Page 152 - Social Media Marketing

136 Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman

Free, Hosted Platfonns

The blogging platforms I introduced in the section on test driving a
blog for free are sometimes referred to asfree, hosted platforms. Cheap
and easy, these hosted platforms can have you up and running in
about five minutes and cost nothing to set up and maintain. You
don't need to subscribe to a hosting service, install the blog software
(which can be complicated), or even be technically inclined.

The trouble is, you get little flexibility in choosing a design and
an Internet address for your blog; the address usually ends up being
the name of your blog tacked on to the beginning of the company's
address-something like yourblogname.blogspot.com (on Blogger)
or yourblogname.wordpress.com (on WordPress.com). Hobbyists
may not mind these limitations, but as a business blogger, you need
more flexibility.

Keep It Simple with Turnkey Solutions

The easiest way to set up and manage a custom blog with your own
domain name is to hire a service to do it for you. Several companies
offer turnkey blogging solutions. The company registers a domain
for you, installs the blogging platform, and hosts your blog. (Some
companies may even customize the design for you.) All you have
to do is supply the content, and you can usually hire that out, too.
This can also be the most expensive option.

Turnkey solutions vary from general-purpose to highly special-
ized services. An example of a general-purpose turnkey solution
is TypePad (typepad.com), which is suitable for both per-
sonal and professional blogs. Kinetic Knowledge (kineticknowl-
edge.com)however specializes in blogs for real estate agents and
other business professionals.

Do It Yourself with a Standalone Platfonn

If you are willing to get your hands dirty, want to learn more about
blogging, and have some technical aptitude, you can set up and