Customer comments on this selection.
 Probably the best out there, but not perfect
Although there are hundreds of blogging books in print, from my surveying this one appears to be the most relevant practical guide -- so I gave it an extra star. I liked it for the following reasons:
(+) good tips on building readership (plus some SEO)
(+) explanations of importance of garnering and giving referent links
(+) practical tips on monetization
(+) coverage of some useful tools I might not have otherwise discovered
(+) highlighting some popular blogging platforms
(+) engaging writing style
(+) accessible as a book you could give to a co-worker, or even less-technical family member
(+) gets reader excited about blogging
However, it has the following problems:
(-) some material highly subject to aging (e.g., blogger how-to steps could have been omitted)
(-) promotion of some obnoxious tools (e.g., White Smoke grammar helper, user-unfriendly Microsoft Live Spaces)
(-) very little mention of WordPress (you wouldn't realize its popularity by reading this book)
(-) not enough emphasis on blog *reading* (Google Reader got one sentence, but its features and best practices could been expanded to a whole chapter). Optimizing your reading habits/patterns is a critical skill for surviving blog-bombardment
(-) no mention of the role of pinging (and necessity by some services)
(-) too many interviews (police wives and military perspectives didn't add anything for me)
(-) a number of grammar and spelling mistakes
(-) audience target may have been too broad (I would expect Apress to have had a better techie focus)
Overall, I thought the book could have been half the length and still had the same impact. But as a new blogger I got quite a bit out of the book, and I still recommend it to anyone who is not already a pro. Just be prepared to do a lot of skimming, and try to get a library/used copy that has important points highlighted.
 The one book you should read about blogging
If you are going to recommend just one book to someone who wants to get started reading, following and creating a blog, this is the book. Author Bob Walsh goes far beyond the usual treatment of the topic and gives you tons of practical tips, suggestions and information about resources. I've been blogging for over a year and I learned a ton from Bob's book. Don't waste your time with other books, go right to source and read this one. I highly recommend it.
Good Primer For Business
To put it succinctly, Clear Blogging is the kind of book I would give to a boss or manager to educate them about what blogging is, can be, and a hint of technicalities on the back end. While a good book and a great overview of what is entailed with blogging, there are not enough nitty-gritty details to satisfy someone who is of a technical nature or someone who has been blogging for a while.
However, for someone who needs to know what this blogging thing is about and how they might be able to use it for their business, either directory or indirectly, this is the perfect place to start. I would estimate that at least half of the book is made up of interviews with either bloggers, people who run blogging companies, or marketing type folk. These interviews, though they get a little long and predictable after a while, lend real life examples to the lessons being taught.
Additionally, there is sufficient attention given to topics such as podcasting, monetization, and social networking to give you a good start on finding out more about these areas.
All in all, for any body wondering where to get started, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Clear Blogging. And if you are already in to blogging, I will bet this book can still teach you a few things.
Best book I've found on blogging
Bob Walsh goes a long, long way past the usual, superficial approach. ("Blogging is great - here's how to set up your blog on TypePad.") The interviews with well-known bloggers are an outstanding feature of the book - they are insightful and very useful - they'll help you understand what you're committing to, how to run a successful blog, and what you can expect to get out of it. Also, Walsh gives the best advice I've seen for advertising your blog via Technorati, Feedburner, et al., and for using social networks to promote your message. Great job. - George (fitnessintuition.com)
I totally love this book
I've been blogging in a ho hum way for over a year - but this book has opened up blogging for me in a whole new way.
I would recommend this as an intro... middle and advanced book. It has tons of stuff for every level. Of course I'm at the beginning level so maybe I'm not the perfect judge but I can say it has enough stuff for me to follow up with for at least a year!
What I really like are the interviews, the links and the detailed information (step by step) to do or check things out. And... besides the book I'm getting just as addicted to his web site... http://clearblogging.com
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