Guest Post: 2013 Blog Service Comparisons

GUEST POST:  http://blog-services-review.toptenreviews.com/

   BLOG EVERDAY!   Don't be lazy!  There's always something to blog about!  Your life is interesting and the world is full of wonderful things to share.  (my tip for the day!)


Blogging is the easiest and quickest avenue for non–coders to get their message online. Most blog services are even free for casual or non–demanding professional uses.
Individuals and companies publish blogs for a variety of reasons; some blogs are launched for marketing purposes, others are posted just for fun.
Here are a few things you can do with a personal or professional blog:
Personal Blogs:

• Journal – Most sites support private blogs that can be used as a journal or public blogs for sharing. Some bloggers use weblogs to publish their travelogue, personal thoughts or daily events.
• Special Interest – Write on your favorite hobby or subject. Share tips on cooking, photography, gaming or other hobby. Or write on your favorite topic, you can write on any subject from Victorian Literature to Fur Balls, there are no boundaries.
• Family Blog – Most Blog services let you set up multiple users with passwords, so you could start a family blog. Family members can login and add posts and images to share with the rest of the family.

Professional Blogs:

• Product Promotion – Many individuals and companies use blogs for free marketing. Posts can be created as product reviews, articles, news or whatever. You can also link your blog to your corporate or sales sites.
• Customer Education – Blogs can be used to inform customers. A corporate blog can contain product news, tips, company news, articles and more to educate customers or shareholders about products, services or corporate happenings.
• News and Information – Numerous blogs are used to relate current events. Some bloggers publish national news and commentary; others use blogs to cover local events.

In this site, you’ll find articles related to Blogging, as well as comprehensive reviews and a side–by–side comparison to help you make an informed decision on which Blog Service is right for you. At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™

What to Look for in a Blog Service

Blogging can be a highly personal endeavor, so you will want to look for a blog site that suites your needs. Some blog tools are tied into personal pages whereas others are integrated with social networking.
On the other hand, other blog services are intended for professional use and include the ability to customize templates, monitor visitors and track referrers.
So when looking for a blog service, pick one that offers you the kind of exposure you want and complements your level of expertise.
Below are the criteria TopTenREVIEWS used to evaluate Blog Services:

Blog Design Tools
The top blog sites offer an assortment of templates and tools to customize blog entries, including the capability to add photos and sidebar links. Services ought to offer tools for experienced coders as well as non–coders, such as the ability to compose posts in code or through a text editor.

Promotion/ Tracking Tools
A number of sites host their own blog site with a directory, other blogging services facilitate blog design and submit your blog to several directories. A few also offer tools to help you track visitors, referrers and comments.

Ease of Use
Frequently blogs are composed and posted by those that do not code, so it is necessary that the service be simple enough for all levels of expertise.

Technical Help/Support
Since many blogging sites are free, technical support is principally limited to online documentation like FAQs and a searchable knowledge-base. However, the best sites also post tutorials and a weblog that covers help topics.

For the easiest to use, free blog service we could find, see WordPress.com. Or if you are interested in working with code, see Blogger.

"10 Interesting Blog Trends"  by Pamela S. Stevens

While researching Blog services we stumbled across some interesting and some not so interesting blogs. A number of people write about dull topics like the social life of their dust bunnies, whereas others write about controversial or motivating topics that inspire empathy and action.
Blogs are an outlet and a stimulator, and unlike many publishing sources, blogs are equally available to everyone. So no matter how uncommon, unique or trivial the topic is, it can be shared.
Here are 10 interesting trends we have noticed in the Blogosphere:

1. Informative Blogs:We commend the time it must take to research and write informative blogs. Some cover topics in history or current events; others relate detailed information on hobbies, techniques or procedures.
2. Creative Rants:Rants are posted everywhere and we understand that it must feel good to get the frustration out. But some bloggers have made the extra effort to make their rants entertaining, informative and even funny.
3. Company Weblogs:Companies are beginning to see the benefit of projecting a more “human” or “approachable” image and are publishing blogs. We have seen some blogs that do a good job at educating customers about products or even frustrations and accomplishments involved in developing a new product.
4. Personal Accounts:Often news broadcasters/ publishers do not have the time or space to relate the whole story. Some writers are taking it upon themselves to document the daily details of an event, like a political race or a natural disaster. This has added a ground level, human voice to pivotal events.
5. Cultural Introspectives:Some people are using their blogs to help others understand their culture, history and social views, in hope that understanding will inspire improved global relations and altruistic action.
6. Pioneering Ideas:Many blogs start a buzz or promote original ideas before they are realized or marketed to the general public. Since most blogs are not motivated by monetary goals they are free avenues of discussion of innovative or alternative thought.
7. Niche Notching:Blogs are cheap or free and readily available, so even blogs that cover obscure or unique topics find readers. No matter what your interest is, you can find a blog on that topic.
8. Family Blogs:Staying in touch is hard and there are always schedule conflicts. Some families use a blog to share family news and pictures and the blog is available to the entire family anytime of day.
9. Creative Writing:Getting published is hard; publishing a book takes a long time and comes with challenges. Some writers are skipping the traditional publishing route and just writing. Blogs can get a writers work out to the world in a hassle free manner. We found many well–composed and thoughtful posts originated by talented writers.
10. Travel Blogs:We discovered interesting travel accounts. Some bloggers write about vacationing, others about their tour of service or their research and humanitarian efforts in an impoverished or developing country.

Blogs can inspire, inform or incite. They can be used to document the smallest detail of one life or the largest, most urgent issues of the entire human race. No matter the topic or the writer this avenue of self expression is open to everyone.
If you are interested in starting your own blog, see WordPress.

need more help with this?  Please see:  http://blog-services-review.toptenreviews.com/   Have anything to add to this to help us learn more as bloggers?   Please COMMENT!  Thanks we all need to grow as bloggers...