How to start your own blog or weblog (part 2)

Last time I wrote about how I got started into blogging. On this post I’ll tell you two things that you’ll need before you can start your own blog. If you decided on starting your own blog you’ll need to constantly use two things — a computer and an Internet connection.

Let’s start off with the Internet connection. If you’re reading this, then you already have an Internet connection. But the connection you are using may not be your own. Obviously you’ll need to have a regular access to the Internet if you really want to post articles regularly on your blog. Regular Internet access can come in several ways. One way is if you have access to an Internet cafe, the cost is usually in terms of the hours you have to spend online. In the Philippines the hourly cost of Internet access can range between 20-40 pesos.

Another way is to get your own broadband connection right from your home. Nowadays, a 384kbps broadband connection to the Internet in the Philippines cost about 1000 pesos (give or take). Checkout what’s available in your part of the world and try to compare the features. In other areas which also includes the Philippines, broadband connection can be in wireless form. Also, it’s becoming more and more possible to get a data plan from your local mobile phone provider so you may want to also consider this.

Some words about current 3G and 3.5G mobile phone technology that you need to know. Although they are great for surfing and downloading, uploading can be such a pain since the current maximum speed is at 64Kbps which maybe a bit too slow if you will be upload video and photos to your blog site. Also try to take a look at the fine print, some service providers have different plans and you wouldn’t want to end up getting a $85,000 mobile phone bill like this Canadian worker.

Try to pin down on how much time you need to spend on the Internet to be able to get the most cost effective way to connect. In considering the number of hours, you need to factor in the time you need to read other sites and interact with other bloggers in addition to the time you need to write on your own blog.

Access to a computer is the other thing you would need on a regular basis. One good thing about Internet cafes is that at a 20-40 pesos per hour, you get instant Internet access. You don’t have to worry about computer and connection maintenance costs not to mention electricity costs. If one of your reasons for starting a blog is to earn some money, you’ll soon find out that it’s better to get your own Internet connection and computer if you’re really serious about it.

A decent computer can cost about 15,000 pesos (around USD $400). If you want to be mobile you may want to consider the Asus Eee PC which is about the same cost but offers a lot of mobility because of it’s size.

If you’re considering to make money out of your blog and you plan to spend at least 3 hours each day on your blogging, here’s how the cost adds up:

Renting at an Internet cafe (at 20 - 40 pesos per hour): 3 hours/day x 30 days x rental cost/hour = between 1,800 - 3,600 pesos / month

So at 3 hours a day you may want to consider getting your own computer and internet connection since it will be more economical if you consider the cost from the annual point of view. If you’re planning to spend less than 3 hours a day on your blogging, it may still be more economical to just use an Internet cafe.

It doesn’t hurt to do a little of planning and math to get the most out of the money you intend to spend on blogging. Planning will save you some money that you can use later when you start to consider where you would want to put your blog. Next time, I’ll write about the things to consider in getting your blog site up and running. For now try to think about how you plan to access your blogging — would it make sense to get your own connection and computer or just go to an Internet cafe to rent?