How to set up your own blog on the Internet
It's estimated that there are now more than 900,000 blogs in the UK and 36 million worldwide. Blogs (or weblogs) are frequently updated online journals that can be read by anyone with access to the Internet - and can be invaluable sources of information on life abroad, as Keris Stainton explains.
Don’t be intimidated by the idea of a blog. It takes less than five minutes to set one up and very little computer knowledge is required. Basically, if you can send an e-mail then you can set up a blog. There are blogs covering every subject imaginable and they are a great way to share the experience of a new life abroad. There are also plenty of expat blogs that can give a warts-and-all insight into the emigration experience. A good place to find blogs to read is www.expat-blog.com, which includes a directory (listed by country of origin and residence) of 1,000 blogs.
Andrew moved to Spain last year. He blogs at www.andaluciadiary.com. “I find reading blogs much more interesting and entertaining – and often more honest – than standard websites. They really can give you an insight on a very intimate, human level,” he says. “Moving abroad can be a real challenge and it’s good to read about how other people are coping with things.”
Chris Dolley, who emigrated to France in 1995 and blogs at chrisdolley.livejournal.com, agrees. “Blogs can be a good source of advice. Problems don’t stop the moment you’ve bought your house, and if you have language problems then the chance to swap life stories with a fellow Brit is invaluable.”
Some expat bloggers use their experiences to create an emigration reference tool for others. After moving from the UK to Canada last year, Hilary Stokes created the www.truecanada.ca site, which combines concrete advice with information on what life is like in Canada from a newcomer’s perspective. Hilary believes that proper research is crucial to a successful emigration: “Blogs can be very useful in terms of getting a flavour of the reality of everyday life in a different country.
“Wherever you go, nothing will be perfect, and you need to be aware of the negatives as well as the positives. Hopefully, my site will assist with that, and also make people realise that they can do things for themselves – they don’t necessarily have to hire expensive consultants and relocation agents.”
Blogs are not just for research – setting up your own blog is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends back home. “It’s like a ‘round robin’ for the Internet age,” Andrew says. “Instead of constructing newsy e-mails, I just give my web page address and people can dip in and out when they want.”
If you don’t like the idea of millions of people reading your private information online then you limit access to your blog. You can mark your blog as ‘private’ and give the address only to those you want to read it. Some blog hosts also provide the option of password-protecting your site.
New blogs – including blogs for expats – are being created all the time. Easy Expat (easyexpat.blogexpat.com/blog/blogs) offers blog hosting as well as recommending other blogs and giving visitors the chance to chat via e-mail or message board facilities. You can register your own blog or browse a variety of different subject categories for a link to a blog you might be interested in.
Starting – or even researching – a new life abroad is an enormous undertaking and you can never know too much about what may lie ahead. Blogs offer excellent opportunities for those planning, or embarking on, a new life abroad, and are an area of research and information that should not be missed. So, don’t delay – get blogging!
How to set up your own blog:
1. Choose a blog host. The
most popular is www.blogger.com, but a Google search will find many more.
2.
Register your details (usually just name and e-mail address) and provide a
password.
3. Give your blog a title (this can be altered later, if you want)
and decide whether you want it to be private or public.
4. Choose a template
for how your blog will look (this can also be changed later).
5. The blog is
on – now start writing!
