Best blog software and cheap/free hosting sites?

[Ira]

I have now decided that it is time for a blog.

I did search. Everyone i know uses wordpress or blogspot, but they have no real reason for their choice. Between all my adventures skiing and biking and fishing, I always had a tough time keeping everyone updated. I am now in a Wheelchair and will be doing all my fun things in new ways. I cannot tell you how many times folks have asked me "what's you blog address?" I guess now is the time to build one...

Any ideas/tips/hints are appreciated. I am pretty computer literate and do the FB/Twitter thing, so social media is not a foreign concept. I use a PC so Mac ideas won't work too well, but our next computer in a couple of years might be a Mac.

for those of you that have blogs, is there anything you wish that you had done differently when you just started?

Thanks,

Ira

[gpcharles]

wordpress is pretty good. I haven't shopped around that much, but it'd be very hard to beat based on my 2year experience with it so far. very intuitive, and most complex stuff can be done with plugins.

i wish I'd spent a bit more time understanding what wordpress was truly intended to do by its designers so that I didn't spend so much time fighting it at the initial stages. some things you just have to live with even if you don't like... i think if we'd spent more time on FIS going through the basics of how wordpress is supposed to work, we'd have had a smoother sail in year 1, and perhaps even a slightly more intuitive website at this point.

but even with that said, wordpress is a great content management system. it really streamlines the process from content creation to publication... and it makes handling/editing/moving/re-time-stamping/updating/etc content quite easy.

one other thing I'd advise with wordpress is to think about your design ahead of time before you put lots of effort into making your content database. this will solve a lot of problems later. you may even want to hire a web developer to get the right look for you if you're clueless with PHP/HTML/CSS... because although wordpress will manage your content well... it's not super intuitive to help you with the styling of your website.

i ended up putting in the time to learn PHP/HTML/CSS and how they work together to run a WP blog, and now do it all myself... but you may not want to. it definitely requires some computer programming like skills... but in the end is all quite intuitive when compared to "hard coding" like C, perl, etc...

good luck!

[Tye 1on]

Good info in a somewhat recent thread here.

Might be doing the same myself...

[Ira]

I am being hosted at WordPress right now as I am using their software... I bought the domain name at GoDaddy a while ago, so this has been some time coming. I had the content done a while ago and jsut needed a way to start putting it up.

www.RoosterSkier.com

Feedback accepted...just don't tell me it sux...

Ira

[neck beard]

Good on you Ira. It doesn't sux. But I don't think the theme suits the topic. Themes can be changed any time, but the real deal is in the content, which I read, and it read well. Keep it up.

[StraightChuter]

Looks great Ira! Getting it up and running is the first 90% of it. The second 90% is actually staying on top of it and filling it with content.

You may have already done this, but if you go through a host site like GoDaddy.com or HostMonster.com (<-- my fav) you can install WordPress right within their control panels so you don't have to download and jack around with it. Another REALLY important thing is to always upgrade your WordPress to the latest version, which is easy if you do the install through your hosting company. Since WP is free, open source and used by millions, it is constantly being targeted for hacking, and once they get in, it is really hard to get them out. It took me a summer to get rid of all of the hidden Viagra and on-line casino spam that was infesting mine.

I think a common blogging mistake is to have delusions of grandeur for them. Just updating them alone takes a shitload of time, let alone having forums, galleries, etc., etc.. Keep it simple - 99% of it is all about your latest posting.

Don't worry if your blog sux - actually, the more it sux the better. There are so many fair & balanced blogs out there that finding a really suck-ass opinionated one is far more fun and exciting, even if you totally disagree with it.

[gpcharles]

Don't worry if your blog sux - actually, the more it sux the better. There are so many fair & balanced blogs out there that finding a really suck-ass opinionated one is far more fun and exciting, even if you totally disagree with it.

that's pretty awesome

[Ira]

Don't worry if your blog sux - actually, the more it sux the better. There are so many fair & balanced blogs out there that finding a really suck-ass opinionated one is far more fun and exciting, even if you totally disagree with it.

Thanks for the tips Andrew. I'll have to make sure to post often on how much AT sux in the ski world ...

I need to really figure out CSS so I can put custom snowy backgrounds and fonts in, but this Theme was pretty much what I was looking for as far as function. but it is running, so at least I have taken that step after a lot of thought...

Ira

[Buke]

You may have already done this, but if you go through a host site like GoDaddy.com or HostMonster.com (<-- my fav) you can install WordPress right within their control panels so you don't have to download and jack around with it.

Ditto. I pretty much gave up on blogging after a year of never updating but I kept the site because it's cheap. I use HostGator and installed wordpress through the control panel. It was absolutely simple (mabe 15 min. start to finish). I'm now in the process of setting up wordpress as a CMS for my business website. It can take some time to find a theme that gives the look you're after but for simple blogging I doubt you can beat it.

[StraightChuter]

I need to really figure out CSS so I can put custom snowy backgrounds and fonts in, but this Theme was pretty much what I was looking for as far as function.

Contact roopedog at geemale dot com for all of your CSS needs. The guy is a magician - quick, cheap and super easy to deal with. I don't know anything about him except he kicks ass on WP mods and does it for a lot of the outdoor type bloggers.

[neck beard]

An expert code html/css guy is always going to get it done waaay better. Particularly with all different browser types and versions. It is a PITA.

But, I kind of enjoy playing with CSS. It is not so much a coding language. Use FireFox and install FireBug = instant power at your fingertips (but practice on a backup site!).

Hey, just noticed that your blog appearance has changed already.

[OverTurn]

But, I kind of enjoy playing with CSS. It is not so much a coding language. Use FireFox and install FireBug = instant power at your fingertips (but practice on a backup site!).

This. But the best part about firebug is you can use it on your live site and not have to worry about messing it up as it makes no edits, only changes what you the developer are looking at.

[JHoback]

Hey Ira, I added your blog to our links page & I think its great that you started your blog.

You have tons of experience and will be able to use this for your blogs content. One thing you don't want to overlook is website security and backup. The last thing you want is your site being hacked and the content being deleted.

As for your layout and appearance, just take a look around at other blogs see what you like. Don't do anything drastic until you really know what you want as you can spend a lot of time doing something, only to have to do it over again when your plans change. In other words, make sure you have a solid foundation before you try to make it really pretty.

Best of luck!
Lane

[AlexMalex]

Not sure about hosting, guys, but as for cheap software, you should check www.newoemsoftware.com. True OEM, real discounts on Adobe, Microsoft, etc.