The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging

by The Huffington Post

back cover looks bent other then that book is readable in good condition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing, Business, Reference, Journalism, Technology, Computers

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 27, 2008

Reviews

[Ruben (BooksVlogs) Arauz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo comencé a leer porque tenía mucha curiosidad, no estaría en mi librero por el gusto🤷🏽‍♂️😂, y me he llevado más de lo que jamás espere, me llevó experiencias, ejemplos, y una clara perspectiva de lo que es Periodismo digital, sin duda es un libro para personas que están interesados en el medio informativo más que criticó o creativo, tiene puntos de vistas diferentes pero a la vez no tanto, y creo que es por el simple y notable hecho de que todos escriben y editan para el mismos medió, por lo cual tienen casi la misma línea.

[Sylvia Swann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can you say thorough? Hard to imagine anyone presenting a more complete overview of blogging. You go HuffPo!

[Tim Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this, I really did.

The problem is that only about 25% of the book could really and truly be considered a "guide." And that portion is severely outdated (it lists Myspace as a place to host your blog). The remaining 75% are just sample posts from the Huff Post. I mean, that's fine, if you're using a few to illustrate certain points. But to make it most of the book?

I guess what I am trying to say is that it needs to be updated and could be a little more comprehensive.

[Rachel McCready-Flora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly, I skimmed this how-to on blogging all in one day, but I took notes to help develop my own blog, so I don't feel so terrible. The book does have good advice for starting a blog, including the pros and cons of several servers you can set up with (I'm on blogger.com myself), for choosing content, and how to get yourself out there and hopefully, become a success.

The main suggestions that, in retrospect seem really simple, but are actually helpful are as follows:
- Have a central theme for your blog, something you're passionate about
- Have a simple and memorable name, same with posts
- Post often and respond to your readers' comments
- Get involved in the blogging community and get involved in conversations with like-minded blogs.

If you're interested in the Huffington Post, this lovely primer has lots of fun history and facts, and quotes from major celebrities in the blogging sphere. What's not to love?

Personally, I'm still trying to find my niche, but I'm trying to develop it a little and hope to have readers besides my husband and the occasional visit from my mom. We all can dream...

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat helpful. The best part for me were "best of" blogs at the end. Gave me a real feel for what to look for in this new medium. New to me, that is.

[Umut · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book quite useful since I know so little about blogging. It's definitely a beginner's guide. Only thing is they wrote so much about political bloggi. I wish it was a bit broader.

[Sloane Marlowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from my local library with fairly low expectations due to its age (2008 copyright), but was pleasantly surprised by its relevance. Tech moves forward quickly, and it seems that any book about the Internet, especially, is outdated by the time the ink dries on the paper. While some things in the book may be a bit dated, the core ideas behind blogging and blogging strategy shared in this volume have changed little if at all. Most importantly, a key takeaway message--your goal for your blog does not need to be thousands of followers, it is what you want it to be for you and your readers, whoever they may be--resounded with me.

Admittedly, I borrowed the book for blogging insight and, frankly, inspiration, not for its Huffington Post affiliation; however, if you are interested in the Huffington Post origin story, you will find the information here pertinent and interesting.

[Ruben Yube Amadeus-Amata Herrera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo comencé a leer porque tenía mucha curiosidad, no estaría en mi librero por el gusto🤷🏽‍♂️😂, y me he llevado más de lo que jamás espere, me llevó experiencias, ejemplos, y una clara perspectiva de lo que es Periodismo digital, sin duda es un libro para personas que están interesados en el medio informativo más que criticó o creativo, tiene puntos de vistas diferentes pero a la vez no tanto, y creo que es por el simple y notable hecho de que todos escriben y editan para el mismos medió, por lo cual tienen casi la misma línea.

