Welcome to Blogger!

A blog is a web page made up of usually short, frequently updated posts that are arranged chronologically — like a what's new page or a journal. The content and purposes of blogs varies greatly — from links and commentary about other web sites, to news about a company/person/idea, to diaries, photos, poetry, mini-essays, project updates, even fiction.

Blogs are also excellent team/department/company/family communication tools. They help small groups communicate in a way that is simpler and easier to follow than email or discussion forums. Use a private blog on an intranet to allow team members to post related links, files, quotes, or commentary. Set up a family blog where relatives can share personal news. A blog can help keep everyone in the loop, promote cohesiveness and group culture, and provide an informal "voice" of a project or department to outsiders.

Before you can create a free blog on Blog*Spot, Blogger's hosting service, you need to have already created an account on blogger.com. Once you've logged into blogger.com, click the Create a Blog link beneath your list of blogs:

On Step 2, enter a Title and Address (URL). You'll also need to type in the verification word displayed on this page, to confirm that you are a real person and not a computer. When you're done, click continue:

On Step 3, you can choose a template for your blog; this is how it will appear when you publish it. Next, Blogger will create your new blog and reserve your spot on BlogSpot. As soon as you make your first post, your page will appear at the address you chose. You're all ready to blog!

Since you're new to Blogger, we've put together this short list to help get you started:

• Profiles: It's all about you
• Email to your blog: use Blogger Mobile or Mail-to-Blogger to post from your email program or web-enabled phone.
• Non-English speakers: post in your language
• Team blogs: Make it a group effort
• More templates: choose from our array of lovely, professionally-designed site templates
• FTP your blog: if you already have an existing web site, publish your blog to it via ftp
• Beyond Blogging: check in each week for the latest Blogger news and features