So you want to start a blog? You’ve got great content, your fingers are a-ready at your keyboard, just itching to type out your next great blog post. But, there’s only one problem… you don’t have a blog! Don’t worry… let’s start with the pros and cons of four available blogging tools, half of which are free and half of which are fee-based. All of the following options have tremendous potential.
The number one free blogging tool out there is WordPress, hands down! From the point of view of a developer, WordPress is a savior. It has multiple templates, and you can arrange page elements where you want them. All you have to do is click, click, bang—and you’re set up automatically with little to no hassle or fuss. The system of plugins that WordPress has developed is out-of-this-world amazing. If you want to alter the templates, you will have to know a little HTML and CSS. If you’re not comfortable doing something like that, you could always pay someone more experienced in writing computer code a minimal fee to alter your blog the way you would like it to look.
The second, most easiest blogging tool to use would definitely be Blogger, a.k.a. Blogspot (soon to be known as Google Blogs as of this writing). Blogger is great because you can have multiple blogs on one account and manage them all on a single dashboard. So, for example, you can have your blog about Harley-Davidson motorcycles separate from your blog about your non-fiction book about the history of the motorcycles spanning various continents and eras. If you wanted to combine the two topics on one blog that would also be an option—since they’re related. The point is, not everything on your blog has to relate to everything else.
The third blogging tool that could probably be considered the most successful is TypePad. TypePad does require an $8 dollar-per-month service fee, but that is minimal compared to what you would be paying in order to own your own website domain, plus registration and annual hosting fees. TypePad is easy to use. You can only have 3 blogs at one time, unless you upgrade to an unlimited (business class) account.
A fourth blogging tool is MovableType. MovableType offers its own self-hosting package for professional developers. For people who are not developers, there is availability to host your own blog for free. How much you pay depends upon your level of expertise. MovableType has various versions so you would probably want to do research on which version would be most suitable for you if you’re at just starting out with blogs but want a high-quality blog.
WordPress, Blogger, TypePad, and MovableType are all great options. Explore them all, define your blogging goals and needs… and then jump right in!
Hello Fellow Poets! Visit my blog at www.sandramally.blogspot.com and also view me on you tube by typing in Sandra Mally. I've read some of my poetry, and also sang at an open mic at Christmas Time...Check out my books: The Echoes The Times The Poetry and I Close My Eyes..
Warm regards,
Sandra Mally