Google Blogger for Dummies is a good introduction to blogging using Blogger. In addition to using the tools in Blogger, Susan Gunelius gives excellent advice about blogging in general. Full disclosure: Susan Gunelius is the About.com Guide to Weblogs, and as is customary for book reviews, I was sent a review copy of the book from the publisher.
Introduction
Google Blogger for Dummies uses the typical "Dummies" format to talk about blogging with
Google Blogger. People tend to either love or hate the style. I find the target and bomb call-outs to be annoying, but they're easy enough to ignore.
Audience
The primary audience for this book is either someone new to Blogger or new to blogging. The first several chapters explain what blogs are and how the blogging community works.
Advanced Users
If you yawn at the idea of a book that defines blogosphere and have been using Blogger for ages, this book still has a lot to offer. You'll want to skip the first half of the book, but the second half delves into phone posts, group blogging, podcasting, audience growth, community engagement, and money making.
Customizing Blogs
Google Blogger for Dummies talks about easy ways to customize Blogger, such as changing templates, adding gadgets, and changing the color scheme. Rather than delving into the potentially complicated subject of advanced template editing, Genelius offers advice on how to purchase a custom template from a professional designer. She also dedicates a "Parts of Tens" chapter to finding free templates.
Although the approach probably satisfies most readers, it still could have used a little more depth. The book did go on to refer readers to other books in the Dummies series for further reading.
Making Money
This was the strongest and most informative chapter in the book. Rather than simply mention Google's
AdSense program or talk about the possibility of making money from other sources, Genelius lists a large sampling of programs for advertising, sponsored posts, and affiliate merchandising.
Google Blogger for Dummies also points out the potential search engine pitfalls for each type of program, such as annoying your readers or penalizing your search engine ranking.
If you're thinking of blogging for profit at all, this chapter alone is worth the price of the book.
The Bottom Line
As with any book about the Web, things often change before the book even reaches the bookstores. One of the
Parts of Ten social bookmarking sites suffered a catastrophic meltdown, for instance. However, the community building, conversation starting, and general blogging advice offered in Google Blogger for Dummies is likely to be valid for many years to come.
This book was almost like two books. One book lead beginners through the process of creating and posting blog entries with Blogger. The other book offered an experienced perspective on how to turn blogging into a serious profession. Both books were worth reading.
