You can make your blog even more immediate and up to date - by posting directly from your mobile phone. We take you through the essentials of moblogging...

1. Why you need a mobile blog

The world, his wife, his dog and a significant portion of his extended family, already write blogs. There are over 82 million blogs and 1.8 million blog updates a day on the internet - if you ain't got one, you ain't nobody.

Moblogging is only going to get bigger too with the increasing speed of 3G mobile internet connections - particularly with HSDPA and HSUPA technology - and the availability of 3 or even 5-megapixel cameraphones like Sony Ericsson's Cyber-shot models and Nokia's 5-megapixel N95. So what are you waiting for?

2. What you need (hardware)

Put simply, moblogging is the easiest way to blog. All you need is a mobile phone that can send emails, preferably with attachments. Though to get the most out of it, you'll want a phone with a decent camera so you can take pics, then upload them straightaway to your online noticeboard.

If you're choosing a phone specifically for moblogging, think for a moment about what you're going to be doing with it. If you lean towards text-heavy posts, it's worth considering a phone with a Qwerty keyboard, such as the BlackBerry Curve or Nokia E70. If you really want to focus on the pics, one of Sony Ericsson's 3-megapixel Cyber-shot models like the K810i or Nokia's 5-megapixel N95 will be worth the investment.

3. What you need (software)

Some phones come with blogging software already installed. Sony Ericsson's K810i and others in its Cyber-shot collection come with Blogger, while Nokia's Symbian S60 smartphones include Lifeblog. Other manufacturers are also planning to release phones with blogging-friendly software pre-installed.

There's also a wide variety of Java applications which you can download to virtually any cameraphone, usually for free. As with deciding which phone you want to use, some are better for certain types of blog than others. Shozu is ideal for uploading pictures and captions, for example, while LiveJournal will allow you to make entries by voice, which will then be translated into text for the web (they charge for this though).