Starting Your Own Free Blog or Website

Some of you may be interested in creating your own blog or website. There are many reasons to create your own 'space' on the internet.  You may want to share your photos or thoughts, update friends and family around the world, or let others know about some of the great websites or software you have discovered.

Blog or Website?  What's the difference?  When blogs were first created, they were simply an online writing journal or diary. Now that blogs can include sound, video, pictures and hyperlinks, the difference between a blog and a website is very little.  Basically, a website is for a company selling or advertising, and a blog is for individuals.

There are many, many different templates, or styles you can select from depending on the purpose of your blog or site.  The following are all free sites to get set up and to claim your piece of the 'net.

Blogs

Blogger:

     The host of this site and a great choice if you have a Google account, as Blogger is owned by Google. You can store documents, videos, and pictures in Google docs and link them to your blog very easily.  Still the easiest way to get started, I believe, even if you do not have a Google account.  But, why don't you have a Google account?

 

WordPress: 

   
   Similar to Blogger, you can add audio, video, pictures, links and the rest.  Lots of free templates to choose from.  Coke or Pepsi?  Blogger or WordPress? It just depends on your personal choice.

 

Websites

Weebly:

Weebly is the easiest way to create a free website. From personal to professional sites, Weebly is both easy to set up and to add text, video or other content.  You can create free website and free blogs.

 Moonfruit:

With a nice selection of templates and a design that looks like your browser, Moonfruit is becoming more popular with people creating websites for the first time.

350pages

350 pages is easy to use free website builder that can help you create a website and edit your pages from anywhere in the world at any time. Since 350pages is hosted on the safe, fast, and reliable web servers, you don’t need to download, install or configure anything. All you need is a web browser (IE 6/7, Firefox, or Safari) and an internet connection.

Wix:

Wix is a bit different type of site builder. Wix focuses on flash templates.  Click here  for an example of a flash website. Very nice looking templates, possibly a bit more time to get set up.

Google Sites:

But of course, having a Google account allows you to set up a free web site, too.  Not as many templates to select from, but the ones they have are nice.  Worth a try.

These are just a few of the many sites available to create your own blog or website.  Summer is a perfect time to practice developing a blog or site.  Even if you don't use it right now, you will have experience creating one.  Remember, technology is not going away. The more you practice, the easier it gets.

P.S. Get out of the house, it's summertime!!

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