Starting a blog/website has been so much harder a tiny bit more difficult than I thought it would be. It has actually taken over a month to get this site exactly the way I want it, but that may or may not have something to do with me being a perfectionist who changes her mind too much and my tech genius friend not being available 24/7 because he has a real job…
ANYWAY, for those of you who are thinking about starting a blog there are many options out there for you to think about. Here is a very short list:
1) Blogger or WordPress?
There is a TON of information on the web so I won’t bore you here, and there are many other options other than the two I have mentioned. A common theme is that Blogger makes it super easy to get started (and is owned by Google) and that WordPress has more advanced options if your blog grows. I chose WordPress because I’m optimistic…and since I’ve been blogging for all of three days, I will have to let you know how it all works out if I ever get past Blogging 101.
2) Free or Paid?
My cat Tommy
Both WordPress and Blogger have completely free options. If you use the free option your blog domain name will be followed with either wordpress.com or blogspot.com. If you want your own domain name without those then you will have to purchase it. If you just want to document the daily happenings in your cat’s life it might be best to go with the free option, but that’s entirely up to you.
3) Purchase a domain name!
I recommend purchasing a domain name for one main reason. If you don’t, then you do not ‘own’ your blog. If you are using a free service they control your blog and it could be removed at any time for any reason. Not likely but I didn’t want to take that chance. You can get a domain name for less than $10. We used GoDaddy and I will say that their customer service has been excellent – they even called my mom to see if we had any questions after we signed up. Keep in mind, there are TONS of options so do a little research.
4) Find a Host
If you purchase your own domain then you have to buy hosting services. Again – there are many companies that offer these services. Go Daddy, HostGator, FatCow (included that one because I think the name is hysterical!) and bluehost are just a few. I’ve heard good things about them all. You pay a monthly or yearly fee for them to ‘store’ your site on their servers. You may want to sign up for emails from some of the companies because it seems like they are constantly sending out special discounts and deals and you want to get the best price. You can also check out WebHostingSearch – they do all of the work and compare the different options for you. Definitely worth a look!
5) Get started!
Sometimes, you just have to start. Make a few decisions and go for it!
So…do you already have a blog? If not, consider starting one today!
be centsible,
Eva
