Free Blog Platforms, Networks and Communities
By 
andrew daum on Dec 18, 2007 in Blogging
Something that comes up fairly often with friends and coaching clients is hosting and how to set up a web site.
I’ll be the first to admit, if you had asked me a year ago the steps you need to take in order to set up a web site - my answer would be much different than it is today. In fact, it was much different.
A year ago I would have told you to go get a copy of Dreamweaver - practice for a couple weeks until you had learned the basics of html - maybe get a one month membership at Lynda.com to learn Dreamweaver (lynda.com is a great site) - download "The Graphics Creator" from Laughingbird Software (still suggest getting it) - play around for a couple weeks and once you have done that, visit GoDaddy and register a domain name.
The domain name is not really that important - if you can, find a domain name related to the business you are in - or just get your name if it is available (i.e. andrewdaum.com). The domain will primarily be used for testing and learning so there is no need in spending very much time in choosing a name.
While none of the above sounds like much to us old "hacks"… to someone new it can be overwhelming.
I’m not going to get into a detailed list on what I would tell someone to do today - lets just say it is not all the above.
I still think it is a good idea to have a solid understanding of html and how to use a program like Dreamweaver (or your editor of choice) - it is not where I would tell someone new to begin, today.
Instead, I would tell them to start off using a blog. The reasons why are to numerous for this post - but one of the main reasons would be seo. Out of the box, most blogs will outrank a "regular" web site created by someone new. Most blog platforms have seo built in - this alone is enough of a reason to use a blog.
While I prefer using Wordpress as the blogging platform of choice - there are numerous choices available. I have listed below somewhere in the range of 200+ blogging communities that should keep you exploring into the next millennium.
So if you are new to creating web sites - before you start spending money on every tool and software gadget on the web, experiment with some of the blogging platforms below - discover which one "fits" with the way you work - learn the platform and then move forward building your site.
Oh yea… even if you are an old internet "hack"… having a few blogs on the platforms below pointing at your main blog might be a good idea as well.
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