[John Wanga · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, I was seriously disappointed. I thought I was gonna read some legit stuff but this book was seriously not what I was looking for. I bet the problem is that it's outdated and most of the information it has on blogging is kinda old & archaic. Wouldn't recommend it for a future read going to 2030 and beyond unless you're still stuck in 2008. And if you are then am really sorry, I can't help you get out of that time loop. I would rather stick with the recent "For Dummies" on the same subject.

[Jean MacLeod · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was more about The Huffington Post, which I enjoyed — always satisfying to read good writing. And it's good to get different perspectives on a subject. From the satisfaction aspect, I give it four stars.

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit dated, but reviews a lot of the major tips for online, short-form journalism (blogging).

Some tips: write about things you love, draw from your passions, establish credibility, post often, link to other experts and topical resources.

[Canadian Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little outdated now in 2017 but a great starting point for anyone considering blogging. Great resources and links are provided in the back of the book.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half was interesting, second half was all about how wonderful it is to be a Huffington Post Blogger. That's all fine, but not the information I was looking for.

[Ria F · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was the first of the three I requested from my library to arrive. I really wasn't that thrilled with it. If you have a concept for a blog with a single focus, it would probably be an awesome book, but my blog is more like a blog magazine with different weekly sections than a focused on one thing blog book.

The book is split into three parts. The first part is the "How-to" part of the book. How to start a blog, how to find a server to host your blog on, why the ability to immediately react to something going on in the world or your life is advantageous, how to write in a more conversational mode rather than a more edited "newspaper" mode. These chapters were helpful. Then the section goes on to how to narrow down the focus of the blog, how to be seen as an expert at something within the blogosphere, how to expand your readership, get more followers, get more links back to your blog, getting other bloggers to link to your site and/or guest blog on your site, how to get up higher on the search engines results page. These sections were not that helpful, because becoming an internet expert on something or having thousands of followers isn't really my personal goal in blogging, if it is yours read these sections. The last chapter of this part is about building a community. I kind of already know who mine will be. Mostly either A. People I know. B. People I "know" online from Ravelry or Twitter. C. People who the last two groups know and are linked over here for a post or as a suggestion to read. D. People who accidentally stumble on here and either leave or stay. ( I do actually have some good virtual friends - and their pets because of interactions when I first started blogging) The part I found helpful here was using the comments sections to have conversations - by replying to comments (which I rarely did before) and actual conversation can occur and be joined by whoever else reads the posts and comments.

The second part is called "The Blog Revolution is Here!! Be a Part of It. This is basically an excuse for the writers and founders of The Huffington Post to give themselves huge kudos and pats on the back, and kiss Arianna Huffington's well connected ass. I'm not taking away the fact that the HuffPost did revolutionize the way a lot of people, myself included keep up with current events, form opinions and learn about breaking news. They did totally, in my opinion force mainstream media to create more useful web presences as well. However the syrupy nauseating, blatant "Yay us!" tone in this section was a real turn off. If you are looking for lessons in ass-kissing for whatever reason, (well if you are the type of person who is - you probably aren't the kind of person reading my blog) this is the section to read. With some Bush hating thrown in ( although this I pretty much expected from anything written by the HuffPost- I've learned to take that with a huge chunk of salt) and some celebrity guest comments.

The final part is the resource section. The Huffington Post's blogroll- granted the book came out 6 years ago - but you've either heard of these blogs and follow or look at them or you don't, maybe 6 years ago they were good suggestions. A glossary of blogging terms - if you are going to blog, you probably have a computer and can Google these terms if need be faster than flipping to a glossary which is 2 pages long 45 pages from the actual end of the book. A Website Resource list - also somewhat outdated (MySpace anyone?) And the "Best of" several of what they consider the best posts from their site.

I think I actually read the whole book so I could list it as finished on Goodreads and count it toward my 2015 Reading challenge.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great Starting Book for a Novice—Nothing More, Nothing Less

Hi there! So you’ve been wanting to learn about blogs, blogging, and the blogosphere all along. Great, why not learn from the professionals?

