Facebook is banking on artificial intelligence algorithms to tackle extremist posts on its platform. In a blog post on Thursday, the social network described its efforts to bar such posts from the social network over time. “Our stance is simple: There’s no place on Facebook for terrorism. We remove terrorists and posts that support terrorism whenever we become aware of them,” Facebook says in the post.
Amongst the company’s AI initiatives are programs for image matching, language understanding, removing terrorist clusters, recidivism and cross-platform collaboration. This, combined with human expertise is how Facebook plans to tackle growing terrorist activities on social media.
The social network explains that its image matching systems detect previously removed propaganda video or photos, and prevent extremists from uploading such content again. “In many cases, this means that terrorist content intended for upload to Facebook simple never reaches the platform,” says the post. In addition, the company is also experimenting with language understanding using AI, to detect text that may be “advocating for terrorism”. “We’re currently experimenting with analyzing text that we’ve already removed for praising or supporting terrorist organisations such as ISIS and Al Qaeda so we can develop text-based signals that such content may be terrorist propaganda,” says the post. The algorithm for this is in early stages of “learning how to detect similar posts”. Facebook says it will get better at detection over time.
Facebook says terrorists “tend to radicalise” and generally operate in clusters, and they replicate this behaviour online as well. So, Facebook not only identifies pages, posts, groups and profiles spreading such agenda, it also uses algorithms to “fan out” and identify related material that may support terrorism. “We use signals like whether an account is friends with a high number of accounts that have been disabled for terrorism, or whether an account shares the same attributes as a disabled account.”
Lastly, Facebook says it can detect terrorist accounts faster now and is working on getting ahead of the problem in all of its apps and platforms. That includes Instagram and WhatsApp.
In spite of the impasse over the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, there is solid possibility that it may soon become law. Currently, it is stuck in the Rajya Sabha. For the first time, the comprehensive tax law will bring reforms marking a paradigm shift in the taxation system. It will affect businesses of all sizes, including startups.
India is witnessing a boom in startups, particularly those in the IT industry. According to a recent NASSCOM report the number of Indian start-ups is the fourth highest globally, at more than 3,100 start-ups. It also predicts that the number could increase to 11,500 by 2020. Of all these startups, more than 85% fail because of lack of funds and other reasons. In such a scenario, a new tax regime could a tricky proposition.
Changes sought by the GST The tax law would be wide-ranging in its effect on the manufacture, sale and consumption of goods and services throughout India. It would replace various different taxes that the Centre and State governments charge separately. It would be collected at each stage on basis of the input tax credit method, in which taxes paid in other states can be claimed. This would allow registered enterprises to claim tax credit in proportion to the value of GST that they paid on the purchase of goods and services in other states as a part of their day-to-day commercial activity. Goods/services are not discriminated from each other and are taxed at a flat single rate in a supply chain till they reach the consumer.
Gains for startups and enterprises First the good part. A number of experts think the GST would eliminate cascading or double taxation and enable a shared national market, leading to improved collections. They are also of the view that the tax would help businesses save on taxes overall and remove the complexity of taxes that enterprises have to encounter due to the various taxes levied at different stages. They also feel that the GST would prevent or at least de-incentivize the temptation for tax evasion.
“For instance, if I purchase a product in some other state, the duties that I pay there consist of taxes which eventually get added to costs since I cannot claim it in my home state. This leads to some enterprises getting tempted to evade the system and purchase goods without documentation. But if I am a GST-registered enterprise then I can claim tax credit proportionate to the GST that I paid while buying goods and services as a part of my regular commercial activity,” said Saurabh Gupta, an entrepreneur from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh.
What is happening under the present regime is that big corporate houses “stock transfer” goods to other states as they have the logistics and the infrastructure to do that. Consequently, they escape paying tax on inter-state movement. However, startups and small enterprises are unable to do that as they don’t have the infrastructure. Therefore, they acquire goods through inter-state sales (in place of stock transfers) and end up paying Central sales tax. In this regard, the GST brings startups and small enterprises at par with big corporate houses by taxing stock transfers too.
