free blog |
WRITING YOUR FIRST BLOG POST |
After downloading, configuring, and uploading your blog software another step is required before you start blogging. This step can be considered the final step of installation or the first step after installation. The blog software needs to undergo a brief initialization process to ready the server database to receive entries. Each blog program behaves a little differently at this point, so follow your installation instructions.
Another part of initialization happens within your blog’s administrative control area, in which you set the blog’s name,the blog’s descriptive tagline (if you want one), your public name as author, and your customized username and password.When these final chores are finished, you’re ready to actually write your first blog entry, and believe me, it’s a thrill to see your self-installed blog start to unfold. You can still make plenty of design and function changes as you go along, including changing the entire template (design theme) of the site. Different programs make such changes variously easy or hard. Basically, though, you are off and running. See Chapters 9 and 10, which pick up from
here in Movable Type and WordPress, respectively.
Movable Type is particularly strong in comment and TrackBack options, letting you choose the level of authentication needed for a visitor to leave feedback on your site.On the down side, Movable Type should not be a newcomer’s first choice inthese departments:Changing templates is harder to accomplish in Movable Type than in TypePad, Blogger, WordPress, MSN Spaces, Yahoo! 360 . . . shall I goon? Movable Type bloggers must use a plugin to change the site design plugins are add-on software modules that fill in Movable Type’s missing functionality. Without a template-changing plugin, you would have to be capable of working in HTML and CSS, the two primary coding languages underlying Movable Type pages, to change the page design.
Not to be found is any sort of built-in profile, such as users of other services have become accustomed to. You can create your own profile page using traditional Web-page creation tools, but blogging is supposed to free you from all that. The lack of a profile page is a perfect example of functionality that has become standard in the years since Movable Type was first launched.
The happiest Movable Type users are inquisitive, adventurous, experimental, willing to download and install many little programs, and insatiable tweakers. Those people are unhappy with the many restrictions that constrain their blogs in the services offering contemporary preset features.You also might simply prefer Movable Type’s administrative look and feel the way the software handles on your screen — better than other options.
Nobody says you must install plugins and build a Movable Type palace. It is a beautiful program when used conservatively.