Getting Familiar with Hosted Solutions
Blogger, is one of the oldest of the hosted blog solutions. The company opened in 1999 during the economic frenzy of the dot-com boom. It survived the crash and is still going strong, thanks to a solid set of services. In 2002, Blogger was bought by Google, which provides solid financial backing and some assurance that this company will be around for some time to come. Best of all, Blogger continues to innovate and add functionality. Here are some advantages to using Blogger:
� It’s free and includes a blog that lives on the Blogger server.
� You receive a unique Web site address.
� You can choose from a variety of features to personalize your blog, including a selection of designs and user comments.
� Multiple authors can use Blogger, and you can post e-mail, photos, and audio files.
� You can add a button on your browser toolbar for easy access to your blog.
If you know some HTML, Blogger gives you access to the guts of your blog so you can customize your design. You can also choose to display a Blogger blog on your own Web site, if you have one. Blogger claims that setting up a blog takes only five minutes, and that seems to be true.
TypePad’s functionality, while more powerful than you find with Blogger, is also a little more complex to use. The system is designed to permit the maxi¬mum in customization, from design personalization to photo albums. TypePad is a great choice for someone who wants to give their blog a unique look and feel without spending months learning HTML.
� Host your blog: A unique Web site address.
� A photo album: Upload photos to share with your readers.
� Add links: A feature called TypeLists allows you to easily add lists of links — or other blogs, books, Webrings, news stories, or other groups as well — to your blog.
� Personalize your design and your layout: Your blog can have photos, comments, categories, multiple authors, search, and statistical informa¬tion about the use your blog gets.
� Protect your blog with a password: Limit your audience to those you send the password to.
� Mobile blogging: Moblogging is when you send text or pictures to your blog from your digital camera, PDA, or phone.
Unlike Blogger, TypePad charges for its services.
� RSS: A file containing summaries of your posts that can be viewed via newsreader software or displayed on Web sites that track new blog posts. Having an RSS feed will give your readers faster access to your posts.
� News aggregation: This technology allows you to tell Radio UserLand about your news interests. The company searches news sites and other blogs for articles that match your interests. You can view these headlines through the Radio UserLand software or receive them by e-mail and then create an entry with a link to a news story you’re blogging about instantly.
� Multiple authoring: Some blogs are the efforts of several bloggers, all contributing expertise and content. They are a good way to include sev¬eral viewpoints and decrease the workload of blogging.