A blog is an online journal. This text aims to help you select the right blogging software for your needs and show how to get your blog up and running. You'll learn the ingredients of a successful blog, and then get detailed installation, configuration and operation instructions for the leading blogging software: Blogger, Radio Userland, Movable Type, and Blosxom. After showing you how to acquire, set-up, and run these leading software packages, the book takes you through the more advanced features, so that by the time you finish, you'll be up and blogging with the best of them. "Essential Blogging" covers: the important components of a blog and a blog post; installing and configuring the tools; a survey of desktop blogging clients; advice and experience from real-world bloggers; hosted blogging with Blogger and Blogger Pro; desktop blogging with Radio Userland; server blogging with Movable Type; posting, editing, and deleting blog entries; adding pictures to blog entries; syndicating your stories with RSS; consuming RSS feeds with Radio Userland; customizing the appearance of your blog with templates; managing and customizing archives of blog entries; adding comments to your blog; self-hosting your blog vs using a blog-hosting service; and going under the hood with the Blosxom blogging system.