“After the GST is implemented, most Central and State taxes will get subsumed, reducing the multiplicity of taxes and reducing the cost of ensuring compliance. Overtime Central sales tax would also be phased out,” said a senior tax official not wanting to be named, adding: “The differential tax regime between the Centre and states and the frequent turf wars between them results in inefficiencies, including slow transit times, unnecessary red tape and disturbance in the business climate.”
According to a recent study done by Deskera, a cloud-based business software provider in the Asia-Pacific region, the new tax law would improve competitiveness and efficiency of startups and enterprises while mitigating the cascading effect of the existing tax regime. It could also reduce the overall compliance cost incurred by the government along with de-incentivizing the prevalence and scope of black economy. This could ensure the overall growth of the economy.
Disadvantages of the proposed GST There is a sizable number of startups that do not think the tax is good news; they say that the principle of equal treatment for startups and big corporate houses removes the safety net that they used to enjoy earlier. GST proposes to reduce tax exemption threshold for business units. Under the present excise laws, a manufacturer having turnover less than Rs 1.50 crore is not required to pay any duty. On the other hand, GST recommends significant lowering of the limit, which according to some reports could be as low as Rs 25 lakh. Subsequently, a number of startups would come under the tax net.
“I didn’t come within the tax ambit earlier, but with this policy, I would have to bear the added financial burden. My business may not continue to be as profitable as before. In the worst case, I may have to think of other options,” remarked Dennis Jesudasan, an entrepreneur from Kerala. Besides those affected by the principle of parity, there are several others sitting on the fence, preferring to wait and watch for the time being.
Putting the negatives and positives together If we look at the overall picture, the GST may be truly path-breaking in streamlining taxes in India, removing arbitrary exemptions, and making businesses more tax-compliant. However, it can also potentially present an extra financial burden for unstable startups. There would be a price to be paid. Apart from training employees, processing invoices as per the new model and meeting compliance regulations, companies will have to modify their existing accounting software that is used to generate invoices and payroll.
In Conclusion The GST is a radical shift. It will affect every member of the society and the business world. The smallest change in the tax chain leads to a domino effect, affecting the entire structure from the top to the bottom. Businesses, particularly startups, need to brace for the changing regime. They must know which taxes to pay, how the tariffs apply, the quantum of the taxes and the procedures for calculation. But it is easier said than done. Looking at the radical nature of the reform, it’s best that the GST is tried out in a phased manner.
A startup founder narrated how he started tinkering with computer programs as a 12-year-old school student and requested permission from his school to stay back after school was over at 4 pm. As a 15 year-old, he sold computers door to door and started his own company while 17 years-old. Working 18 to 20 hours a day was ‘normal’ for this entrepreneur as it is for most in the sector.
The passion of this founder is a given with most startup founders. They pursue an idea, start up with their personal savings or family and friends pitch in and they are consumed with the idea that success in most cases is incidental.
Almost all startups are founded on the passion and drive of its founders. Uber’s Travis Kalanick founded the ride hailing app after tasting success with his first startup and selling his second one. He had become a millionaire before he set up Uber.
Any interview or write-up of Kalanick’s does not fail to mention his ‘brash’ behavior. Though that trait worked for him ever since he dropped out of school and started up, that has now led to his being sidelined in his own company and the board asking him to step down as the CEO.
A founder having to take a backseat and let a professional take over the reins is not unheard of. When does the founder of a company, with an innovative idea that gets traction and is successful, cross the line and think that success equals bad behavior and he/she can get away with it?
In the case of Uber, the sexual harassment issue raised by former employee Susan J Fowler, which has now become a scandal, has proved to be damaging for the company’s image. Customers in California, for instance, chose Lyft over Uber not because it was better but because they did not want to associate with a company that did not treat its women employees fairly.
