THE Best 3 Places to Start a Blog (Updated 2016 Edition)

0
1181

Setup nowadays so easy Snoop Dogg can do it with the elegance of NYTimes, Sony PlayStation, Wall Street Journal, Paris Hilton, and more. WordPress requires no coding knowledge and is free software – it’s the domain name and hosting you pay about as much as a cup of coffee per month for. It gives you a website like the world’s best and teaches you about websites. For countless bloggers who do this for a living, WordPress.org is the best place to blog, and it continues to be the largest blogging community on the web.

1. WordPress.com

About:

WordPress.com is a free blog-hosting site with roughly half the features of.org. The general idea here is less maintenance for you but less control of the blog. Get an a.wordpress domain name like “dearblogger.wordpress.com” or pay to use your domain name. Need a niche? WordPress.com sees 100,000 posts published daily, so you’ll find like-minded thinkers. It’s not an entire company website but a loyal companion for one. Write posts, try a free theme, set up social media buttons, and learn blogging at WordPress.com Wide Info.
DISCOVER: Why Blogs Fail to Get Traffic

Stats:

  • Recommended for: Mass community blogging
  • Released: November 21, 2005
  • Founder: Matt Mullenweg of Automattic
  • Total users: 56 million blogs
  • Pros: Ease to use with little you can mess up.
  • Cons: Less customization and a bit fussy with adding certain features.
  • Costs: Free, you can pay WordPress.com to get a domain name without the “.wordpress” addition.
  • My verdict: A lovely intro to blogging that about one year intakes us all to a crossroads: stay put or transfer to WordPress.org.

2. Blogger

About:

Blogger is Google’s free blog-hosting site. More popular at the turn of the millennium, Blogger still offers an excellent service, but the designs are a bit elementary. Login and publish your first post for free with only a Gmail account. Try Adsensemonetization“, design a new layout, and even edit your first piece of code.

Stats:

  • Recommended for: Blogging
  • Founded: August 2013, 1999
  • Notable events: Bought by Google in February 2003
  • Founder: Evan Williams of Pyra Labs
  • Total users:
  • Pros: Publish anywhere, colossal community, images, video, edit HTML/CSS, template designer, track traffic stats in Blogger, Adsense at no charge
  • Cons: While Blogger is where many writers (including Dear Blogger) started publishing, its designs appear childish today. Google owns your blog – they axed Reader – so acknowledge a bit less control up front.
  • Costs: Pay $10/year for a domain name without the “.blogspot” extension – otherwise totally free.
  • Future predictions: May merge with Google+.

My verdict: Everything blogging should be and more – Blogger was the sandbox for names now headlining in tech. The only real negative comes from outgrowing Blogger, at which point many (like myself) transfer to WordPress. Less popular today – even Google’s PR Mogul Matt Cutts runs a WordPress site.

3. Tumblr

Introduction to Tumblr:

When WordPress and Blogger were neck-and-neck for new users, Tumblr was the 3rd guy to the party. They received many sign-ups from users wanting a refreshing take on blogging and have grown ever since. Yahoo recently bought Tumblr, which has exciting plans for the whole blog advertising thing.

Stats:

  • Founded: February 2007
  • Founder: David Karp
  • Total users: 152 million
  • Pros: Ease of use and ability to share your friends’ work through re-blogging.
  • Cons: Less customization, less professional, and not ideal for conducting business.
  • Costs: Free; pay Tumblr to get your domain name without the “.tumblr” edition.
  • My verdict: Great for photography and other forms of art. Super-simplistic designs and a whimsical vibe make Tumblr an excellent choice for any new blogger.

READ MORE