I'm thinking about...

[Angel135612]

Starting a blog. I would like some information from those of you that have been blogging, as to what is a good blog hosting site. I would prefer one for free, to get started. Since I'm not sure how often I will be posting, or exactly what I want to have on it.. I just want to experiment with blogging to see if I really want to have one. I also would like to have a blog where I can post pictures of my creations, and be able to link them to other sites if I need to. I'm thinking about keeping it private or limiting who can read it, until I get more comfortable with posting so not sure if that is an option on free sites.
Any advice on blogging would be welcome.

[LisaH]

I use Blogger (tons if people do) and then there's Wordpress (don't know if it's free or not). Just do some searching on the net, and I'm sure you will find the right fit.

Glad you are testing the waters, it can be fun as long as you don't let it consume you or make you feel pressured to post.

[Elizabeth]

I use Blogger also. It is free and easy to set up. You can google "free blogger backgrounds" to find a background that you like. There are tons of them out there. You can set it up so it is only available to readers you select, who will sign on with a password. There is also an option to block it from search engines, so folks don't stumble on it by chance. I keep mine public, but am pretty careful not to put anything very personal on it.

Have fun, and let us know when you are ready to share it. I love to keep up with everyone's blogs. I have Whizzy's up and ready to read as soon as I finish up reading the posts here.

[Gigi]

How funny Diane. I have been thinking about it too - just can't seem to get focused enough to decide what I want to do and how!!

Wouild love to hear what you discover - this may get me moving in that direction! LOL or not!

[rachellann]

I use blogger and there are many site that you can find other backgrounds that can be used it is easy to set up and not hard to manage at al.

[newbiecat]

Looking forward to seeing what you decide, I make videos as and when something interesting or a question pops up - havent blogged yet since I dont want the extra pressure in my life just now - I hugely admire all the people who manage to do it regularly and find them very inspirational so thank you all again for the lollipop moments

Pandora

[Gigi]

Oh Pandora - you hit the nail on the head of what is stopping me. One more thing to do - the pressure. I just don't know if I want that "one more thing". And then there is the learning curve, and the time on the computer (it's rare when I am off it as is) etc etc.

I have seen a lot of people moving from blogger to wordpress lately - anyone know why. And when they do they say things like "finally off blogger". Perhaps it is the larger companies who are blogging - not paying a lot of attention as to who is moving.

Am thinking about it..........am recently getting back into baking and cooking too so thinking about how to weave them all together....... hmmmm!!

Thanks again for your videos , Pandora. They are awesome!

[PennyDuncan]

I too use blogger and really like it...I stepped into the waters of Wordpress....but much more prefer Blogger......it is free and if you are a beginner.....it would be very easy to set one up for yourself.....Google has done a wonderful job of tweeking the abilities you have to make your blog yours.......

[Angel135612]

Gigi I am not sure how much time I can devote to a blog, I barely have enough time to do much crafting as it is. But I am looking at it as a way to help get me organized, and keep a record, so to speak of sites I visit and "experiments" I have tried, and even projects that I manage to complete. I know I won't be posting on a daily basis, I can't imagine doing anything on a daily basis that someone else would want to read about. But if I visit a cool website and share that, and someone gets some inspiration from that, or I spend some time "experimenting" and share what I learned, and someone decides to try something new, or I complete a project and someone gets motivated to complete a project of their own, then my little postings helped.

If my blog doesn't get read by any one, and all I manage to do is keep track of projects or experiments or website (or anything else I may keep track of) then that works for me too. Because then when I want to "create" something and I don't have any idea on what I want to do, I can read through my blog and hopefully find something that once inspired me and I can find a site that I want to take another look at, and remember WHY I wanted to look at the site to begin with. If I just bookmark a site I want to visit again, I may not get back to it for several weeks or even months sometimes, and by then I will forget what it was I wanted to look at... since I can't "post" any comments on my bookmark list. LOL My bookmark list for crafting is long, and when I go back through them, I wonder why I bookmarked some of them to begin with. Some sites I do visit regularly, but some I of them I get interrupted when I'm looking at them and want to go back, so I bookmark it. But by the time I think to go back, I don't get back to the same post, and I can't find it, and can't figure out why I bookmarked it in the first place.

So I guess what I'm saying is I think I want to start a blog, as a type of journal, a place to keep track of things that inspire me in some way. A place where I can put my thoughts into words and go back to them when I get stuck, and have them all in one place. And when I'm ready, be able to share it all with others. And if it grows into something wonderful then that is great.. if it remains something that only I see, that is good too... just another step on lifes journey.. and who knows where it is going to lead.

[whizzy]

Sounds like a plan Diane & while you're testing it all out & deciding which direction you're going in you have the option of keeping posts private until you're ready to share etc. Using it as a place to track things is a good idea (I mainly use Growly Notes & rarely bother about bookmarks any more as like most people I ended up with a bazillion & rarely returned to them.)

[Gigi]

That makes a lot of sense. I too have a ton of bookmarks and often wonder the same thing when I go back and look at tjwm
.

thanks for sharing- good thought process.

[kim]

well, i don't know the first thing about blogging but I was just on Background Fairy (same person as Graphics Fairy but different stuff) and noticed that she has a lot of free backgrounds and things for blogs AND "help" tips. You should check it out. I noticed that she uses Blogger.

[Angel135612]

Thanks Kim I have never seen background Fairy, but love looking though the graphics fairy stuff...will have to go check it out.

[kim]

I was just noseying around on her site (Background Fairy) and noticed that she has a ton of different little "tips" or tutorials on how to set up or "decorate" your blog. It looks like a "How To" guide overall.

[whizzy]

Diane, if you go the Blogger route, check out http://leelou-blogs.com/ — she has heaps of tutorials plus free blog sets etc.

[Angel135612]

Thanks Kim and Whizzy...will be sure to check them both out when I have a chance.

[Angel135612]

Okay, I have decided to just jump in and start my blog. I have made one post so far, and if any one wants to see it the link is in my siggy line. I don't intend to post on a daily basis, but I hope to post something at least a couple times a month if not weekly. Just have to see how much I have to say... LOL

[Gigi]

Geesh - are you using blogger??? I must have tried 50 names and they are all taken!!! And I can't get excited about any of the ones that are available! LOL

Good for you for getting started!

[Angel135612]

Yes Gigi, I am using blogger, and I think this was the second choice I made. Not sure I'm going to keep it, but I couldn't think of anything else at the time I started working on it. I still have a lot of work to do on it, but I wanted to be able to start sharing some things so just decided to jump in and start and work on the rest of it as I go.

[Elizabeth]

Looks great, Diane!