| There are many choices for web hosting | | | | for you. I have seen Google shut down many |
| companies available and for blogging there are | | | | blogs because they considered them to be spam. |
| many free choices offered as well. The question | | | | If you want control over your own destiny then |
| that comes to mind to me is, "Is free webhosting | | | | you want to use paid web hosting and have your |
| cheap?" What I mean by that is what is it going | | | | blogs on your own server, or at least a shared |
| to cost me in terms of functionality and | | | | server. |
| accessibility. Let's take a look at some of the | | | | Still in the realm of free web hosting you also |
| comparisons between free web hosting and paid | | | | have a fairly new option from Wordpress who |
| web hosting. | | | | now offers a free web hosting for Wordpress |
| Unless you have been living under a rock for the | | | | blogs at their .com site as opposed to the .org |
| last couple of years then you know that blogging | | | | site where you get the software and plug ins. The |
| has become a formidable force on the internet | | | | problem is that like Google, they are very |
| and has allowed many people to get an online | | | | restrictive with what you can put on your blogs |
| presence that may otherwise have been unable | | | | and how you update them. |
| to do so. Many of these people are making their | | | | Another big issue with free web hosting is that |
| living by blogging and some like Jason Calcanis | | | | you will usually have to display advertising of |
| have become wealthy from it. Jason built a | | | | some sort which "pays" for your web hosting. |
| network of blogs over about eighteen months | | | | This is great for the web hosting companies |
| and sold them to AOL for nearly $30 million! | | | | because it gives them tons of virtual real estate |
| That's a pretty good ROI. Anyway, I digress, | | | | out there with their name on it, not so great for |
| back to our discussion on web hosting. | | | | you. If you are blogging professionally, and if you |
| If you have decided that you want to operate a | | | | are trying to make money for it then you are |
| blog your next choice will probably be what | | | | blogging professionally, you do not want any |
| blogging platform or software you want to use to | | | | distractions on your site that leads visitors away |
| accomplish you blogging. Relax, it's easy. Most of | | | | from your site unless you are being paid for it like |
| the blogging software out there today is open | | | | you do when someone clicks on an Adsense ad |
| source which means it's, you guessed it, free! In | | | | or affiliate banner. |
| this instance free is not a bad thing, I use | | | | My recommendation is that you pay for your |
| Wordpress almost exclusively, it is free and has | | | | own hosting because it gives you a wealth of |
| more options that I care to learn or use. There | | | | choices, much more storage space, and takes |
| are other blogging software options available, but I | | | | almost all restrictions off of you within reason. |
| won't go into them here because this article is | | | | There are still some web hosting companies that |
| about web hosting. | | | | will not allow you to host gambling or porno blogs |
| As far as web hosting for your blog you can | | | | but other than that you are pretty open. Paid |
| choose free web hosting or paid so let's take a | | | | web hosting is not that expensive. You can get an |
| closer look at our choices. First off, you can | | | | account that will host as many blogs as most |
| choose Blogger which is owned by Google. Blogger | | | | people will want to deal with a few bucks a |
| is a good program especially for beginning | | | | month. So for the cost of a domain name and |
| bloggers because it is easy to use, it is web | | | | your hosting you will probably be around $100 a |
| based, and the price is right. It's free. With that | | | | year. That is a pretty cheap investment for |
| said however, if your intention is to blog | | | | something that enables you to plug into all the |
| professionally and possibly run a large number of | | | | ways of earning money on the net. |
| blogs with automated content then Blogger is not | | | | |