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I became interested in blogging when I started looking on Facebook for couponing tips.  That’s when I started reading blogs.  So I decided I would like to try it.  So this is how I started my blog.

The first thing I did was find a place to start writing.   I searched a few different ones and I decided on WordPress.com.  There are others you might want to look into, Webs.com is one that’s pretty easy to use also.  These sites are pre-made with templates and push-button publishing that don’t require much technical know-how.  And that’s what I needed.  My daughter helped me decide on WordPress.  My kids were more computer-savvy than I was.  (lol)   So I signed up at WordPress.com

So once you decide on where to start writing, and sign up, you’ll have a gallery of ready-made templates to choose from.  Then you can pick a color scheme and layout for your blog.  Just start making a blog and the rest will come.  It’s a good idea to read over other people’s and see how they do things.

 Then add your blog name, interests, images, etc.  There are sites where you can get other templates such as holidays, and so forth.  I used The Cutest Blog on the Block to download some.  They also have banners, buttons, and email newsletter templates.  At first, I just used what I had on WordPress.  It was easier that way.

I decided to start out just finding coupons, sales and good deals to share.

So when I found one, I went to “add new” under Posts, and just typed in what the coupon was for and added a link to it.  And wrote about it a little bit.  To add a link, you highlight the anchor text (such as $1.00 OFF) and the chain link up at the top will light up.  Then you copy and paste the link in the box that pops up.  Then when people read the post, they can click on the coupon.

Example:  $1.00 off Club Crackers

Then on the right hand side, I put in words for Tags, such as “coupon,” “sale,” etc.   Under Category, also right of the typing block, I put in the name of the coupon or the store, etc.  I usually always put an image of the product.  Just right-click on the picture you want to use and “save picture as”.  And it goes into “my pictures”.  To insert the image into your post, click on Add Media and chose your photo.  To center it, just highlight it and click on center at the top beside B, I, etc.

Under Publish, on the right-hand side, you can Save Draft for later, or Publish it right away.  I always do Preview first to see what the post will look like and make sure I haven’t forgotten anything.  And make sure there’s no spelling errors.

After that, you come back to where you were typing and either fix something or click on Publish.  You can either publish to Private or Public.   I always publish under “Public”.  Unless for some reason you don’t want everyone to see it, in which case you publish it as private.

To make a post “sticky” means it will “stick” to the top of your page when someone comes to your blog.  (Such as a giveaway or an important post)  To make it sticky you simply click on “Visibility” , it will open and you click on “stick this post to the front page”.  Also, here you can make a post Password Protected or Private.   Then click on “ok”.

You also have the option to Publish Immediately or click on that and change the date to publish later.

All of this may seem overwhelming, but once you get into WordPress, you will see what it all means.  It’s pretty self-explanatory.  I felt the same way when I started.

Feel free to ask me any questions in the comment section.

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