These are times when social media leads many to vote with their feet. There are cases of customers who won’t buy products or services of a company if they are not organic, or trade with certain countries or are seen to hire child labour, says Harish HV, Partner, India Leadership Team, Grant Thornton India LLP.
When Uber’s major investors — Benchmark, Lowercase, First Round, Menlo Ventures and Fidelity — decided to rectify the company’s image by asking Kalanick to step down, the message was clear: The company could not afford to let business bleed and its image take a beating because of the action or inaction of its CEO, even if he was the founder.
“When there is a loss of energy within the company and its image is being hurt, the board has to take a call – to shift the person from the leadership position rather than face the issues the gentleman’s presence brings for the company,” said Harish.
It is also true that startups by their nature are about working with an idea that is innovative and solving an issue. When the idea gets traction with several rounds of funding, and the founder/s are valued and serenaded by investors and the media, they sometimes falter in handling the success thrust upon them as most of them have no experience of managerial skills for running a company.
Santosh Desai, social commentator, and Managing Director-CEO, Future Brands, says that often when the founder/co-founders are successful, they err in thinking that the skills required to run a business and manage it is the same. “The startup founders have the passion and have developed the business to scale, but to expect them to also have the skills to manage the business is stretching it,” he says.
Many times the founders may not be the best person to lead the company through all its stages. There are many examples of those who realised it and quit when the company’s business model reached traction. Bill Gates took a backseat and let Steve Balmer take on the leadership role, for instance. Today the company is led by Satya Nadella and his vision is different from when Gates was the CEO.
Very often, says Devangshu Dutta, chief executive of Third Eyesight, a consulting firm, as the business evolves rapidly, a founder can become irrelevant or even a drag. This can impact the business negatively. “When it is due to personality issues, investors ask the founder to leave or step aside or sometimes kick them upstairs. A professional CEO is then brought in,” he says.
A company’s interest is better served by non-founder CEOs and that is a good thing, believes Paula Mariwala, Partner, Seedfund and Co-Founder, Stanford Angels. “Clearly, a leadership change was warranted at Uber and it is a good thing. But the challenge is to find the right leader with the passion and beliefs of the founder and the skills of a professional,” says Mariwala.
Each startup has to take the call what is better for it – to let the founder founder who is a maverick too to lead or combine the founder’s vision with a professional running the company. “This is inevitable in companies with maverick founders like Steve Jobs and Travis Kalanick,” says Mariwala.
Uber has been notorious for brash behavior and in fact that has been its culture, says Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief analyst, Founder and CEO of Greyhound Knowledge Group, a global strategy and transformation research, advisory and consulting group.
Uber after Kalanick
The company will take a beating for a short while until it recoups, feels Harish. He said the vision for the company may take a little while to be clear as it won’t be Kalanick’s. “But within a short time the company will be able to get back on track provided its business model is right,” he said.
A founder and his idea that gets traction is not the sole reason for its success. By that yardstick, he/she should be the sole reason for its failure too. Kalanick’s idea found traction and then many people joined him in that entrepreneurial journey as employees, investors, etc.
“When a company’s culture is not socially acceptable, the CEO is seen as aggressive and its culture detrimental to its image, it is better for investors to cut their losses than allow the leader’s actions or non-actions to affect the company,” said Gogia. He feels that Kalanick being sidelined at Uber is only a blip on its radar. “No one is indispensable. As long as the business model is right, the company will thrive,” he said.
Clearly, the ultimate test for the business model of the most valued startup (its valuation is reportedly nearly $70 billion) starts now.
Ever wondered how journalists and bloggers get access to the information related to Apple’s upcoming products? A ‘leaked’ recording of an Apple internal briefing has revealed that most of the times, such leaks originate directly from its employees.
“Last year was the first year that Apple [campuses] leaked more than the supply chain. More stuff came out of Apple (campuses) last year than all of our supply chain combined,” The Outline quoted David Rice, a former member of the US National Security Agency (NSA), as saying from the recording.
