Here’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. The sort of thoughts that plonk themselves in your mind just before you’re about to go to sleep, making your brain come alive, not letting you chill out and drift off.

Today I mentioned on Twitter that I was looking to publish a book. Since my first blog post back in December 2006, I have come a long, long way. I owe a huge amount to this humble web page.

Through this blog I have experienced some wonderful things. I have met some fantastic people. I have had some exciting experiences. And, I’m not ashamed to admit it, I have made some good money.

I don’t think this is a fluke. In fact, I’m sure it isn’t. I don’t think I’m an exceptional writer. A good one, I hope, but no better than thousands upon thousands of student journalists who go out there hoping to make their name in the industry. One fellow journalist wrote about this — about me — last week, and I’ve been meaning to post his thoughts ever since. Sadly, he seems to have deleted his blog posts.

He had it spot on. He said it wasn’t what I was writing, or how my skills as a journalist measured up against others. No, it was that I had managed to create an outlet for debate and discussion, drawing on a slightly-techy background. Once I created my blog, I set about getting to know people. The rest, as they say, is history. Or, in this case, it’s Google cache.

I’ve gone from blogging for one man and his dog to blogging for arguably the greatest media outlet in the world. But as the now anonymous blogger said, it’s no fluke.

The New Blogger’s Handbook will pass on every pinch of knowledge I’ve gained since starting jBlog. It will share tips that are both practical and enjoyable to carry out. Here’s my proposal:

The New Blogger’s Handbook

Whenever I tell people about blogging, whether it’s a presentation, a lecture or even just a chat, they’ll always ask the same thing: “How do I get started?”

I’ll pass on a few quick tips, but it’s never enough. Now, I can recommend my book:

Synopsis: Finally, a guide to blogging for normal people. The New Blogger’s Handbook guides any rookie through the wilderness that is the blogosphere. It will divulge everything you could possibly need to know about blogging.

From setting up (what sites to visit, what tools to download, what name to pick) to using your blog to enter your dream career, this book will offer practical and fun tips.

Chapters will include:

– Starting out: Do you want to spend money or do it for free? What software will suit you best? Do you want to do audio or video posts? All these questions answered and more in this chapter explaining the most common new blogger’s problem: “Where do I start?!”

– But I don’t know what to write about: Sometimes even the most brillaint of bloggers can find it hard to write regular posts. This chapter will help you find inspiration, and guide you, step-by-step, into setting up RSS feeds, email alerts and many more tools to help bring content to you.

– The Blogger’s Code: Now you’ve got your own blog, don’t spoil it by committing any blogging faux pas. This chapter will focus on unwritten code of bloggers, covering aspects like linking in/out, as well as what pictures you can use and how to credit for them.

– Keep secure: If you plan to blog a lot about yourself, you need to keep safe and secure. This chapter will go over every safety aspect of blogging, from keeping your software up to date, to what you should and shouldn’t say online.

– Getting read: How to attract people to your blog. We’re not just talking bumping up your Google ranking with sneaky tricks here, but actual proven techniques for getting your blog read by people who really matter. It’s not how many visits you have, it’s who they are that counts. You want people who can raise your profile, and people who will want to work with you.

– There’s more to blogging than just blogs y’know: You may think a good blog is all you need to succeed. For some, this may be true, but for others, using some of the many other social networking tools can help develop your online persona even greater. Starting with likes of Twitter — getting followers, integrating Twitter with your blog, gaining contacts — and ending with the potential goldmine that is Digg and StumbleUpon, this chapter will make you at ease with everything Web 2.0.

– Resources, jargon-buster and links: Just like a good blog, no book would be complete without passing the reader on to other places of interest. This section will offer an organised list of online resources, a handy jargon-buster, and links to many blogging related websites to help you on even further.

This is just a sneaky peak at the potential content of this book. I’m convinced that anyone can become a successful blogger if they tips I’ve picked up along the way.

If you are interested in publishing this book, please get in touch.

For more information on the history of jBlog and why I should write this book, please click ‘Read more’:

This blog will be three years old next month. In that time, jBlog allowed me to really get out there. As I’m trying to promote my book idea, I’d like to highlight a few (in chronological order):

• In January 2006, one of my posts was picked up by one of the most prolific media bloggers in the UK, Martin Stabe. Despite originally calling him Michael, early conversation gave birth to a professional relationship that saw me bag a work experience stint at Press Gazette.
• That summer, before heading to Press Gazette, I got in touch with Katie Lee at Shiny Media. I asked if I could blog for one of the sites in the Shiny network. “Yes!” she said, after reading my blog and laughing — I remember correctly — at a micky-take post about liveblogs. I worked full time for Available For Panto. I’d become a paid blogger.
• Of course, while all this was going on, I had a university course to be getting on with. My disseration was on sources in the media, and I blogged that I wanted to talk to Andrew Gilligan. I asked everyone what they would ask him. The response was phenomenal. In the end up, what started out as a request for a chat ended up being lunch with the man outside the offices of the Evening Standard.
• We had a good chat. He suggested I work with him in the new year. I accepted his offer, and found myself inside one of the biggest London stories of the year — the fiasco between Ken Livingstone and key adviser Lee Jasper. Words cannot describe the lessons learned.
• Working with Andrew also saw me become a television superstar. Ok, not quite, but I did end up on television. First as a guest on PressTV’s Between the Headlines, and second making a somewhat cameo appearance on Channel 4’s Dispatches. It was on PressTV that I launched my career as a top political pundit, proudly stating that America wasn’t ready for a black presidential nominee, and that Hilary Clinton would get beat by John McCain. Then again, I was hardly the only journalist to think that, was I?
• It was around this time that I became Press Gazette’s official student journalism blogger. That was, again, all thanks to Martin Stabe. With this steady flow of income, I could finally quit my job at Staples.
• Then there was an earthquake. In a rush of excitement, I posted a video on YouTube. Let’s just say it went viral. I was soon contacted by Sky News’ Rob Kirk (remember… the one I interviewed on the sun-lounger) who offered me two weeks work experience at Sky News Online. While I was there I met a great reporter called Julia Reid, as well as Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis.
• Unbeknown to me, while all this was going on, I was being watched by a certain Jim Tucker. Jim lives in New Zealand, and is the former editor of a national Sunday newspaper. He now runs Whitireia Journalism School in Wellington. And he wanted me to teach online to his students. In New Zealand. There is still a dent in my floor from my dropped jaw. I gleefully accepted his offer, and travelled over there, meeting so many brilliant and wonderful people. It was time well spent, the website I created for them — www.newswire.co.nz — has gone from strength to strength. I am very proud of this, and I will return soon.
• And now, here I am. I have just taken up a role as co-editor of the BBC Internet Blog. I got this job through Martin Stabe. Yes, the person who was the very first to link to my blog.

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