There are many sites online that offer free webspace and free blogging tools and features. The quantity and diversity of these sites can be overwhelming for the first-time blogger. Each blogging service has its pros and cons and a little research can match the novice blogger with the tools that meets their blogging needs.
Blogger at Blogger.com
Owned by Google, this is the biggest and most popular of all free, start-up blogging sites. The user interface is self-explanatory and easy to navigate, even for those new to computers as well as to blogging. Blogger can get even the least tech-savvy writers blogging in minutes.
Blogger has a great "following" feature that allows bloggers and readers to follow other blogs, making the process of commenting on blogs and building an audience a breeze. Blogger also has privacy settings for bloggers who wish to keep their writing and photographs private and viewable to invited members only.
WordPress at Wordpress.com
WordPress is also free and simple to use for the beginning blogger. WordPress offers a wide variety of templates, themes, and plug-ins for easier customization. Although these added features mean that WordPress is not as quick to set up as Blogger, the sites it produces are more varied and polished.
There is also an active customer service network and user community, including videos and forums for helping the beginning blogger with technical and design questions. WordPress offers a feature on their home page called "Freshly Pressed" which highlights new blogs and recent articles. Both Blogger and WordPress have been around for years and have a history of customer satisfaction.
Blogster at blogster.com
Blogster prides itself on having an active and tight-knit community. They invite bloggers to search profiles and connect with other bloggers and blogs by using "Community Channels Tags." Blogs can be searched by author as well as by topic. The site also features active chat rooms divided up by topics of interest. These features can help new bloggers network with other writers and find an audience for their blog.
Live Journal at livejournal.com
Live Journal offers bloggers the ability to customize existing templates by giving users some control over CSS and HTML. However, this feature is for more experienced bloggers and computer uses, especially since Live Journal does not offer the level of customer support for beginners that is offered at Blogger and WordPress.
Live Journal also allows bloggers to blog remotely through email or texting, and to embed blog entries into other websites. Live Journal also has a paid blogging service called TypePad which gives users access to more detailed statistics for bloggers who wish to track their readers and analyze their traffic.
For Experienced Bloggers
Web designers and those who are ready to take their blogging to the next level may be more interested in advanced blogging platforms such as wordpress.org that allow more freedom and customization tools. Many of these are also free or inexpensive and user-friendly.
 |