The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging by the editors of the Huffington Post is a well written, easy-to-read, and professional take on a fairly new medium that is changing the landscape of journalism and media with its immediacy and informality. This medium is known as the blog (surprise, surprise, I know).

I agree with previous reviewers such as Chicago Book Addict that this is not the “bible” of blogging. As such, it is by no means a complete guide. This book is, however, a thorough start for the novices, guaranteed to get them up-to-speed with the history and basics of blogs.

Certainly, this is also to say that if you are a seasoned blogger looking for ways to enhance your blog by increasing traffic or otherwise improve on it, this is not the best book for you. You can better spend your precious time and hard-earned money elsewhere, looking for better solutions to suit your purposes.

I give this book a generous 3 stars. Here’s why:

Although this book does offer great inspiration for getting started (Chapter 2) and timeless advice on finding your voice (Chapter 4), it is hard for an average Joe or Jane to imagine how he/she too can reach the critical mass and success commensurate with that of HuffPost.

I have to admit that this book got me very hyped up about blogs and blogging in general. But in the midst of such excitement and amazement, I couldn’t help but think to myself that maybe HuffPost would not have become what it is today if it weren’t for the personal connections—the huge rolodexes—of its founders: Kenneth Lerer and Arianna Huffington.

As I ponder about it, it becomes more apparent that scattered throughout the entire book are subliminal attempts at advertising the Huffington Post to readers. As two instances, take Chapter 6 (A Blog is Born: A Brief History of the Huffington Post and Its Impact) and Chapter 7 (How the Blogosphere is Remaking the Media). As the last two chapters to end the book, they are oddly placed. Which leads me to conclude that they are useless and therefore unnecessary for both novices and professionals. I would even go one step further to argue that they are deliberate, final attempts at shameless self-promotion. And in a book dubbed as “the complete guide to blogging,” this is a deceptive stratagem and false advertising.

A related point that arises from the environmentally-conscious part of me is that the book can not only be 2 inches smaller in size as pointed out by Furry Girl on Amazon.com but it can also be at least 50 pages shorter.

It now comes as no surprise that this book places HuffPost on the pedestal as the champion of the new hybrid media—as the almighty “bridge” between the Old Media and the New. It is quick to point out the errors committed by traditional news reporting agencies such as The New York Times. As I think back, what I get is a HuffPost that is infallible. At least, this is what the writers of this book sought to paint in my mind anyway. Nice try!

Lastly, please don’t let these somewhat pessimistic analyses/afterthoughts/criticisms affect your goal in creating a blog. Just be careful and really critical of what you read (including this review). Think for yourself. See for yourself. With this in mind, I wish you the best in all your blogging endeavors. Happy learning and happy blogging!

[Stephanie Griffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Huffington Post has been online since May 2005, so they should know what makes a good blog. Their 2008 book, The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging, is a great resource for beginning bloggers. I’ve read the HuffPost from time to time and have found their guest bloggers to be very knowledgeable. (I also appreciate and put a high value on writers who can spell and use grammar correctly. Some of the writing on the internet just makes me cringe!) The information in this book doesn’t feel dated; its still relevant.
Since I’ve already put together a blog that I like, the next steps for me were found in Chapters 3-5; Getting Noticed, Finding Your Voice, and Community: Creating and Building It. I especially like their “Huffington Post Rules for Great Blogging,” eight rules I’m going to refer to often.
Just about all of their top bloggers contributed to sharing advice, from Harry Shearer to Jamie Lee Curtis to Gary Hart. The information confirmed what I’d been thinking might work but wasn’t really sure if I was right.
I’ve not gotten too far into my blogging – the site has been up since January 2012 – and I found that a lot of the information here rings true for a beginning blogger, so I would highly recommend this for anyone considering starting a blog.

You can find my book blog at: http://realbooks4ever.tumblr.com/

[Kim Olson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't let the title of this book fool you like it did me. While HuffPo has become one of the most trafficked sites on the Web, you'll find very few clues as to why in this volume.

