It seems like anytime there is a conversation about the internet the term “blog” gets used quite often. So what’s so special about blogs and how can you make one for free?
What is a blog?
The word blog comes from the word “weblog” which was coined by Jorn Barger in 1997. Free blogs began sometime during the early 90′s when people used them to create an online running journal of their lives. In the mid 90′s it began even more popular and as of today, hundreds of millions of blogs have been created!
So why do millions of people write blogs? Of course, each person will have their own reason whether it’s to share their thoughts, add value to an existing business, as a hobby or even to make money online. You can make a free blog on just about any topic from quilting to neuroscience. You can use them as a reference for yourself, share ideas with colleagues, keep in touch with family and friends or make money blogging.
Make a Free Blog
There are lots of choices available online today if you are looking to make a free blog and I will be introducing you to a few of the most popular options online.
WordPress is a the most popular FREE blog publishing application online today! WordPress can used on a simple blog or for a large organization. Learn how make a WordPress website and download a few free WordPress themes.
Blogger a free online blogging system owned by Google. The interface is simple and easy to configure for beginners. Learn how to make a free Blogger blog and get a few free blogger templates.
Tumblr or tumblogs are typically simple one column website to display your comments, videos, links, images and audio with your visitors. Learn how to make a free Tumblr blog and grab some free Tumblr templates.
Posterous uses an innovative feature which allows you to email your posts to account where they are posted to your blog. This is especially useful for bloggers on the go. Learn how to make a free posterous blog.
Since you are considering making a free blog on a hosted service such as WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, or Posterous lets make sure you do this correctly from the beginning. By using one of these services, your blog is being hosted with a free blogging service – so you don’t need your own web hosting account. You also don’t need a domain name, because your blog will accessed through a “sub-domain” of the blogging service’s domain name (for example, “yourblogname.blogpsot.com”).
Advantages of Free Blogs
Since we are starting this blog off right, it’s best to take a look at the advantages of free blogs – that are made using a free blogging service.
- They’re free!
- They are super easy to setup and configure even for a beginner
- You can get started in less than 5 minutes
Disadvantages of Free Blogs
There are also some disadvantages of of using a free blogging services as well.
- You won’t get your on domain name (www.yourdomainname.com). This can cause HUGE problems – especially if the blogging services goes out of business or decide to change the format of their URLs. The future of your blog is the hands of someone you DON’T EVEN KNOW!
- Your blog’s domain name holds all the authority, statistics and Pagerank and they are NOT TRANSFERABLE! So if you create a blog using “yourblogname.blogspot.com” and you become so popular that you are now earning an income with your blog, have thousands of followers and hundreds of posts. If you decide you want to make this blog your own, you CANNOT add a domain name later. You will lose bookmarks, visitors, Pagerank, search engine ranking and MONEY! And worst of all if you ever decide to leave that blogging service for a large scale paid option and close that account, you will be left with nothing. Another person can start a blog with your previous address and take credit for all of your hard work.
- Less flexibility with your blog’s design. There are tons awesomely free templates available online, but what if you need something different, or a new functionality added to your site like a flash animation, shopping cart or another feature which will allow your blog to stand out from the rest. It’s hard to create individuality when everyone is required to use the same techniques.
- Other features that you may not have even thought of. After using a free blogging services you will find that are many more things you won’t be able to do with a free blogging service. Things that even most professional bloggers take for granted and you won’t even know that it COULD have been a possibility.
More on the Domain Name Problem
In the long term, the disadvantages of free blogs can far outweigh the advantages, ESPECIALLY if you are considering making money or branding a future business from this blog. Particularly when it comes to the domain name (www.yourname.com), your blog would be in danger of disappearing completely.
Consider this scenario for just a moment.
Let’s say you start a travel blog about visiting Hawaii, highlighting the many trips you have taken there with your family. You have spent the past 6 months blogging your little heart out and out of the blue you get an email from your FREE blogging service:
Thank you for your support, but due to financial reasons we have decided discontinue this service. God luck in the future!
How would you feel if this happened?
Well I don’t know about you, but I would be pissed off! I would feel cheated, upset and demand a a refund! But wait?!?! … What money?
Did you forget? You didn’t pay for this service in the first place.
And even if the service wasn’t completely shut down, times are tough and they could just as easily decide to charge some astronomical prices for a previously free service.
The hosting service is in charge (if you AND your blog) and they can do whatever they want to do. They could decide to change the way urls are displayed. This would completely break all your existing and render and links pointing to your blog as non-existent. Yes! That’s right they would no longer work.
For example, http://yourblog.blogspot.com/my-1000th-post/ could turn and say, http://yourblog.newblogservice.com/my-1000th-post
Just imagine getting to your thousandth post, just to see that your free blogging service has changed the URL format.
How to Resolve the Domain Name Problem
There are two ways to prevent these kinds of problems from happening. All you need to do is register your domain name. Even better, you need to register a domain name with a web host that offers a free blog option (with hosting).
This is exactly what Rocket Fire Hosting offers. – register your own domain name for only $1.99 and you will receive a free blog (among a bunch of other freebies).
Register a Domain, Purchase Hosting and get FREEBIES!
Making your first website is hard enough, so why not get a few freebies to help you along the way. Almost all web hosting companies are famous for taking your order, setting up your account, sending you a welcome email then leaving you to figure out what to do next.
At Rocket Fire Hosting that’s not going to happen. I have created Freebies Packages which includes a step by step guide you through setting up your first website and tips on optimizing your webpages, generating traffic and making money from your website.
It’s perfect for newbies!
What’s Included in the Freebies Package?
When you register your domain name and purchase hosting with Rocket Fire Hosting you will get all the following FREE! That’s right! Trust me NO OTHER WEBSITE ONLINE is offering this package.
- Walk Through Video (value $22)
- Gimp Video Tutorials (value $45)
- Newbie Website Checklist (value $12)
- Free Sales Graphics (value $30)
- Free Sales Process Template (value $25)
- Free Sales WordPress Themes (value $65)
- 10 Minisite Templates (value $40)
- Blogging for Profits eBook (value $25)
- Keyword Tool (value $35)
- Premium Stock Icons (value $30)
- Plus 2 additional BONUS Freebies
- read more about these freebies valued at over $400
Now tell me. How much is your sanity worth? Is your piece of mind worth a lunch at your local fast food restaurant?
Separately these products would cost you almost $400! But I’ll give them to you ALL for free for just signing up at Rocket Fire Hosting today! An incredible deal!
By registering your own domain name, no one has the ability to change the web address of your blog. You have full control over your blog’s URL.
Having your own domain name means that your blog’s “web address” will will remain in tact as long as your blog does. If in the future you need to move servers or hosting providers, it won’t matter. All you need to do is configure your domain to point to the new server and your blog will continue to run as if nothing ever happened!
So how can you say NO to all these great products? You can’t, so go ahead and sign up. I know you want to, so what are you waiting for?
Additional Resources to Help You Decide
- Blog vs. Website. Which is the best option for you? There is alot of confusion on this subject. Get the truth before you begin.
- Take a look at a few Frequently Asked Questions about making your first website. Many of you initial questions may be answered here.
- Read more about how to register a domain and the freebies that come with them (like blog templates, e-books, website checklists, free video tutorials, free graphics and icons, plus much more)!
- What type of website should you build? From directories, photos galleries, social networking sites, your options are limitless.
- Learn how to make money with your new blog.