According to The Outline, the internal briefing on Apple’s fight against leaks was led by former members of US spy agencies who have spent years in investigating, and eventually unmasking, one leaker. Most of the Apple’s leaks come from manufacturing facilities in China. To prevent these leaks, the company searches its Chinese workers as they enter and leave factories where Apple products are made.
The recording revealed that Apple screens 2.7 million employees a day in 40 factories in China. According to media reports, Apple and its contract manufacturers have cracked down on some leaks at manufacturers in recent years.
One of the biggest leaks was in 2013 when employees at factories assembling the iPhone stole some 19,000 enclosures and then sold them in the black market. These enclosures reveal the screen size, ports and other key elements of a device.”But the leaks have significantly come down over the years. In 2014, that number was down to 387 and by 2016, Apple only had four stolen enclosures,” the report added.
However, more breaches are now happening on Apple’s campuses in California than its factories abroad.Though the company has asked its employees not to talk to anyone including their families about their work, that seems not to work.The leaked recording about a briefing on leaks shows the limitations of Apple’s efforts, the report added.
Delhi Metro commuters will now be able to wear their smart cards on wrists as Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has allowed the use of wrist watches launched by Austrian company LAKS to make payments at the gates.
“These watches, called Watch2Pay, are available through an online e-commerce site. The new facility is expected to provide the commuters a more convenient and fast access to the Delhi Metro network. The commuter will simply have to touch the wrist watch to the screens of the AFC (Automatic Fare Collection) gates at the metro stations to get access,” said a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) statement.
The watch will carry a sim card inside it, which can be removed and reinserted whenever the user wants, like in the case when he or she wishes to change the watch. The sim-equipped watch can be recharged also like any usual metro smart-card over the counter or through recharge card terminals, a DMRC official told IANS. In 2015, the same watch company had joined hands with Hyderabad Metro Rail to facilitate payment of fares.
In 2013 DMRC had come up with an app for Android and iOS. The app was made for commuters to search for the nearest Metro station, fares for their travel to the desired location, information on timings of the first and last train at stations, parking information, travel time for their journey, Metro route information and the Metro map.
Losses from cyber crimes rose 24 percent in 2016 to over $1.33 billion, according to a report by the Federal Bureau of Investigation‘s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
The center, which was set up in 2000 to receive complaints of internet crime, received 300,000 complaints during the year from hacking victims.
Businesses lost $360 million to cyber criminals, who tricked them into wiring money using fraudulent emails that appeared to be from corporate executives and suppliers, according to the report released on Wednesday.
IC3 said it received 2,673 complaints last year from victims of ransomware, with losses totaling over $2.4 million.
In May, the WannaCry ransomware attack infected 300,000 computers in more than 150 countries, disrupting factories, hospitals, shops and schools.
Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts data on infected machines, then typically asks users to pay ransoms in hard-to-trace digital currencies to get an electronic key so they can retrieve their data.
This comes after a report by tech giant IBM said Indian companies could lose Rs 11 crore to data breaches this year, up 12.3 percent from last year. A breach is described as an event where an individual’s name and a medical/financial record is potentially put at risk – either in electronic or paper format.
The official worldwide unveiling of the next flagship from Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus, called as the OnePlus 5, took place on 20 June, 2017 and now it is finally time for the official India launch. The launch is scheduled to take place on 22 June at an event held in Mumbai.
As with all their launches, OnePlus will be having an official live stream taking place on their official YouTube channel after the event kicks-off at 2 PM IST. So if you could not secure an invite, you can still watch it by clicking on the link given below. After the official launch event, the phone will go on sale online, exclusively on Amazon India after 4:30 PM.
The official global price for the OnePlus 5 is $479 for the 6 GB RAM and 64 GB storage variant and $539 for the 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage variant. In India, rumour has it that the price will be set at Rs 32,999 for the 6 GB RAM/64 GB storage variant, and Rs 37,999 for the 8 GB RAM/128 GB storage variant.
