Free Blogs

Why Start a Blog

There are a number of reasons why someone may want to consider starting a blog:

• Free blogs are quite user friendly and don't require any special programming knowledge.
• Starting a blog allows you to connect with people outside your usual circle of acquaintances. Geography is not a barrier to interacting with individuals who share your interests.
• Blogging allows you to establish yourself as an expert in a certain topic area. This expertise can help you if you are planning to sell information products online, or to promote your brick-and-mortar business.

Examples of Free Blogs

The following are examples of free blogs you may want to consider:

Blogger

Blogger.com allows Internet users to set up their own blog quickly and easily. Visitors to the blog can leave comments on each post and the blogger has the option of deleting any comments he or she does not want to appear on the public blog site.

You choose to limit your blog readership to a group of your choice or set it up for your own private use. Of course, you can also publish your blog content for anyone in cyberspace to access if you like.

Wordpress

When you decide to start a blog at Wordpress.com, you have the option of choosing the language you would like to write in. Examples of available languages include: French, Spanish, Dutch, and Italian.

There are more than 60 templates with various themes you can use to give your blog the type of appearance you want. The sidebar can be customized to suit your needs, and you have the option of adding a photo or an image of your choice to your blog's header.

Make your Wordpress blog public or keep it private if you like. The privacy option is great for work groups, clubs, or families who want to keep in touch without sharing information with the Internet public.

Keep track of who is visiting your blog quickly and easily by checking your blog statistics. Not only will you see the number of visitors you are getting each day, but you will learn which posts are the most popular ones, and what search terms people are using to find your blog.

Thoughts.com

Another option when you are looking for free blogs is to check out Thoughts.com. This site advertises itself as being very user friendly. Members can post their thoughts in the form of a blog post, along with photos or videos.

You also have the option of uploading, downloading, or sharing your favorite podcasts - free of charge. A podcast is an audio program or a radio show available for download online. Some people listen to a podcast from their computer, while others download the podcasts directly to their iPod so they can listen to them anywhere.

LiveJournal

Dubbed an "online journaling community," Livejournal.com allows users to keep their posts private, share them with just a few select people, or make them part of the public forum. You can add photos or videos from Photobucket or YouTube to your online journal.

Choose the layout for your journal from numerous layouts available, or design your own journal using one of the site's custom templates.

There are many free blogs available that will allow you to share your thoughts with other Internet users. With just a few clicks of your mouse, you can have one up and running in no time!