How to create a blog?

How and where can I create a blog?

• I wanted to create a blog of myself wherein I can write my articles on various issues. But in Yahoo services I couldn't see a place where I can create a blog for myself? Their service 'Mybloglog.com' is useless because it expects me to have already having a blog. But I wish to start my own blog. Now, which are the reliable sites to create blogs. Again, I wish to write articles in HTML format using Front Page and those articles developed in HTML must get published in WYSIWYG (What you See is What you Get). So basically these articles when published in the blogsite must look like my original articles in HTML format. For example, www.indiatimes.com lets me do that. But unfortunately this website is plagued with bugs and so I thought there is no point to publish my articles there. As far as rediff.com's blog is concerned it requires that one has to have a rediff id to read my blog (again, I wish that my blog should be read by general public like a typical home page of personal website can be read over the net). So please suggest me some reliable blog service that would fulfil my requirements, And also tell me whether Yahoo has such a service. Microsoft has something called myspace. But here too I found that the profile id that is created my Microsoft is long and not easily comprehensible to general public. So I didn't publish my articles on Microsoft's my space. Thanks & Regards, Anita Mallya.

• Answer:

  In terms of Yahoo!, MyBlogLog is a visitor tracking service and way to create a community based on existing blog/social-networking accounts. If you are interesting in blogging through Yahoo, there is Yahoo! Shine (http://shine.yahoo.com ), a blog service marketed to women, and the Yahoo! Profile (http://profiles.yahoo.com ), which is social networking hub that includes a blog. See http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/shine/ and http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/profiles/blog/ for some details. I wouldn't say that Yahoo! is reliable or progressive in terms of blogging though. You can either run a blog-centered web site mostly by yourself or use a developer-hosted blog service to start a blog. If you want to create a web site controlled mostly by you (i.e. a stand-alone blog), then you would likely need money - $10 to $160 - to pay for a web host and/or domain name (prices vary regarding time range and offered features). You may need to purchase blogging software as well. There are some services that are all-inclusive - web hosting, domain name, blogging software in one package. See http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/15/choosing-a-blog-platform/ , for more details regarding your choices. There are typically free options, which are developer-hosted blogging services, where most of the blogging functions are automated and provided by the blogging service. Rules regarding content may be more restrictive. You would have to check the site's policies regarding the use of their service to generate profit or advertise. Less web page coding skills are required. Also, visitors may need to be a member of the service and/or a connected "friend" in order to comment on content. Social-networking sites have features that extend beyond just blogging and are geared toward connecting with other profiles. Investigate and register with one of the following services to begin creating blog entries: Free blogging services: Blogger/Blogspot (http://blogger.com ), Wordpress (http://wordpress.com ), Livejournal (http://livejournal.com ), Vox (http://vox.com ), Typepad (http://typepad.com ), Travelpod (http://www.travelpod.com/ ), Tumblr (http://www.tumblr.com/ ) Free social-networking services with blogging capabilities: MySpace (http://myspace.com ), Facebook (http://facebook.com ), Multiply (http://multiply.com ), Xanga (http://xanga.com ), Windows Live Spaces (http://spaces.live.com/ ). Bebo (http://www.bebo.com/ ) and Gaia (http://www.gaiaonline.com/ ) are sites geared toward teenagers. See these sites for general blogging tips. You would have to consult the Help pages of the blog site that you choose for further service-related specifics: Problogger: http://problogger.net Daily Blog Tips: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/ Blogging Tips: http://www.bloggingtips.com/ You also may want to check out http://blog-services-review.toptenreviews.com/ , which provides a listing of top blogging services and features (excluding Yahoo! 360 from that list). UPDATED: In your case, you should probably avoid social-networking sites. You can try seeing if any of the developer-hosted blog services will work with Frontpage files, but I think you'll likely be best served to create a stand-alone blog. It will require more work though. WYSIWYG is what a developer-hosted blog service offers, but the trade off is design restrictions. You will likely need to find automated tools and/or learn more about coding for a stand-alone blog, but you'll have more control. By the way, in MySpace (and most developer-hosted sites), you can shorten the initial URL given to something more personalized and easier to use. See http://faq.myspace.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/371/related/1/session/L2F2LzEvc2lkL21Ta2FtUUJq , regarding MySpace's vanity URL option.