The latest flagship from the Chinese company features the top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor clocked at 2.4 GHz. The display is a 5.5-inch screen protected by Gorilla Glass 5. Indeed the highlight of the device is at the back. The OnePlus 5 features a dual camera set up. The primary camera has 20 MP sensor with an aperture of f/2.6 with a second 16 MP sensor sitting right next to it with an f/1.7 aperture. The selfie camera on the front features a 16 MP sensor. The battery is rated at 3,300 mAh, and the device will go on sale in Midnight Black and Slate Gray.
A report from ETNews, a Korean news website, claims that LG is planning to announce the LG V30 at IFA 2017 in Berlin. IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung), one of the largest consumer electronic trade shows in the world, is set to be held from September 1, 2017 to September 6, 2017, in Berlin. As per the report, LG will unveil the V30 smartphone a day before the official opening of IFA 2017. If LG does introduce the device at IFA, this will be the first time the company launches a smartphone at the event.
The report also suggests that LG will hold pre-orders for a period of one to two weeks for the V30 in Korea, and that the device is expected to cost $699 (Rs 45,064 approx).
The LG V30 will be the third device in LG’s V-series of smartphones. While the LG V10, the first in the series, did not make its way to India, its successor, the LG V20 was launched in India last year. The V20 was a redemption device for LG, since the modular LG G5 failed to impress consumers. In fact, LG admitted that the modular approach did not yield the kind of interest they were hoping to spark, and the company has since moved away from the modular philosophy.
Last year’s LG V20 featured a 5.7-inch LCD display with 513 ppi pixel density. It ran on the Snapdragon 820 platform, and featured 4GB of RAM. In the camera department, it featured a 16MP primary camera and an 8MP front camera. In our review of the LG V20, we noted that it is a good phone for audiophiles, or for those who want a removable back and battery. However, the Google Pixel/Pixel XL or iPhone 7 Plus far surpassed the V20 at the time, and were considered better choices.
As far as the LG V30 is concerned, the smartphone will be LG’s next big flagship and is expected to sport an OLED panel. Initial renders also point to a slide-out secondary display
My name is Scott Chow, and I am going to be your guide on this journey to building a successful blog. I have been building blogs and websites since 2002. In that time I have launched several of my own blogs, and helped hundreds of others do the same.
I know that starting a blog can seem overwhelming and intimidating. My free guide was designed just for beginners, and requires only the most basic computer skills. So whether you’re 8 or 88, you can have your blog ready to go in less than 20 minutes.
I am not ashamed to admit that when I was first learning how to build a blog I made a ton of mistakes. You can benefit from more than a decade of my experience so that you don’t repeat these same mistakes. I created this free guide so that anyone can learn how to blog quickly and easily. And if you get stuck at any point, please send me a message and I will do my best to help you!
In short, a blog is a type of website that focuses mainly on written content, also known as blog posts. In popular culture we most often hear about news blogs or celebrity blog sites, but as you’ll see in this guide, you can start a successful blog on just about any topic imaginable.
Bloggers often write from a personal perspective that allows them to connect directly with their readers. In addition, most blogs also have a “comments” section where readers can correspond with the blogger. Interacting with your readers in the comments section helps to further the connection between the blogger and the reader.
This direct connection to the reader is one of the main benefits of starting a blog. This connection allows you to interact and share ideas with other like-minded people. It also allows you to build trust with your readers. Having the trust and loyalty of your readers also opens up the door to making money from your blog, which is something I discuss later in this guide.
Should you start a blog?
One of the misconceptions about starting a blog is that you need to be a great writer to be successful. Nothing could be further from the truth. People read blog sites to get a personal perspective on things, so most bloggers write in a very informal and conversational style.
In addition, you don’t need to be an expert on your topic in order to have a successful blog. For example, readers of a cooking blog don’t want to read a textbook from a food scientist, they want to hear the experiences of someone who has actually cooked some real meals, mistakes and all.
To be successful as a blogger there is really just one requirement: a passion for your topic.
