Response to Glitter Designs: Free Blogging Services

Dear sell Handmade crafts online:


I was looking into a blog to promote my shop and I wanted to know which service to use as right now I can not really afford to pay for a blog. I know there is blogspot which this blog is offered on but what are some other good free blogging options, and which is the best for a crafter like me?


Thanks much,
Glitter Designs

Dear Glitter Designs,

It's great that you've decided to start blogging! Blogging can be very rewarding and useful way to promote your business.  Luckily for you, there are quite a few free blogging sites out there, in fact, there's too many to mention! I'll just go over a few of the most popular ones.


Blogger - Blogger is known for being low-maintenance and easy to set up. You have a lot of options for personalizing your blog, including the setting of your blog URL (www.(yourchoice).blogspot.com). It can be a great site to start on if you have no experience in blogging. You can manage multiple blogs from one blogger account and receive an RSS feed update in your dashboard of blogs you "follow." And of course, it's completely free!

WordPress -  WordPress offers a lot of tools for the experienced blogger. While they do have a free service, they also have a paid option, which offers video hosting, ad free service, and increased storage. There's a lot more customization options available with WordPress, but it can be overwhelming to a new blogger.  Unlike other blog platforms, WordPress has a few mobile applications available for smart phones.

LiveJournal - LiveJournal is probably one of the oldest "blog-like" platforms out there. LiveJournal has a lot more community options than most blogging platforms.You can set your profile/blog URL (yourchoice.livejournal.com)  and they have free account option available but it does come with advertising. However, people who are more interested in the community aspect of blogging might want to try out LiveJournal.

Tumblr - Tumblr is another free site whose focus is on ease of use and customization. On Tumblr users can create a "tumblelog" or short-format blog. They also have some different types of blogging features allowing users to "reblog" (similar to Twitter retweeting),  and "like" posts (similar to Facebook's "like" feature). On Tumblr members can post video, photos, quotes, links, chat, audio, and of course text.You can also set your own URL as www.(yourchoice).tumblr.com.


As for which of these services is the best, you'll have to decide for yourself! Play around with each of these platforms or other ones and decide which one works best for you. You can also check out our Social Media Guide to Blogging to learn how to get started writing blogs and the types of posts to make.  If you're looking for more free blogging service, check out this Mashable article, 40+ Free Blog Hosting Platforms.