Free Online Blogging Tools
Blogger
If you have some basic HTML skills and are looking for a free and user-friendly tool, Blogger is a great choice. It's easy to create posts, upload photos in a single step, and customize the HTML to exactly match your Web site. It also offers an easy set-up process to show your blog at your own domain (www.yourorg.org/blog) rather than at Blogger's (organization.blogspot.com). Blogger is now in its 3rd incarnation, and hosted by Google. You'll need to create a (free) Google account to use it.
Expression Engine
ExpressionEngine is a flexible, powerful tool that is targeted at more tech-savvy bloggers. Its relatively easy to install and configure, and you can tailor settings at a very detailed level. Youll need an understanding of HTML to format posts. It offers sophisticated support for a community of bloggers. Both a free ("core") and paid version are available. The paid plan includes unlimited technical support for a one-time licensing fee of $99.95 (for nonprofits), plus $19.95 per year for access to the latest updates.
LiveJournal
LiveJournal is, at its core, a community collaboration tool that allows you to form networks of friends and blogs online.
MySpace
An online community of 150 million people. Twelve million hits a day. Decent tools for creating your own personal Web profile, personal blog and communicating with others. New privacy tools. Free.
Profiles aren't particularly attractive. Individual tools are never as good as what you can get from specialized sites elsewhere.
Terapad
Terapad isn't the most advanced free blogging tool out there, but its business-minded features and 2GB of free storage might make it attractive to entrepreneurial bloggers. Terapad offers easy-to-use tools. E-commerce features. 2GB free storage. Static page editing. Good features for editing posts. Image galleries. Free accounts display ads. Limited customization options.
Vox
This is a solid, attractive blogging tool for people who wouldn't ordinarily blog. It's simple, and if you don't want to broadcast to the world, you don't have to. Free. Easy to use. Good privacy controls. Beautiful pages. Just came out of beta. Still a few bugs here and there, and some new tools are still on the way.
Windows Live Spaces
Microsoft's entry into the world of social networking is a smooth and powerful interface for creating a blog— from your PC or even from your mobile phone!
