Blogs

[PitterPattyson]

I've been reading through the blog posts and am feeling inspired. I've been thinking of starting one for some time but lack the technological know-how.
Can anyone recommend a platform for a newbie blogger? Tried to find something online but there are so many, I'm trying to narrow it down between things like blogger and wordpress to website builders like this Free domain names registration | Get your free web domain at 1&1. I'm getting confused about domain names though, do I need one of those?

 

[Ken Krause]

Hi Pitter, sorry I didn't notice your request until now. I use WordPress. I used to use GoDaddy's blogging tool but they discontinued that.

WordPress is probably the most popular tool, and it's very easy to set up and use. You need to sign up for a WordPress account and then they'll walk you through it. They have templates you can use for the basic design. For my Life in the Fastpitch Lane blog I had one of my former players/students design the headers so they're customized, but you can start with simple type.

You don't need a domain. You can use WordPress' and then it will just add your blog name at the end of it. That being said, it also won't be tied to any websites you might have so you won't the get the SEO juice. It will also make your blog's URL pretty long - too long for people to type in easily. If that doesn't matter to you then you can skip that part.

I'd avoid anyone that says you can get domain name registration for free. If you decide you want one go with GoDaddy. They're pretty cheap, like $9-$12 a year or so. You can search on their website to see if the name you want is available. Again, it's not absolutely necessary.

Hope that helps. Let me know if you have more questions. You can either respond here or send me a private message.

Ken