At its heart, blogging is about sharing your knowledge with the world. Choosing a topic that you are passionate about makes the process of starting a successful blog so much easier. Writing about more than one topic is totally fine too. As long as you are writing about things that you are genuinely interested in, your passion will shine through and keep your readers interested.
So why would you go to the trouble of blogging? There are a few reasons:
Make money from home. Blogging can be quite lucrative if done correctly. The top bloggers in the world obviously earn quite a bit, but even a part-time blogger can expect to make a nice profit if things are done correctly. The best part about it is that blogging is a form of passive income, since you can spend just a few hours a week writing a blog post and then continue to make money from it long after the blog post is written. I go into much more detail on how to blog for money later in this guide.
Share your story. A blog allows you to have a voice and be heard. You can share your story with the entire world if you so choose. One of the most common ways blogs are used are as a diary where the blogger writes about their daily experiences so that friends, family, and others can all be a part of their lives.
Recognition for yourself or your business. No, you probably won’t have paparazzi following you around because of your latest blog post. But a successful blog can gain you a ton of recognition in your respective field. Many bloggers are known as experts just because of their blogs, and some have even gotten book and movie deals based on their blogs.
Find a community. Blogging at its heart is interactive. You write a blog post and people comment on it. This is a great way to connect with people who are interested in the same things as you are. Blogging allows you to teach these people based on your experience, and it gives you the opportunity to learn from your readers as well.
The good news is that the internet is exploding with growth right now. More people than ever are online. This explosion in growth means more potential readers for your blog. In short, if you are thinking about starting a blog then there is no better time than right now.
How to Start a Blog in 6 Steps
Learn how to create a blog in about 20 minutes following these steps:
Pick a blog name
Get your blog online
Customize your blog
Write & publish your first post!
Promote your blog
Make money blogging
Step 1: Pick a blog name
The first step to finding a good blog name is choosing your topic.
If you’re not sure what to blog about, there are a few ways to find a good blog topic:
Hobbies & passions. Hobbies or other interests you are passionate about are a great place to start. Cooking, travel, fashion, sports, and cars are all classic examples. But even blogs about more obscure hobbies can be successful, since the your audience is literally anyone in the world with the internet.
Life experiences. Everyone has lessons they have learned through life experience. Sharing this knowledge can be incredibly helpful to others in similar situations. For example, I recently helped a woman start her blog about being a fireman’s wife. She has a lot of experience and knowledge to share with others about this topic, and it has helped her connect with others in similar situations.
Think about the things you have experienced in life. This could be related to your family (example: a blog about being a stay at home mom), work (a blog about experiences dealing with clients), or other life experiences (a blog about dealing with a troubling time such as a disease or divorce, or about a happy time such as preparing for a wedding or a birth of a child).
A personal blog. A personal blog is a blog all about you. This will include a variety of topics, from things you do on a daily basis, to random thoughts and musings. This is a great way to share you thoughts with the world without having to stick to just one topic.
Once you have a topic it’s time to choose your blog name.
A good blog name should be descriptive so that potential readers can instantly tell what your blog is about just from the name.
If you are blogging about one specific topic then you will definitely want to include that in some way in your blog name. Try not to get hung-up on just one word though. For example, a cooking blog doesn’t necessarily have to have the word “cooking” in it. The words “food”, “recipes”, and “meals” would also let people know that your blog is about cooking.
If you are planning to create a personal blog where you discuss a variety of topics then I recommend using your name, or some variation of it, since your blog is all about you. For example, I own the blog scottchow.com. You can also add your middle name or middle initial if you find your name is already taken. Or you could use a variation like “Scott Chow Blog” or “Blogging with Scott”.
Once you have some blog name ideas you will need to choose a domain extension. A .com domain extension is the most preferred, but .net or .org work as well. It is also important to note that for the purposes of a blog domain you cannot have any spaces between words. So “Blogging with Scott” becomes bloggingwithscott.com
Now that you’ve got your name and have picked an extension it’s time to make sure that no one else has already registered the same name:
See if your blog name is available
Note: You cannot use any spaces or punctuation other than dashes in a domain name.
