OK, so who has a blog then?

[buffettheturkeylayer2]

Anyone? Or is it just me?

Me!

\link{http://pewari.may.be\Pewari's Prattle} ... I also have a photo blog at \link{http://www.fotothing.com/Pewari/\Pewari's Fotothing}

Go on... what's yours then?

Ok, but it is still very much in its infancy. I was using it to just bung old bits and pieces I'd written on, but have just started to get in the habit of just using it to, well, prattle as you so perfectly put it! It's \link{http://thediscontentedlittlemummyblog.blogspot.com\here}

BTTL - just read your blog and it's hilarious!! Do you still write for magazines?

Ah... but by the looks of things, yours is professionally written prattle rather than ... well.... just prattle

Good read :)

Ok, thickie question.
What exactly is a blog?

Thanks GAC and V17 - I'm back writing for magazines, but most of it is quite standard feature type stuff and not a bundle of laughs. I much prefer just prattling on about stuff in my own warped kind of way than having to get all serious and do real research and all that! I dream that one day someone will give me a column where I can just ramble in an un-pc style about anything and everything. I'm going to put something I wrote about Mumsnet on it (which was supposed to go in The Times - they paid me for it, twice for some reason - but never ended up seeing the light of day) later today so that might raise a giggle or two. GAC - yours is very well done, looks far more professional than mine! I haven't quite got the hang of things yet, haven't got a clue how to add a list of links or anything clever like that... but feel free to tell me (and to put a link on your site she said cheekily). To be honest I'm still a bit nervous about the whole thing and not convinced that its worth promoting, but if it makes you laugh then please tell the world (well your email address book) about it. Who knows, maybe someone with power in the publishing world will decide I am the next best thing since, I dunno, fruit salad chews?

Hi babe - just nipping through to say it's you, hadn't worked it out, stupid moi. And if you get a column, can I have a guest slot on it?

very funny buffet (i haven't worked out your non christmas identity yet though)

HI MI - yes, it is moi. Spacedonkey - don't you watch Buffy?

Oh, and if anyone does like my blog can you please leave me a message - it's lonely out in cyberspace!

Ok, thickie question.
What exactly is a blog?
Again.

blog short for weblog - sort of diary on the internet

No, I don't.

Watch Buffy that is.

sd, willow2. Have kept up with GAs, will do so now with buffets, nosey old cow that I am. :)

thank you. all becomes clear

Aha, thank you JJ (again)

Ok, ode to Mumsnet is now on there

Added a link to yours bttl :)

To be honest, I can't remember how blogspot organises all their templates to where you put the links. Mine was set up initially by dh to my spec and then I've tweaked it myself over the last year and a half. It's sort of grown organically

Webrings are good ways to promote your blog... somewhere like \link{http://www.blogexplosion.com/\Blog Explosion} is good and you get to read other blogs at the same time (although it's a HUGE time sink!). Read other people's links and leapfrog through the net basically :) It's very satisfying when you have a little micro-community on your site...

Thanks GAC - will reciprocate when I can work out what the xxxx I am doing.

This morning's entry is quite amusing... if you are my cat.

Not that I have either the time nor the wit to write my own, where do you put them if you dont have a handy domain of your own?

\link{http://www.blogger.com/\Blogger} has a free hosting system and is very popular. My personal preference, though, would be for \link{http://www.typepad.com/\TypePad} as it seems more stable and is generally a little more sophisticated and flexible if you get into it - however, you do have to pay for it (forget the charges but should be on the site somewhere). If you want to try out the latter, I think there's a month's free trial, but also several typepad users have free year subscriptions to give out as TypePad are doing a buy one get one free renewal deal for Christmas - have a search around.

Presumably, if I had the skills to do it, I could use the free personal webspace that comes with my ISP?

It depends, is the short answer.

For my blogging software (Moveable Type) I had to install software on the server and upload loads of scripts to run it - most free webspace wouldn't allow you to do that.

Ok, nobody has read my ode to Mumsnet yet - anyone fancy wasting a few minutes of their time?

\link{http://thediscontentedlittlemummyblog.blogspot.com\time wasting}

marvellous - just posted a comment on your blog (hope it works!)