A Blog is short for "Web Blog" which is basically an online diary or journal. Almost everyone has a blog these days. I wouldn't be surprised if I came across a blog which my dog wrote! A blog allows you to communicate with people online but it's more personal and less structured than a regular website.

You can easily start a blog using a free service such as Blogger. You can blog just about anything you like. Your everyday encounters, your family, your school, hobbies, favorite sports teams, your business. The possibilites are endless. Just be sure to pick a name that pertains to your topic. Just go to Blogger.com and sign up, set up your profile and choose a template. You are now ready to enter the world of blogging.

Now for the fun part. Everybody loves money. Why not make some easy money with your blog, right? Here a a few ideas on how to make money with your blog.

Google Adsense - By far the easiest method to make money with your blog. Google Adsense is free to join and easy to set up. When your blog is ready to go, Go to the Templates section of your blog admistration panel. Click on the 'AdSense' link in the Templates section. You will then be prompted to sign up for an AdSense account or sign in to your existing one. You can then select the ad format and the color theme. You can see a preview of each selection. Once you're happy with your selection, click on 'Save'. The ads will automatically match the content of your blog and you get paid every time someone clicks on an ad. There may be a bit of a delay before the AdSense bot gets to your site and you start getting targeted ads, though that should happen within 48 hours. Just be patient and it will get there in time.

Affiliate Programs - Sign up for affiliate programs related to your blog. Display links to related products and earn a commission whenever someone clicks through your affiliate link and buys a product. Check out Clickbank, and Commission Junction and sign up with there programs. To also find companies that offer affiliate programs, simply do a Google search for affiliate program + the topic of your blog.

Sell Ads - Once you have an established blog with lots of traffic, you can charge people to advertise on your blog.

Now it's time to promote you blog. You want to make sure your blog gets traffic in order to start earning money.

- Submit your blog to blog directories.

- Participate in community forums and include a link to your blog in your signature.

- Write an article related to your blog topic and submit it to an article directory. Be sure to include an author's resource box with a link to your blog.

- Ping your blog every time you make a new post. Just go to pingomatic.com and pingoat.com.

Finally, make sure you make posts to your blog regularly. Frequent posting in your blogs is key so make sure you keep it up to date.