We spend a lot of time teaching people how to use Blogger.com to keep a Blog. We define a Blog as a website with dated entries displayed in reverse chronological order. They are usually used as a journal. We keep a log of our travels on our Blog, as do many other RV travelers.

The reason blogs are so easy is because you use a web-based program like Blogger.com to make them. These are completely free.

What I want you to think about now is using the blogging software to create a club website. I know lots of clubs, RV parks, FMCA chapters, or Good Sam groups that want to have a website of their own. Most of them tap the skills of a member who knows how to create regular old websites. That means than nothing gets added or changed on the website except what that one person will do. If the club loses that one person, they lose the website.

Have Lots of Clubs?  Make Lots of Blogs

Several years ago, we stayed at Palm Creek RV in Casa Grande, Arizona. We got involved with many of the activities and clubs there, and set them up with a blog for several of the clubs. It has a main page, with links to all the different clubs:

Each link is to a separate blog – to be maintained by the folks active in each given club.  Five years later, I’m happy to see that many of these club blogs are being kept up regularly – without needing any help from us! If the time comes that someone doesn’t want to do it anymore, it’s pretty easy to show someone else how. And notice the Calendar, and Photos links. These are the free tools of Google Calendar and Google (Picasa) Web Albums. You can click on the image above to visit the real pages if you like.

Blogger Can Create Pages Like a Real Website – Not Just Blog Posts

Another example of a club blog using Blogger is Frustrated Maestros.  This site makes good use of Blogger’s ‘Pages’ and tabbed menu items.  You’ll also see lots of pictures and even videos.   For an example of a business blog using blogger, check out TechnoRV’s blog.

 

Blog Comments

Also, Blogs allow for comments, so it can become a 2 way conversation. A wonderful feature for a club website.  To see the options for allowing comments in Blogger, find Settings->Posts and Comments.  You can allow anyone to comment, or only members of the blog.

Learning Blogger is Easy

Check out the Tutorial Videos on our Geeks on Tour Learning Library.  Anyone can watch the first 3, only members can watch from #4 on.  You will learn how to make a blog in video #3!

We would love to hear from any of you who have a club blog.

Please leave a comment here.