Table of Contents

Intro
The Niche
Getting Started
Essential Blogging Skills
Hello, World
Gathering News
How to Write a Blog Post
Mob Rule
Building Traffic and Making Money
Problems and How to Solve Them
Tips and Tricks of the Trade

About the Author

writes about technology for the New York Times, Popular Science, WatchReport, and Delta Sky Magazine, as well as for his 5 million page-view-per-month website CrunchGear.com. He was former editor of Gawker Media's Gizmodo.com. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economic Journalism from NYU and is currently completing a non-fiction study of Marie-Antoinette's watch. After spending four years as an IT programmer during the dot-com era, he became a full-time journalist. His work has also appeared in Laptop, PC Upgrade, Surge, Men's Health, Linux Journal Sync, and he wrote a book called Black Hat: Misfits, Criminals, and Scammers in the Internet Age.

Reviews

"The book 'Bloggers Boot Camp' sets the standards high, but if you are serious about your attempt to become a thought leader in your area of expertise, this book can really help you. Some information is quite basic, but in the end this book will hand you the steps that get you ahead right now. The only thing you need know is device with an internet connection and perseverance."--Customer Talk "This book was a well-written and informative look at the basics of starting a blog and making it successful. The authors use humor to their advantage as they provide an entertaining read chocked full of introductory information. They cover topics such as what makes a good post, frequency of posting, how to monetize your blog, and the measures of success. The book assumes that you will be using something like Blogspot or Word Press to build your blog. There a are lot of sites that offer blogging templates that you can configure to a certain extent, but this book won't help you with html and building your blog without the use of templates. All in all,I feel this was worth reading and found it to be a good resource."--Book Bargains and Previews "Blogging has become important to many marketers. Engaging with consumers keeps their messages in the email inbox, mentioned on social media and ranking high in organic search results. That's why so many are writing about their passions in a way that reaches interested audiences. Bloggers Charlie White and John Biggs know how to do just that. So they've provided tips in their book, 'Bloggers Boot Camp.'"--TargetMarketingMag.com "The book takes the reader through the changing news environment where print is quickly moving into obscurity, and demonstrates how blogging is 'expanding your reach and voice to create a unique online identity.' While it is assumed that the reader will be knowledgeable about topics written, an emphasis on best practices for critical elements to success like perseverance and reader engagement are articulated throughout the chapters. Through my own experience, I have learned that having the commitment and patience to consistently develop quality, timely content and create a two-way conversation with readers who comment is critical to boosting your blog's credibility and viewership. So if you have been thinking about how to take part of a conversation regarding your interests, or your point of view in how you run your business, and want to use a blog as one of the tools to do so, then Bloggers Boot Camp is right place to start."--ABA Banking Journal.com "Over 200 pages that give an insight into building, writing and running a successful blog. Discover the trick to uncovering a niche for your blog, plus how to spread the word and create compelling content."--Web Designer magazine "We all know that every blogger needs a few tools to run a successful blog and surely a fast loading website and tips from professionals like John Biggs and Charlie White who make a living as bloggers will get any blogger on the right track."--BenjaminKerensa.com "Essentially, the book is a beginner's guide, rather than a path to blogging enlightenment or those already blogging. It's pretty well laid out, covering off the basics, such as registering your name, choosing a platform, design and hosting, with screen grabs to help you along your way. There are some things I'm not sure I'd agree with, such as the definition of blogging "journalism on a short deadline" (part of the problem with PRs is treating bloggers as journalists; blogging should be allowed to be much broader) and the "1,000 Words Rule" that targets bloggers with writing a thousands words every day (again, too rigid a rule for many bloggers). There's a few paragraphs on working with PR people, which I think could have been expanded (but then I'm biased) and some tips of writing reviews, plus some ethics guidelines. More useful I'd imagine to newbies are the technical tips, such as adding an RSS feed and explaining about Google Analytics. All of this is written in a non-technical format, so it's easy to follow. So, overall, I'd say it's a useful guide for someone who's new to blogging, as long as they treat it as a guide rather than a bible."--The RedRocket.co.uk "'Bloggers Boot Camp' sets the standards high, but if you are serious about your attempt to become a thought leader in your area of expertise, this book can really help you. Some information is quite basic, but in the end this book will hand you the steps that get you ahead right now. The only thing you need know is device with an internet connection and perseverance."--Anne van den Berg, CustomerTalk.nl