Website tips: Thinking of creating a blog?

So you are thinking of starting a blog, either for your website or for yourself? Read these guidelines before doing so:

Do you have a specific niche or topic in mind?
It's just like a website. You need to find a niche for your blog.You have to have an idea of what you're going to write. It must be about something you know very well. Suppose you love dogs. You could create a blog about dogs. You could add information about what they eat, or the different breeds of them or even addresses of local pet stores. Don't start with something you do not know about. Chances are that you'll not be able to do it and you'll disappear quietly out of the blogosphere.

Promote it.
Just like a website. You have to promote your blog. Other wise no one will find it. And then it's no use having a blog about which no one knows, no matter how good it may be. Participate in other relevant blogs and forums include your blog's address in your posts. They will come, believe me, they will come. Also, you can submit your blog to the many social bookmarking sites like Technorati, Digg, Stumble Upon and Del.icio.us. These were just a few. You can find multitudes of them on the web. Search for them and submit. These have lots of visitors and your blog will certainly get a lot of exposure!

Update it.
You have to update a blog often. Don't blog if you do not plan to update it often. You see, no one likes to visit an outdated blog. You don't want that to happen to your blog, do ya? Therefore, update your blog often. The more updates the better, but please don't post rubbishly stupid things! Post something useful. If you cannot find something useful to write about, visit one of the several popular social bookmarking sites such as Technorati, Digg, Stumble Upon and Del.icio.us. These were just a few. You can find multitudes of them on the web

Don't expect miracles from your blog.
At least in the early days(maybe even months) of your blog. We all have heard stories about bloggers being successful and getting loads of traffic and making money at the same time. Believe me, this takes time. This took them time also, lots of time. More than 95% of these successful bloggers already have a successful website which they link to their blog. Only a few started a blog from scratch and got successful. So, remember, it takes time and effort. Don't blog if you plan to devote only 1 hour a day to it. You've got to work on it, build up its reputation, attract enough visitors and then can you think about taking a rest.