Trying to start a free blog...Help please!

You guys have given me motivation to try out blogging. So now I am trying to figure out how to get everything setup. I was expecting one site could do it all but I am finding out that is not the case. All of the how to set up blog tutorials I have found seems to only explain blogs I have to pay for. I am lost in the new to me terminology of website building to make things more confusing... :headscratch:

My goal is to start off with a self hosted blog on wordpress. I have heard about sites like .tk , and byethoust but in what order do I set these up? Is a free blog feasible in this manner? I would like to test out ads even if they are only worth a few dollars a year.

Where do I start?

Hi jere,

Congrats on taking the first step into blogging and thanks for posting this - I'm sure that lots of guys have the same questions.

Writing on a topic about which you're passionate can be rewarding in a variety of ways. Beyond merely earning money (and those earnings are likely to be extremely minimal for awhile), you may find that creating a community and connecting with its members is an unexpectedly uplifting experience.

A free WordPress (WP) blog (not "self-hosted", which is not free) is an excellent place to start. It's free, you don't have to buy a domain, arrange for a hosting package, or do much (if anything) in the way of web programming. Once you spend a little time configuring your first WP site, you'll see why so many others have done the same - it's readily approachable and a few hours of work can result in an attractive and highly functional website.

The chief downsides to the free WP blogs are: a limited number of available themes (the site's overall appearance), no plugins allowed (used to extend your site's feature set), and no ads.

That said, it's a great place to get your feet wet and your free WP blog can be easily migrated to a self-hosted (by you - where you own the domain and have arranged for hosting) configuration down the road.

Start by doing some reading and research here:

https://wordpress.org
WPBeginner - Beginner's Guide for WordPress

You're sure to have questions, so please post them in this thread so everyone can benefit from the answers.

Ken

Very good start, I recommend for security question, you always save everything you do (backup). for your computer. That's fine while you learn and works with the free version.

Here my Blog ... I use Blogster Working Hotz
:hattip:

OK so I set up the free word press blog. that was unexpectedly easy, just had to fill in some basic info. no I am really hung up on narrowing the topics down or making the description of what the blog is about broad enough to encompass all the possible ideas.

so for example I don't want to make a political log but at the same time i foresee politics may be dragged into the purpose anyway.

I feel my 8th grade English teacher getting ready to scold me from her grave already :angry:

If your proposed blog has a predominant theme, go with that for the description. Even if you occasionally rove somewhat afield, your readers will (mostly) go along with you, as they'll appreciate the expression of your personal opinion(s).

My two cents… :-)

Ken