The book's primary purpose seems to be making a case for blogging, so you'll have to endure pages and pages of giddy enthusiasm about the joys of blogging. Then, once in a great while, a little nugget of useful information will pop up, like a bright flower on the surface of the moon. If you've blogged at all--or even read blogs--you'll likely find very few specific tips and strategies here. This book seems targeted more to someone who's just discovered the Internet and wants to find out what this crazy blogging business is all about.

The chapter on building community around your blog is probably one of the more helpful. There's also a great resource guide at the end of the book, with a list of blogs to check out (although this is really just HuffPo's own blogroll, so they're heavily weighted toward politics and popular culture).

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Depending on your needs, this book can range from 3 to4 stars. As it was written in 2008, much of the technical aspects have already changed. So, the technical isn't so great. The information on starting a blog, thinking about your readership, and networking are all excellent if you don't have a background in these areas. If you are not writing a political or general news blog, much of the information in this text is not useful. As a matter of fact, I just skimmed the last section of the book, as it wasn't useful to me. So, I really only enjoyed chapters 1-5. Chapter 6 is: ...a brief history of the Huffington Post and its Impact (good for a high school or college student writing a term paper about blogs?). Chapter 7 is: How the Blogosphere is Remaking the Media. Also note that while the cover of the book touts all of these famous writers /celebrities, most of them are limited to 1-2 pages of either a story or some sort of short advice.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me so long to finish reading this book because it was an informative book and I annotated it along the way. It put it on the shelf multiple times, months at a time, but that's not because it was a bad book, it was because when I read it I wanted to be able to concentrate on everything I was reading. As someone considering starting to blog, this book was helpful as far as resources, examples, and facts. I wish that there was more advice for those who plan on blogging for fun because the book focused on the professional aspect of blogging, covering dense topics, and how to acquire a job or widespread recognition. I especially enjoyed the personal recollections and stories about blogging such as the topics certain individuals wrote about as well as the public’s reaction to others opinions and thoughts about these topics. If I choose blogging as an extracurricular activity, I plan on studying the annotations I made in the book and other helpful information.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a random pickup at the library to support my (yet unlaunched) personal branding campaign. While the book focuses on political blogging - and liberal politics at that - there is some great information on blogging in general and in addition to the basics you'd get in any primer, it also speaks to important topics such as writing under your own name (a bit of a no brainer for my personal branding efforts) and fair use and copyright. I particularly enjoyed the chapter entitled "Finding your Voice" as it gives some basic blogging pointers on the part that is giving me the most trouble ... actually writing the blogs. I also found the discussion about the future of news to be thought-provoking, although I have been hearing the same thing for a few years (in it's defense, the book is printed in 2008). Worth the read.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are thinking of beginning a blog, or have one that is idling in the abyss of the www, this book is 4 stars. Great advice on content, but don't expect to have your technical questions answered.

This is a good general read for HuffPost fans. It includes the story of how the blog started from the beginning. Ariana has an amazing address book, and she used it to all good use when starting The Huffington Post. The book includes pieces of blogs from Nora Ephron, Larry David, Alec Baldwin, Erica Jong and Al Franken, to name a few. The book also includes thoughts on traditional journalism and new journalism and how the world might integrate the two. It offers great insight to how the internet has made citizen journalism and important part of our world.

This is a thoroughly entertaining book, even if you don't care to blog.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really pushes the lower limits of a 3-star rating, but as I can ultimately see myself coming back to consult it later, I figured that rating was the most fitting. Honestly, a lot of this book read as an attempt to puff up HuffPo's reputation and ego and less as a guide to best practices. The best practices are in there, and they're OK for the most part, but I felt like there was a huge gap between the levels of advice they were giving. Like on one page, I would read some advice and say, "Yeah, I already know how to do that," and then I'd look at the next and go, "OK, I'm months or years away from being able to use that advice at best." But there was sort of gap for the middling reader who knows how to actually make a blog but not really the next steps. Maybe that's just me though.

