We all have to start from some where. The decisions we make at the start as a newbie may have a huge influence on the final out come.

For most of us getting our toe into the water is the easy part. Making the decision to dive in and swim is another. We could be afraid because we do not know how to swim or may feel that the water is too crowded?
If you want to learn to swim, getting in the shallow end would be best to gain confidence. A few people once in the water decide that this is not for them and never swim again, others just love it and have great fun enjoying the experience. A swimmer may find a certain style that they are good at, they focus on that discipline to go on to be Olympic super stars and win gold. No one for sure knows how it will all pan out, surffice to say all the champions  work and train very hard perfecting and honing their skills. They need persistence, dedication, determination and resolve to do well.

For the blogger signing up to Google Blogger for a free Blogger.com or a WordPress.com blog would be an easy learning to swim way of starting. The instructions are very simple to follow and in no time you could be on your way blogging. This is where you learn by trying different styles to see what suits you best. Remember the true saying “Incorrect action is better than no action to find your style”.
To become a blogging super star though, this is not the pool to be swimming in, so do not stay too long here.

These “newbie” free sites are definitely the easy way to learn but do have many draw backs for the long term blogger. 
1. The site does not belong to you so would be difficult to sell at a later stage.
2. You have little control and if the site closed down, all the hard work put into your blog could be lost.
3. It takes time to build your blog name, to make it something special but it will still look amateurish.
4. Your hosts may want to put advertising on your site and capitalise on your hard work.

In the long run and if you want to be a serious blogger the best advice would be to decide on your blogging topic, think carefully about a short catchy domain name and register it for your self.                                    

1. This name becomes your personal possession.
2. You will have complete control over everything from choosing your web host, developing the site, adding advertising and content, right through to selling it if you want. Just look what the name Google means today.
3. Having your own domain name will also give a feel of professionalism to your blog.

To help you set up your own blog, a membership site I recommend is the one that helped me get this one going. Your first months membership cost I think is $1. Try it out and see how easy it is to follow from step by simple step video instruction. If you do not like what you see- cancel your subscription.                         

If you are any thing like my there is so much to learn you will get stuck in to never look back at your amateur blog status. Newbie List Building Club.

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” ~Winston Churchill

Incorrect action is better than no action. Take heart.

**Christina Saunders**