  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 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!
Good introduction but not the Bible on blogging
There's a lot of good information and a few inspiring stories but this is mostly a book about The Huffington Post. What the book lacks in information it more than makes up for in inspiration; if it doesn't get you to at least set up an blog account somewhere than nothing will.
Not a lot here you can't find for free online but it's all in one place. It anylizes different blog hosting sites, gives tips on how you can potentially make money from your blog but never breaks down the business model for blogging. Felt like someone was giving me their grandmother's chocolate cake recipe but left out the secret ingredient.
My biggest complaint is purely personal. I don't like biased media whether its Liberal or Conservative. I realize the need for an antidote to Fox News but it doesn't matter what side of the fence you sit on, the more you shove your message down my throat the more it sounds like righteousness.
Some great examples of blog posts, although they are disproportionately Ariana's. And though there are many "best case scenarios" of blogging, most are about established journalists and celebrites who come to the table with a reputation.
Would love to see a book that teaches about blogging for the average Joe that doesn't feed media conglomerates free content.
Great purchase!
I managed to snag this book for less than a dollar, plus shipping. I needed it for a class and it came pretty quickly.
More advocacy for blogging than real tips
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 have 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).
Huffington Post Blogging Guide
One of my brilliant (if somewhat misguided) nephews suggested that I should start a blog. This is an excellent overview/introduction to the concept for someone who has never set foot into that world. The input from the perspectives of so many authors whose works I have enjoyed over the years was a particularly nice aspect for those of us who may be more receptive to the voice of experience rather than a strictly tutorial approach. I know I still have much to learn, but I am encouraged and am looking forward to learning more about blogging and the community surrounding it. I also found this very readable and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it if the subject came up.
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