[Donald · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are actually two books in this volume. One is a guide to how to go about getting started in blogging on the web; the other is a history of the Huffington Post. For the first part, it's an okay guide, if a bit on the obvious side (if you have to read a book about how to blog, you probably shouldn't be blogging . . .). The second book is a self-righteous, self-congratulating liberal diatribe about how great the Huffington Post is. If the "Best of HuffPost" section actually reflects the quality of posts, there is absolutly no reason to be reading this rag. Even though the co-founders state in their introductions that the HuffPost is not politically-slanted or tries to give balanced views, the overwhelming liberal views show us just what this blog is.

[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite possibly the best informative and detail description explaining everything about blogging. From the conception, through to todays ideas and needs of anyone who wants to be a blogger.

The entire book provides detailed information and opinion from noted authors, celebrities and current bloggers.
The Book provides a detailed list of current blogging sites that are famous in their own right.

If anyone is interested in wanting to become blogger or want to now the details of the blogging world, this is the quite literally the best novel for such knowledge.

As a current active blogger, this book along with the Wordpress sites Blogging University, I know I will continue blogging for ever.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Huffington Post is a very well known site, and that immediately gave me hope that the information provided in this book would be helpful.

There were plenty of nuggets I was able to take away from this. There were numerous bloggers quoted in the book, all of which gave some little tidbit that was worth thinking about.

At the same time, there were areas I skipped - the whole section on HuffPost's history, for example. I would have enjoyed the book more had that section been smaller or taken out completely and replaced with more tips and information.

Overall, a good book for the beginning blogger, and not bad for someone who already blogs and wants to see if there's anything they can do to improve their skills, increase their readership or just shake things up.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book so far, not learning a whole lot new personally, but it's got some great stories and has spurred a few different ideas and thoughts regarding blog writing methods. It's more of a skill strengthening title for me.

I would however highly recommend it to ANYONE either completely new to blogging or just trying to take it to the next level.

It's also a pretty funny book with a lot of GREAT stories from Huffington Post bloggers. One other nice thing is that it's a great case study for anyone looking to use blogging or new media techniques to promote a cause, business, or entrepreneurial endeavor.

See www.562citylife.com for an example of all three! :)

[miteypen · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, I haven't completely finished this book. I lost interest at the end which is just a bunch of posts from The Huffington Post blog. If you're interested in THP, then by all means get this book. But if you're trying to find out how to get started in blogging, there isn't all that much in here. Still, it's a fast read (even though it took me a few days--I kept reading other, more interesting books, at the same time) and does give the would-be blogger some good tips on how to write blogs, what to expect from them, what to be watch out for. Just don't expect to learn how you, too, can become a Huffington Post blogger.

[Sonya Feher]

Part I on "The Nuts and Bolts of Blogging" is worth a read if you are trying to figure out if you should start a blog or if you're already writing one but want to know something as simple as whether you should use your real name or make up some catchy blog title or more advanced like how to get your blog out to readers and keep them coming back.

If you can get past the blatant self-congratulation and the masturbatory attention to The Huffington Post including all of the Huffpost blogger sidebars, you can truly find some helpful information for starting, building and promoting your own blog.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book offers some good advice about creating a sophisticated blog. However, the creators of the Huffington Post blogs are EXTREMELY left wing and there is plenty of political commentary and self congratulations on how terrific they all are for creating the Huffington Post. There are other books out there about creating a sophisticated blog, without all the chatter. If you are interested in reading about blogging by political junkies, take a look at this one. If you want to learn just about blogging, get something else.

[Billye · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned a lot from reading the Huffington Post's Complete Guide to Blogging. It is very inspiring because it demonstrates how people of all walks of life can collaborate and create new ways of communicating and reporting news and all types of events. I am also frustrated by it because the actual how-to information is very sparse and because it (predictably) is very political and self-serving.

Overall, it is a very good introduction to blogging that I would recommend to anyone who would not be disturbed by its political bias.