If you find that the name you wanted is already taken there are a few things you can do:
Try a different domain extension. If the .com version is already registered you may still be able to get the .net or .org version of your blog name.
Add small words. Words like “a”, “my”, or “the”. For example, this site is called TheBlogStarter.com instead of BlogStarter.com.
Add dashes between words. For example, scott-chow.com
Step 2: Get your blog online
Now that you’ve got a name picked out it’s time to get your blog online. This might sound hard or technical, but the steps below will walk you right through and make the process easy.
To get your blog up and running you need two things: blog hosting and blogging software. The good news is that these typically come packaged together.
A blog host is a company that stores all of the files for your blog and delivers them to the user when they type in your blog name. You must have a blog host in order to have a blog.
You also need to have the software to build your blog. In this guide I will be showing you how to build a blog using the WordPress blogging software, because it is the most popular, customizable, and easiest to use.
The blog host I recommend, and the one I show you how to use in this guide, is BlueHost. I personally use BlueHost and I recommend them for all new bloggers because:
They will register your blog name for you for free, making sure no one else can take it.
They offer a free, simple installation of the WordPress blogging software (which I show you how to use in this guide).
They have been recommended by WordPress since 2005 and currently host over 2 million blogs and websites.
They have helpful 24/7 customer service via phone or web chat.
They have a money-back guarantee if you are unsatisfied for any reason.
Use any BlueHost link on this site to make sure you get the special discount price of $2.75 per month. BlueHost compensates me when you purchase through my link, so my services are free of charge to you! In fact, if you have any trouble at all setting-up your blog with this tutorial, just contact me and I will do it for you.
2. Select your plan. I recommend that new bloggers get the basic plan. Click “Select” to choose your plan.
3. Type in your domain name in the left box and then click “next” to start the registration process.
If you already own a domain name and want to use it for your blog, type your existing domain in the right box and then click “next”. Only use the right box if you have previously paid to register a domain!
4. Fill out your billing details on the registration page.
5. You will also need to choose your hosting package and options.
The 36 month package gets you the lowest monthly rate, while the 12 month package has a lower up-front cost. Either is a good choice.
I uncheck the boxes next to the other products when I sign-up. You can always get these products later if you decide you need them.
6. You will then need to create a password for your account. Once you do that your blog software will be automatically installed. Click “Log Into WordPress” to be taken to your blog.
You should also receive an email with your blog log-in details. (NOTE: The login details for your blog will be different than for your BlueHost account.)
To start with, you will need to login to your blog. Go to http://www.yourblog.com/wp-admin to bring up the login screen (replace “yourblog.com” with your domain name). If you are unsure of your login name or password, check the email that was sent to you from BlueHost that has this information.
Changing your blog design
Once you login you will be in the WordPress administrator area. This is where you can make any changes you want to your blog.
Everyone has a different idea of how they want their blog to look. One of the great things about a WordPress blog is that you can change your entire layout and design with just a few clicks.
In WordPress, blog layouts are known as “Themes”. What is a blog theme? Themes control the entire design of your blog. To change your theme you are going to click on the “Appearance” tab on the left menu.
You will see several themes are already installed on your blog: Twenty Seventeen, Twenty Sixteen, etc. These are well-designed, clean-looking themes that can work for just about any type of blog. In fact, many of the world’s top bloggers use one of these themes.
Unless you have a very specific design in mind for your blog, I suggest you use one of these themes to start with. For our example, let’s use the “Twenty Twelve” theme. In order to activate the theme on your blog, hover over the theme and click the “Activate” button. That’s it! You have changed the entire design of your blog with just one click!
If you don’t like any of the themes that are already installed you can easily choose from thousands of other free themes. To install a new theme, click on the “Appearance” tab on the left menu and then click “Add New”.
