So, um, how DO I start my own blog?

It's pretty easy to start your own blog--even if you think you're not tech-savvy and don't know the first thing about what you're getting yourself into.

First you need to choose which blog host you're going to use. We've written an article giving some basic information on the most popular blog hosts. If you aren't sure how committed you'll be to blogging and just want to try it out, I suggest that you start with a free host like Blogger.

Blogger has a wizard that will help you get your blog started. You'll begin by creating an account, naming your blog (they'll let you know if the name you want is already taken), and choosing a template.

Choosing a Name for Your Blog

This can be daunting. In fact, I think I went through three name changes before I settled on Don't Try This at Home. There are many things to consider:

• what do you want your blog to be about?
• what words reflect that idea or content?
• what graphics would you like to use?

Think about how these things all come together and what they say.

Consider staying away from generic words like ramblings, writings, blog, etc. These words won't set you apart from the thousands of others who are also using them in their titles.

Choosing a Template

Just about every blog host out there offers generic templates for you to use as you start your blog. If you know a little HTML you can quickly change a few key elements and make the template unique to your personality. We have several articles on design.

My advice is to stick with your generic template for a while. Let yourself become used to blogging and allow yourself to evolve. As you do, you'll have a better idea of what you want your site to look like. Besides, if you're spending all your effort in the looks department, you're probably slacking in the writing department. Don't let the project fall apart because you're trying to do too many things at once.

Remember: We all started with the generic templates.

Setting Up a Stat Counter

Once you're blogging you'll want to know who's reading and how those readers are finding you. You can read more about stat counters here.

Several free and easy-to-use counters are available, and all come with step-by-step instructions for installing it on your blog.  Some of the more popular ones are BlogPatrol, LiveBlogStats, ShinyStat, Site Meter and StatCounter.

Setting Up a Blogroll

A blogroll is just a linked list of blogs you like to read. Blogrolls are a great way to start a community. Blogrolls also allow you to share with your readers the types of blogs you enjoy reading. You can tell a lot about a blogger from his/her blogroll. For more tips on blogrolls, read this article.

Generating Traffic

There are so many ways to generate traffic. You can claim your blog with Technorati, sign up with Stumble Upon, join blogrings, or come up with a great weekly carnival (e.g., Works-For-Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer) or weekly post .

The best way to generate traffic, though, is simply to write well and write often. "You can shock them, you can offend them, but you must never bore them." (I've seen that attributed to both Noel Coward and F. Scott Fitzgerald--regardless of who said it, it's true.)

You can find more tips on generating traffic in these articles.