August 07, 2003
Newbie FAQ 101 - How to make a blog

I've been getting numerous hits from various search engines about the question "How to make a blog". Well; since I haven't answered it generally in the past, I will make a feeble attempt here:

First of all - WHY to start blogging:

  • Because you have something to say
  • Because you want to stay in touch with new and old friends
  • A whole lot of other reasons
Next: So you've got something to say - now how do you get it online?

If you're starting from scratch and do not want to install either software, cgi scripts or any other techical things (you do not even have to know what those things are), try visiting any of the below sites, which will allow you to set up a blog either for free or at a very low cost:

  • TypePad - a brand new service that charges a (small) fee but gives you a lot of nice features. From what I hear it can be recommended!
  • Blogger - the original; provides you with free tools and a free website of your own (which they'll run advertising on, but you could always move on later (I did))
  • LiveJournal - less blogging, more online journals, free all the same...
If you already own a website and you'd like to funk it up with a blog, but without installing anything, Blogger (mentioned above) can be set up to upload blog-files to your website. Very handy.

All of these tools, and some of the below as well, allow you to instantly become a web-publisher simply by using your normal web-browser; no software needed. If you're looking for a tool for your desktop, try Radio.

If you own a website and you're into fiddling with your own HTML templates and not afraid of installing a bit of scripts:

  • Movable Type is the granddaddy of script-based blog software. It's the most widely used by top bloggers and very flexible (more about this later). Download it for free, but remember to donate to its creators if you like it (you will!)
  • Some people use Blosxom and are happy
  • Some people use other tools - there are loads
If you go for Movable Type (the tool used to update this blog), you might want to read through the following posts I've written in the past in my Movable Type category:

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Comments

I beta tested TypePad and it's pretty sweet. I may even hang onto it after my three free months -- it's like paying for webhosting (or cheaper, depending on the plan you pick) but you get fancy blogging and good tech support on top of that. And if I don't keep it, I'll just convert my weblogs back into MovableType (which is easier to mess with, the hitch being that this makes it easier for me to mess it up).

Posted by: sushiesque on August 7, 2003 08:16 PM

Anders,

Thank you for a nice series.

The one gripe I can’t help making is about the lack of update labels.  Part 3 dates from August 8, 2002, yet, it discusses Google’s AdSense.  It would be nice if you indicated the date of the last revision.

And while you’re at it—you’re going to do it, aren’t you—you may want to correct »spesific« to »specific«.

Posted by: elznic on August 8, 2003 11:03 AM

Thanks for the comments, guys.
Sushiesque, thanks for a first hand view of TypePad! I'm sure they'll get many more users as the positive reviews keep coming in!

Elznic, you will notice the original article mentioned AdWords, not AdSense. AdWords has been around with Google for a long time (also at the time of writing the article :-) The article has been untouched for approximately a year now, but I dare to claim it's still relevant for newcomers (and not-so-newcomers) to the blog-world. Thanks for the grammar.. will try to update it soon(ish) ;-)

Posted by: Anders on August 8, 2003 11:40 AM

I've been beta-testing TypePad and like it a lot. But for absolute beginners, another good service is SparkPod (www.sparkpod.com). They offer a basic weblog service with a very simple interface. After a 60-day free trial, it's $25/year.

Posted by: Leslie Turek on August 9, 2003 03:41 PM

Thanks a lot, I was trying to make my page a web log and didn't know how.
luck.
marco

Posted by: Marco on February 12, 2005 04:44 PM

a tRiP tO nO wHeRe...

Posted by: lUstFuLoFsOuL on September 13, 2005 11:36 AM

Thankyou for explaining blogs! I was really confused. I'm gonna try to add one to my website now! :)

Posted by: Skippy Starfire on October 1, 2005 04:10 PM

that i want to have a good time and hve fun on the internet

Posted by: Tiffany on October 2, 2005 02:12 AM

ciao everybody
I love you all.
i want to making a blog but i dont know how to start.
help me!

Posted by: oldmannsea on January 2, 2006 07:29 AM
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Cantoni.org: New to Blogs (August 8, 2003 05:41 AM)
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