Setting up a Blog

The simplest way to create a blog is to use an online tool to do it. These blogging tools offer you the interface for creating and editing the blog and for updating it. You provide the blog tool with your site name, your FTP details, password and login and it will publish the blog for you when you click the Publish button. It is all very simple. If you’re hosting your site on a service like Tripod, look for an in-house blog tool to do the work. Large hosting services often provide these services to their hosting clients for free.

If your service doesn’t offer this, you can set up a script on your server and run your own blog (the hard way), or use a service that does all the setup work for you.

One free and very good blog tool is Blogger, which you will find at http://www.blogger.com. You can host the blog on your own Web site or use the blogspot.com server to host it for you.

• Blogger (blogspot.com)
• WordPress.org (PHP)
• Free/Libre/Open-Source software

These software packages are offered under a Free/Libre/Open-Source Software license. Therefore they are free for everyone to use. Also, commercial support contracts are often available.

• Apache Roller (java-based)
• Blog (PHP/MySQL)
• blosxom (Perl)
• DasBlog (http://dasblog.info/Default.aspx)
• Dotclear (PHP)
• Drupal (PHP)
• Elgg (software) (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP)
• Geeklog (PHP/MySQL)
• LifeType (PHP/MySQL)
• Nucleus CMS (PHP)
• Pivotlog (PHP)
• Presstopia (http://presstopia.com/dnn/Default.aspx?tabid=160)
• Slash (Perl)
• Subtext (C#/ASP.NET)
• Textpattern (PHP/MySQL)

These packages are licensed under a proprietary license. They may require the purchase of a license key to use them. The specific licensing terms vary but some are free for personal or non-commercial use.

• Community Server (also offered in developer-hosted form as CommunityServer.com)
• ExpressionEngine (formerly pMachine)
• Movable Type (also offered in developer-hosted form as TypePad)
• Radio UserLand
• Traction TeamPage
• Blogsphere

Developer-hosted

Software services operated by the developer, requiring no software installation for the weblog author:

• Battle Blog
• Blog.com
• Blogger
• Blue Kaffee
• DeadJournal
• GreatestJournal
• LiveJournal
• MySpace
• NewBlog.com
• Open Diary
• TypePad
• Typo
• Windows Live Spaces
• WordPress.com
• Xanga
• Vox
• 21Publish