HOSTED OR ANONYMOUS BLOGS
Time, unfortunately, is a commodity many business people simply don’t have, and you’re probably no exception. As you decide which route to take, think hard about whether you really have time to spend learning how to install and configure blog software — a task that may take you hours and become a skill you may not need to use again in a hurry.
Don’t let your own enthusiasm to have the most customized blog ever blind you to the fact that an expert, or a hosted blog company, may be able to do the job better and faster, allowing you to focus on the real business at hand — blogging.
� Financial constraints: You did the hard part when you persuaded the CEO that blogging wasn’t something he needed a plumber for. You did the impossible when you got him to agree that it might be worth trying.
• No budget whatsoever: You need a free hosted blog solution. Never fear; they exist. Don’t despair that you will lose access to the powerful features common to more expensive solutions; even the free blogging solutions come with a nice package of technical tools.
• A budget, albeit a very small one: While a hosted blog solution is probably the right one for you, you can choose from several, at various pricing levels. Think not only about what you want to do now, but what you need to do in the future, and assess the possible traffic and storage needs you have.
Choosing a blog solution based on a small budget is limiting, but not something that needs to affect whether you have a successful blog or not. Spend those dollars in ways that will make success more likely, and plan to go looking for a larger budget when you have demonstrated that success.
It might be wiser, for example, to spend the money for a unique domain name and a custom logo than on the fancier technical bells and whistles. Bells and whistles are easy to add later, but branding needs to be present from the beginning.
� Trial run: A hosted blog solution gives you an inexpensive, even free, way to try blogging on for size without committing to a large project you don’t have the time or resources to maintain.
A surprisingly large number of blogs are created and then abandoned — some in the same day. The fact is, blogging isn’t for everyone,or for every company. A blog is a lot of work, and you may want to simply try doing it for a week before you jump wholeheartedly into buying a domain, choosing blog software, and finding Web hosting.
� Blogging anonymously: Setting up a blog anonymously on a hosted ser¬vice is easier than setting up one on your own server. If you’d prefer to blend in with the rest of the blogging hordes, and you don’t want your blog traced to a particular source, think hosted blog.
You have no guarantees of staying anonymous. If your identity is the source of speculation, the tenacious, clever community of bloggers can piece together the clues, hunt down the asides, and figure out who you are.
See Chapter 5 for more information about hosted blog software solutions, including how to set up a blog and start posting right away.