How to Publish a Retiree Blog

Many retirees are starting to publish blogs about their hobbies and interests. It s a great way to share your passion with other people, and to publish your ideas onto the web. I refer to these as retiree blogs, and in this article I ll explain how to publish one. But first, let me clarify the terminology we are using here:

Retiree Blog  Within the context of this article, this is simply a blog published by a retiree. They can cover any subject matter the author desires, and there are more of them popping up online with each passing year.

How to Start Your Own Retiree Blog

So, what does it take to start a retiree blog, and how hard is it? It really depends on how you go about it. For example, you could create one through the Blogger website in a matter of minutes. If you want to register your own website address, and publish the blog under your own domain (which is what I recommend), the setup process would be a bit more involved.

Here s a summary of the steps we are going to discuss:

1. Choose a blogging program.
2. Determine where and how to publish your blog.
3. Determine the theme / purpose of your new website.
4. Set up your blogging program.
5. Start writing entries or posts. 
6. Explore revenue programs (optional).
7. Contact us for help, if necessary.

The first thing you need to do is choose a blogging program. These programs simplify the publishing process for you, by converting your plain text into web code (so it can be displayed online). The three most popular programs are Blogger, WordPress and TypePad. I use and recommend WordPress. This entire website is built around the WordPress program, by the way.

Next, you need to figure out where to publish the website. In other words, do you want to register your own website address / domain name? Or do you want to publish your retiree blog onto the blogging service s web domain? If you re serious about blogging, and you plan to do it for a long time, I recommend registering your own website address. This gives you better control (and complete ownership) over the content you create.

If you need help getting your retiree blog up and running, you can find plenty of services online. You could do a Google search for a blog setup service, or you could find a service provider through the eLance website. If you have any friends or relatives who are familiar with this process, they could help you out as well. It s always best to work with somebody you know, rather than a complete stranger.

By this stage, you should also be thinking about the purpose and theme of your retiree blog, and what you want to write about. What kind of subject matter will you cover? Who is the intended audience? Do you hope to earn some extra income with your publishing efforts? If you can answer some of these questions in advance, you ll have an easier time finalizing the setup process.

Once your retiree blog is up and running, I recommend taking a quick tour of the features. Blogging programs handle all of the technical details for you, which is the whole point of using one. To create a new entry or post,  you would simply type your headline and the body of your article, and then click on the publish button. The blogging program would do the rest, converting your text into HTML web code and adding it to the website. Easy.

Plan to Earn Income with Your Blog?

If you want to use your retiree blog to earn some extra income, you need to spend some time researching the different revenue strategies. There are many legitimate ways to earn money from a website. My consultation services focus on Google AdSense primarily, and commission-based programs as a backup. But there are other revenue models, as well.

Here s the most important thing to remember. If you want to make decent revenues from your blogging efforts, you need to create quality information  and lots of it. Many retirees think that blogging is a fire-and-forget  technique for earning money. You just set up the blog, put some ads on it, and watch the money come in. Right? Wrong. It s a long-term process, not a get-rich-quick scheme. With that being said, if you take your blogging seriously and work hard at it, you can certainly earn some extra income in your retirement years.

Also keep in mind that working hard  is a relative term. When you re writing / blogging about topics that interest you, it doesn t really seem like work. For example, if you re a photography buff, then it would be pretty easy to write about the topic. This is why you should choose a subject that interest you, and build your retiree blog around that passion. This is the key to long-term success and enjoyment. If you re not enjoying it, then you re doing something wrong.

Need Some Expert Advice on Blogging?

If you ve recently set up a retiree blog, and you want some guidance on the strategy side of things, I can help. That s what my services are all about  helping people get more out of their blogging efforts. You can set up a consultation call from this page.