Inline with the new focus of Blogging Outfitter, I am starting a series of posts that takes blogging to the extreme basics, and gives the non-technical bloggers a clear-cut path for starting and maintaining their own blogs.

Aspects covered will be how to get a domain name, what Web hosting is and how to get started with a hosting account, an introduction to WordPress, how to FTP, and much more.

At the end of this series, bloggers who are just novice Web users should be able to run their own blog, and enjoy the freedom of more space for content and graphics, the freedom to add the functions and features they want, and the benefits of their own online identity and brand.

Why am I doing this?  As an independent contractor who does Web development as my financial source, I will be basically showing potential clients how to do things that I’ve been charging for.  I don’t feel this is bad at all.  I would much rather show potential clients how to save money by empowering them with this knowledge, because I know that most clients will then use their budget on the things that really matter: custom design work for their blogs, advanced functions and features that require custom work, etc.  Instead of them spending their hard-earned dollars on getting a basic blog, they can leverage those same dollars and get an even more sophisticated and better-looking blog.  Sharing knowledge is a win/win.

Step 1: Domain Names will be published Saturday, November 22.

• Subscribe to Blogging Outfitter and be notified by e-mail when Step 1 is published.
• Use Blogging Outfitter’s RSS feed and get notification through your feed reader.

I decided to go back to an old idea and combine all of my topical sites into my personal Web site. This decision came after I realized I’ve been trying to be a publisher, where I first need to be a better participant. I have committed myself to offering more comments on others posts, to use my Twitter account for more than just automated announcements of new posts I make, and to join more online forums. I also plan to get away from the computer more and connect with people more in (gasp) real life.

There is one main site, JosephCizek.info, with several topical sites. Check out the main home page, then navigate to the other home pages (see right top) to see how I made the sites different where they need to be, but all part of the same operation. I think I’ve come up with some interesting ways for bloggers and writers to have a Web presence that accounts for various interest groups they reach.

There is still more development to do and content to write, so check back often.

• Resumé: http://JosephCizek.info/resume.php
• LinkedIn: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/JosephCizek

What we also came to realize is that the “blogs on blogging” out there, for the most part, assume a certain level of technical knowledge - which makes it hard for new bloggers to embrace a larger world of Web development - relegated to the easy and generic BlogSpot and WordPress.com

Blogging Outfitter provides an alternative, connecting new bloggers, and businesses new to blogging as a marketing and communication tool, with resources that help bring them up to speed.

I am closing BloggingOutfitter.com. As I develop it more, I see it nothing more than “blogging about blogging.” There are others that pull that off much better than I do, and I was always struggling with saying things that haven’t been said a hundred times over.

I am consolidating my Web sites to one - JosephCizek.info. After a lot of thinking and planning, I have come to see how my writing interests can be expressed in one area, rather than stressing about maintaining several.

I am going to focus less on Web publishing, and more on Web-participating. Instead of trying to create and own a new publication or social network, I’m going to explore the ones out there and establish myself as a loyal reader.

I very much want to create Web sites, and still will - for-hire and for myself. But, I’ve found that I’ve been too focused on the technical and theories behind blogs and social networks, and not on what makes them really work - interacting and sharing knowledge with people. Just like good writers read avidly, a Web Producer needs to be an active Web user - and I’ve been behind-the-scenes too much.

I also incorporated a jQuery-powered header and navigation area, that not only directs people to the major sections from the home page downwards, but provides section identification and breadcrumb navigation for the category and single-post levels.

Also developed was a sidebar area for capturing WordPress registrations without going to the actual registration input page.

The client needed a good-looking theme that focused on written content. They also wanted “magazine-style” imagery for drawing attention to the main and section features. We accomplished that by using both tabbed features on the home page that teases content out with an attached image or video clip, as we as a highly-visual rotating gallery of feature article images on select sections.