Blogging - a sort of online diary - can be an immensely fulfilling pursuit and, as long as you have internet access, there is nothing to stop you from blogging away to your heart’s content. Blogs are becoming attractive meeting places for mature people to meet like-minded individuals. Being part of the blogosphere is the equivalent of meeting up with friends for a chat, which is why it can be so appealing for older users.

Blogs are useful tools for receiving and sharing information about any area of interest and also provide a simple way for family and friends to stay connected across the globe by sharing stories, photos and videos.

Some of the most popular Irish blogs are Mulley.net, Beaut.ie and twentymajor.net. The winner of the best personal blog at the recent Irish Blog Awards was annierhiannon.blogspot.com where Annie Rhiannon blogs daily about her life.

Damien Mulley, founder of the Awards and a well-known blogger, says that blogging can help to form a sense of community, build friendships and act as a place for airing concerns and seeking advice.

In 2008, the joint winners in the Best Personal Blog category of the awards were both over the age of 55. Richard O’Connor (headrambles.com) and Marie Parker (grannymar.com) are avid bloggers who have been gathering a loyal following with their quirky and individual styles. O’Connor’s blog has been so successful that he has published a book based on it, also called Head Rambles.

One of the most important elements for successful blogging is to have a passion about your blog’s topic.

For those of you keen to get started but are not familiar with the various tools, a family member may be able to show you how to add text, photographs and videos. Alternatively, you could enroll in a local computer course.

When it comes to connectivity, Mulley says that people with just a home dial-up connection can still keep a blog going. As most blogs are text heavy and visually light, a dial-up connection won’t be an obstacle. Posts can be written in a Word document and then copied and pasted on to the blog.

However, once you launch your blog, you must be prepared for both positive and negative posts from your audience.

Tips for starting a blog

1. What are you going to write about?
Choose a topic you’re passionate about. Issues that affect over 55s, such as health, finances or hobbies, are sure to be a major draw for readers. If they find that what you write relates to them, you’ll be sure to develop a loyal following.

2. Find a host.
You can set up and run your blog for free on a number of services. Mulley recommends www.wordpress.com, which he says offers fantastic support and help for the uninitiated blogger and is compatible with Microsoft Word. Other services are blogger.com, blog-city.com and livejournal.com.There are any number of Irish hosting companies that will host your blog, including Blacknight.ie, Host.ie and Hosting365.com.

3. Set up your blog.
This is very simple. The set-up wizard will take you through, step by step. Including features such as comments and links help to increase user interactivity.

4. Get writing.
If you are having difficulty deciding on a theme, check out www.irishblogdirectory.com or www.irishblogs.ie. There are any number of topics that can be discussed.

5. Keeping writing.
This is the best way to build readership. If people like what you write, they will come back. However, if there’s nothing new to read, they will lose interest. The more regularly you post something, the more your readership will grow.