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| blogging sites |
Joining an established blogging site like live
journal or blogger has plenty of advantages, especially for the blog novice.
Sites that host a lot of different blogs often have very useful tutorials about
building and updating your blog, and you are likely to encounter a very user- friendly
software interface at an established blogging site. In addition, these sites
provide a kind of instant community of fellow bloggers who can provide advice, insight,
and feedback. These established sites often keep directories of their members,
which can be great news for your traffic logs because it means that other bloggers
on the site will find out about your pages.
However, there are also some
downsides to linking up with a large blogging site. By posting within the established
templates of a site like blogger, you run the risk of having your blog look and
feel like everybody else's. The blogging movement is very much about the creation
of distinctive sites and the development of individual voices, so it makes
plenty of sense that many bloggers would shy away from the cookie-cutter look and
feel that these blogging sites often promote. Many bloggers feel that the content
of a blog is what makes it distinctive, not the look of the blog, but many
members of the blogging community feel that the visual impact of a blog should
match the originality of the writing.
Using A Free Blogging Web Site
For first time bloggers, a free
blogging web site is a great way to get started in the blogosphere. Popular blogging
web sites like blogger and eponym allow users to set up and host a blog without
paying any fees at all. This encourages people to start blogging, because the fact
that one of these sites can provide you with all of the tools that you need to
get your blog up and running without spending any money means that you have nothing
to lose by starting a blog. The fact that it is so easy to find a way to blog
for free is one of the reasons why so many people who have never had any other
kind of web presence before find themselves drawn to blogging.
By signing up with a free
blogging web site, you may find it easier to get listed in search engines that
you would if you were starting your own blog from scratch. For example, google runs
the free blog hosting site blogspot and crawls its pages very often looking for
updates, so if you have your site hosted by blogspot you are almost guaranteed
to be listed on google's blog search engine. This easy access to search engines
can take some of the work out of promoting your blog, and can help you gain a
following with a minimum of marketing effort.
If your blog attracts a large
readership, you may want to consider moving your site. Many people feel that
being hosted by a free blogging web site gives a blog a kind of amateur flavor
that is fine for a new member of the blogosphere, but is not appropriate for a
high-profile blog. Having your own domain can help you make your blog feel
professional, and finding a company that will host your domain is not difficult
or expensive. Once your blog takes off, you will probably be able to sell enough
advertising space to be able to afford to buy a domain and pay for a hosting
package, and still have money left over. However, it does not make sense in most
cases to invest in these glossy luxuries before you have a sizable readership.
Starting your blog on a free
blogging web site is a great way to build a following before you spend any
money on your blog. If and when your blog becomes popular and you are ready to take
the next step and purchase your own domain, your readers will follow you to
your new home. The fact that it is possible to use a free blog host like
blogspost, blogger, or eponym as a kind of incubator for your blog is great
news for bloggers everywhere.
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