This is the theme search screen. By clicking the “Feature Filter” you can search by color, layout, and more. Check the boxes that you want and then click “Apply Filters”.
Now you can browse the themes that have the characteristics that you want. When you find one that you like click the blue “Install” button.
Once the theme is installed click “Activate” to activate the theme on your blog. To see your new theme in action, go to your blog and take a look!
Changing your theme is the simplest way to customize your blog, but there are lots of of other customizations you can do. Check out my full post on customizing your blog for an in-depth step-by-step guide. You can also watch the video at the end of this guide to see me completely customize a blog from scratch.
Step 4: Write & publish your first post!
Now that your blog is up and running it’s time to actually do some blogging!
Go to the left menu and click on “Posts”.
You will see there is already a post there. This is a default post on every new WordPress blog, and we don’t need it. To delete it click “Trash” just under the post.
To begin writing a new post, click the “Add New” link.
You are now on the post editor screen. Enter the title of your post in the top box and then begin writing your post in the lower box.
If you would like to add a picture to your post, click on the “Add Media” button and click “Select Files” to upload a picture from your computer. You can make adjustments to the picture size on the next screen. When you are ready click “Insert into post” to add the picture.
Once you have finished your post just click the “Publish” button on the right side of the screen to publish it.
Publishing Your Blog
Even after you have written a post your blog may still be showing a “Coming Soon” page.
When you are ready to make your blog public just click the link near the top to remove the “Coming Soon” page.
Congratulations! You now know how to publish content on your blog!
Step 5: Promote your blog
Creating a well-designed blog and writing great content is just the start. In order to get readers for your blog you will need spend some time promoting it, especially when you first start.
One of my favorite ways to get readers to my blog is to post links on my social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter. This is great, because not only do your friends see the link, but if your friends share the link with their friends it automatically multiplies your readers. If you have created high-quality content on your blog then social media is a great way for your blog to go viral.
In addition to getting new readers to your blog, you will also want to make sure your current readers are coming back. This is where email marketing plays a big role. By collecting the email addresses of your visitors (with their permission of course), you can then notify them when you post something new on your blog. This keeps people coming back to your blog, which not only gives you more readers over time, it also allows you to build a closer relationship with your readers.
Email marketing is too big a topic to cover well here, so I created a separate guide to email marketing for those who are interested (hint: every blogger who wants more readers needs to read this guide).
Once you have put in the effort of creating great blog content and promoting your blog, making money from your blog is actually the easy part.
There are several ways you can make money blogging, from selling your own products or services, to getting paid to write reviews of products on your blog. But the easiest way to make money from your blog is to sell advertising space.
Once you have a popular blog, advertisers will be hounding you for the opportunity to advertise. The best way to take advantage of this situation is to use Google Adsense. They find the advertisers for you and all you have to do is place the Google Adsense code on your blog to start running ads. Google Adsense takes all of the hard work out of the process and just cuts you a check.
I go into the full details of how to set up Google Adsense for your blog here. For more information on making money from your blog see my full guide here.
Need more help?
I hope this guide has answered any questions you had on how to start a blog, but if any of the steps were unclear to you, you can find a more detailed version of each step by using the menu at the top right of this page (or at the bottom of this page if you’re on a smartphone).
How do I start a blog? You can watch me build and customize a beautiful blog from scratch here:
The video above should answer a lot of questions you might have about getting your blog set up and customized, but more specific tutorials can be found on my blog page. Here are some of the most popular tutorials from my blog:
How to add custom logos or images
How to get readers to subscribe to your blog
How to see how many people are visiting your blog
How to automatically share your new blog posts on Facebook and Twitter
How to link to other sites from your blog
How to change text size and color
How to make your blog private
Contact me if you have any issues at all and I will personally respond to your email. The step-by-step guide on this site should give you everything you need to get started, but if you run into some issues, or just want some personalized advice, please do not hesitate to contact me at any time. Blogging is my passion, and I would love to talk with you about it!
