Hi! Welcome to Bonjour, Blogger! If you’ve never been to the site before, and want some help with something specific, use the search box at the top of the page to find it, or check out these lists of previous posts that might be some help…

So you want to start a blog…

First up – you’ll need to choose how to publish your blog – we discussed the various blogging platforms out there in this post. We’ve looked at how to set up a WordPress.com blog and how to set up a Blogger blog, as well as looking at Medium, Tumblr, Typepad, Squarespace, and Ghost in a little more detail. If you’re looking to go down the self hosted route, we looked at a few things to look for in a webspace host.

Need some help with social media?

Twitter is probably the most popular social media network for bloggers, so you might want to check out these posts about attracting new followers, making your profile more interesting and a few other tips that you might not have considered. If you’ve got separate social media accounts for your blog, these tips may help you. Using apps like Buffer to keep your social media posting while you can’t is a great way to keep things ticking over while you’re out – and it can help drive traffic to old (but still awesome) posts. Find out how to write the perfect bio as well to keep people interested.

If you haven’t already done it, set up a Facebook page for your blog, make it beautiful then ask your likers (what are they called, anyway?) to make sure they see your Page updates with a few clicks. Why not spend a few minutes setting up a G+ page for your blog at the same time? If you run a few different social media accounts, these tips on running a secondary account may be useful to you

Need motivation to blog more often?

If you’re looking for a fun DIY to do, the blog ideas jar is a simple way to keep ideas together, and randomly choose them. There are some blog ideas over here to help you and regular features which can help you keep to a schedule.

Feel like meeting some new blogger friends?

The biggest complaint in the various hashtag chats is that there aren’t enough events outside of London. Most of the time, many bloggers will hear about an event the day before it actually happens – so if you’re organising one, why not use our event calendar to list the details so others can find out in time – and subscribe to the calendar so you don’t miss future events or any of the hashtag chats. Why not use Eventbrite to do the hard work of organising a guest list for you, and check out these tips on how to organise a blog event?

If you’re too eager to get involved, or you just fancy finding new people to meet up with in your local town, you must check out the UK bloggers map, list yourself and find other bloggers to chat to!

Want to know how to monetise your blog?

How do you want to make money from your blog? Do you want to offer adverts for sale – there are a few different ways to do that, including Adlet, Nuffnang UK, Passionfruit Ads and the Viral Ad Network, and don’t forget these helpful tips on attracting advertisers to your blog. There’s also a huge list of blogger networks where you can find lots of different companies and organisations to sign up to for future opportunities.

Affiliate linking is a popular way to make money from products you would be talking about anyway – learn the basics of affiliate linking, then check out Skimlinks or rewardStyle and their new product that will help you monetise your Instagram. We’ve also explained how affiliate links work, so if you’re not sure how they work, and want to know before you sign up for anything, check that page out!

Feeling the urge to develop your site a little more?

From buying a domain (which can really help you attract PR opportunities!) to finding a good blog host to finding the perfect blog designer (make sure you know how to give someone access to your blog to install a new design without handing over your password!) – however you want to improve your blog, we’ve got you covered (just search for it in the sidebar!)

Make sure you don’t lose any blog posts or comments on your Blogger blog by backing it up.

Want to leave more comments on other blogs?

Leaving comments on other blogs means that you will (probably!) get more comments on your blog. Comments are ace – it’s something we’ve said every time with the comment challenges. Make sure you’re making it as easily as possible for others to comment on your blog and that you’re not leaving generic comments though – you probably already know that seeing a “nice dress! xoxo [blog link] [twitter link] [interesting buzz feed link]” comment isn’t as exciting as a specific to you, thought out comment!

Need some help getting more organised with your blog?

Spending an hour or so each weekend to plan out what you’re going to do on your blog mens you don’t feel pressured to get things done at the last minute.

Why not try using an editorial calendar to plan when things are going to publish (and learn how to make your own editorial calendar!), and if you can, write a few posts when you’ve got the time and schedule them to publish on a regular basis (to avoid those bursts of blogging inspiration followed by the quiet times) Going on holiday? Make sure your blog ticks over while you’re sunning yourself with these tips.

Consider creating a media kit so that when brands and PR people get in contact, it doesn’t take you long to send out details of your prices, etc, and use canned responses to reply to emails quickly – a little extra work means that you look super organised to others without any effort!