By: John Dow
Submitted: 2010-02-17 06:05:09 | Word Count: 584
There are a lot of free and easy ways that anyone can create their own personal Blog. If you have a current website you can add a blog for discussions. One of the most popular and easy to use blogging software is called WordPress. WordPress started in 2003 and developed a very easy way to install a self hosted blog on any website. Since then they have expanded to the largest and most popular blogging software on the Internet.
One of the most attractive things about creating a WordPress blog is that that you can do the initial install with a utility through a very simple menu. About 95 of the web hosts have a utility called Fantastico that does the heavy lifting (a blog is basically a database in PHP). Answer about 3 questions like, location, admin password, and nickname for posting and you now have a forum that allows people to make comments.
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There is a little configuration once you get your blog up, but you use an admin panel with all the settings available to setup the basics. The general installation gives you all that you need to start but many may want to add a new theme to dress up their new blog. There are many free themes that you review at the WordPress website.
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There are 100 s of websites that offer tutorials, including the WordPress website. Most people can put a blog up and get it running in under an hour, even the first time. That s why blogs have become so popular. There are also many free plugins (small programs written to do very specific things within the blog) that are designed to increase any blogs capabilities.
Another big factor in favor of blogs is that the visitor can make comments on any of the current posts or articles. Getting instant feedback can liven things up on any type of discussion. Blogs are all about getting input from readers and create an open forum for just about any subject.
Many of the popular Web 2.0 websites like Facebook allow each user to create their own blogs too. Once you sign up as a user you can create a blog on any subject within the parent website s guidelines. Part of the social aspect of Web 2.0 is the ability to start a conversation about anything of interest.
There are free hosting companies that will allow you to start your own blog like Google s Blogger. You don t need to register a domain, just pick an open name and you can set it up in a matter of minutes. You can make it look anyway you want through a set of menus so even a new user can individualize their style and look.
Blogging has become a big part of the Web 2.0 mix and can let anyone create a place on the Internet to discuss just about any subject. Any subject from a hobby to a current event can be up and running quickly. If you want to promote something or put your 2 cents out there on a subject, this gives you the opportunity.
So the next time you have something you want to say about a subject or event, head on over to one of the Web 2.0 websites and start your own discussion. Or if you want to create your own website but don t know how to use HTML or any of the complicated website software, check out WordPress and you ll be up and running in a matter of minutes.
