is a long-term project. The value of a blog is heavily dependent on its goodwill, which is closely related to its URL (Web address) and the traffic it gets. Opening a free account leaves your blog dependent on the website that hosts that account. If that website changes its policy or whatever, you’re pretty much screwed (blogs hosted on free accounts don’t have their own URLs, e.g. “http://blog.wordpress.com” or “http://blog.blogspot.com”). “Screwed,” meaning you might have to start all over again, if you ever decide to… Inject a few bucks to get your own domain name and to host your blog. This way, you will be the king of your own domain.

Another good attribute of a successful blogger is the ability to write well and to write a lot. Successful bloggers are often prolific writers who enjoy sharing their ideas and perspective on subjects they are interested in. Maintaining a blog requires that it be updated on a regular basis, meaning that you better have a lot to say.

So to summarize, you should start a blog (as opposed to a website) if:

1. you are not good with programming;
2. you like to write;
3. you write a lot/ are a consistent writer;
4. you believe you can share specific knowledge or experience; and
5. you are committed to growing and promoting your blog.

Well, enough said about blogging. The next entry will be about whether or not to start a website.

* I just noticed I didn’t share my perspective on joining a blog network. Will do that in another entry.