free blogs?

[Ruthie]

I was thinking a blog might be a way to keep up with soaping experiments cause I could copy and paste recipes, put photos with them and generally keep track of stuff. But I do not know where to begin. I thought I saw something on SMF about blogs but can't find it today. If you have one I'd like to know! It needs to be free, so I can spend more $$ on soaping supplies.
Thanks!!

 

[Genny]

Blogger is free.

 

[maiseycat]

Blogger is what I use as well. They have a lot of default templates to choose from, but you can find a ton more by searching for "Free Blogger Templates". I find it very user friendly

 

[2lilboots]

Yay I just created my first blog!!!!!

 

[maiseycat]

Oooh! What's the address?

 

[2lilboots]

KayJensoap.blogspot.com

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

You guys just inspired me to start my own blog on blogspot last night!
It's "under construction" (ok, there are 2 posts) but here it is:
http://www.AlchemyandAshes.blogspot.com
I also added a Twitter account: @AlchemyandAshes
I figure the more Internet presence the better...now I just hope I can keep up with a FB, Twitter, Blog, Etsy, Web page...bejeebus what have I gotten myself into? :shock:

 

[maiseycat]

I've bookmarked both of your pages Looks like a good start so far.

 

[LovelyMalia]

What a great idea!

I've been wondering how I can make a "soaper's journal" and be able to include pics! I have so many other blogs, I can't believe I didn't think of this!

Once my new soap stuff comes in from Amazon, I'm going to start a blog to track my process

 

[maiseycat]

Awesome! Please post the address when you make it so I can check it out and add it to my blog roll

 

[danahuff]

A blog is a GREAT idea for a soaper's journal. I would also throw in suggestions for WordPress and Weebly, which are both free. Weebly is super easy. It's all drag-and-drop.

I work in a school as a technology integration specialist and have been blogging, Tweeting, etc. for years, so please feel free to use me as a resource if you have questions about anything.

 

[Ruthie]

A blog is a GREAT idea for a soaper's journal. I would also throw in suggestions for WordPress and Weebly, which are both free. Weebly is super easy. It's all drag-and-drop.

Thanks- this is what I was looking for. Weebly is great!
http://grandiosesimplicity.weebly.com

 

[danahuff]

Thanks- this is what I was looking for. Weebly is great!
http://grandiosesimplicity.weebly.com

Great, Ruthie. Have fun with it!

 

[deg195]

WOW, I want to start a blog and be able to sell soaps thru it. What is the best way to start. I have had a blog before (long time ago for scrapbooking) but did not realize you could sell thru it. I see on others you have a "shop" button. How do I set this up?
Thanks in advance for a novice blogger...

 

[melstan775]

I don't know if a shop is something you can set up on a free account deg. Check out the features of wordpress and blogger and see if they have it. Otherwise, you can always add a SHOP link to your menus and have it direct to a sore like Etsy. I have a paid website which I blog through using the full software version of WordPress. It is less then $100 for a year of hosting including your URL, so at less then $10 a month, I think investing and having full control of your website is well worth it. I always recommend a host that has WordPress installs and staying away from any host's website builder because that is asking for every trouble you can think of. Stay away from GoDaddy for your host, they are known for their litany of bad sales and billing practices.

 

[deg195]

Melstan- So, if I have a paid website I could facilitate people shopping through the site? This is what I want. I checked out your blog and love it...May I ask what "website" company u use or ones with good reputations?

 

[melstan775]

sure deg. My host is Arvixe. They have a 99% uptime, and in fact the only time I've only been down is when I am doing a lot of editing, so it probably has something to do with me overloading my server - I type and code like the wind blows! For themes I use WooThemes. Their code is clean, crisp, easy to read, and kind of standard among all their themes. I say kind of because they have more then one programmer, so the codes are all slightly different, however, you can tell who has created any given theme once you have seen enough of them to know whose work is whose. WooThemes also offers business and store websites and a free plugin especially for commerce. Even some of their commerce themes are free, if you're really short on money. The layout of my soaping blog is built on PostCard, and my hairdressing website (melissastanford.com - same url, different directory then the soap blog), is built on DigitalFarm, which I think is discontinued now.

 

[danahuff]

Hi there! I just wanted to add I have a set up similar to Melissa's. I use Bluehost for hosting, and I highly recommend them. I also have WordPress installed on my site to run my blog, and like Melissa, I set up WooCommerce, a plugin that allows you to set up a store. I am still populating my store, but my Etsy one is pretty much up to date.

 

[melstan775]

I've also used BlueHost in the past. I found their CPanel configuration (website bckend) harder then it had to be and they were a bit slow. However, WordPress suggests BlueHost as one of the better hosts for WordPress installation, so I can recommend them as well, if you want to be sure you get a WordPress compatible host.