We Blog: Publishing Online with Weblogs

Paul, Matt, and Meg have a very readable style. I wish they would write more books...


Excellent book for new bloggers!   October 8, 2002
 16 out of 16 found this review helpful

This is an excellent and thorough resource for folks just getting started with weblogs. Some reviewers have commented that the authors take blogging a little too seriously -- but I don't think so. For me, there was added value in the author's inclusion of true blogging stories, from the impact bloggers had on communicating the events of 9/11, to the fictional blog account of a young woman dying of cancer (which was published as non-fiction and later exposed as a fraud -- the author's re-telling of this story is just right, underscoring the impact a blog can have on its readership, without being too preachy). There's no denying that blogs are among the hottest things happening on the web these days -- why not take them seriously?

That said, don't mistake "serious" for boring. The text is very reader-friendly, and the all important "how-to" sections, which cover not only blog creation, but an in-depth look at some of the most popular blog tools, are extremely helpful.

If you buy only one book about blogging, you can't go wrong with this one. I bought it in addition to Biz Stone's "Blogging: Genius Strategies for Instant Web Content." Of the two, I like Stone's book a little better, which is why I give this one only 4 stars. My preference is based solely on the fact that Stone's book is a bit more concise and amusing. Still, for comparisons of the various blog tools, this book can't be beat. This is quite a compliment, considering that the authors are some of the key folks behind, or associated with, the Blogger.com technology. Their even-handed analysis of the other major tools is thus all the more credible and helpful.


That book   October 6, 2002
 11 out of 29 found this review helpful

You've heard that blogging is so simple (by design) that you don't even need a book...well this is that book.


Got me started blogging   October 2, 2002
 6 out of 8 found this review helpful

The review from A reader from Champaign, IL USA is obviously someone who knows a lot about Blogs or blogging already. If you have heard about blogs in the popular media, or have happened upon other people's blogs, this book is a great way to get started doing your own.

Admittedly, the authors might take this blogging stuff a bit too seriously. But they explained how the tools work, how to get started, and how to get beyond the basics. I was able to create a new blog, get it hosted, and added a comment system. I plan to tackle templates next.

If you are looking for a short, easy, hands-on read for the nuts and bolts of blogging, this one does the trick.


Light and obvious   August 28, 2002
 42 out of 58 found this review helpful

There's not much to say about weblogs, really. Go to scripting.com or megnut.com (run by one of the authors) or caterina.net and see how its done. Then go to radio.userland.com or blogger.com to find out about the popular software options for running a blog.

The authors of "We Blog" go to great lengths to make weblogs seem deeper and more of a topic for study than they really are. The companion website for the book, blogroots.com, is often full of angst about articles in the popular press misrepresenting weblogs as simply diaries or the phantom topic of "journalists vs. webloggers." It all gets tiresome after a while, and it isn't worth buying a book about. Maybe, just maybe, it's the newer breed of webloggers, the ones without agendas, that are making the medium interesting.