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I already have a tech blog at http://www.rightnowintech.com and I am considering creating another blog (probably about psychology). I am confused with so many hosting plans and services available. I need help preferably from people who have had experience already.

I don't like Blogger that much because of its limitations in customizability of design. I am thinking of WordPress, as a result. I would really like to start off free, and then later move to my own domain, if the blog does get a lot of readers. But if I do that, I want support for redirection. I don't want to lose anyone.

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Advertising is a top priority here.

How should I go about doing this? What would be MOST cost effective here? Thanks in advance to all who answer

Ryan
2010-12-27 05:10:00
I agree Wordpress is the easiest out there. It is the most widely used which means it is easier to get help and get free plugins.Another option might be joomla for a website, but if you are primarily doing a blog than I would suggest Wordpress.I have a Wordpress site at http:\www.ryanwalex.com
jhpot
2010-12-17 14:53:00
MakeUseOf adores Wordpress. Everything you see on this site, from our blog to answers to geeky fun, is Wordpress-based. The flexibility is amazing, and it's well documented.To answer your specific concerns: you can easily migrate your Wordpress.com site to your own domain later. Wordpress.com even supports redirecting your users to your new site once you're done migrating; I've done it before. But really, I'd recommend you just dive straight in and start using your own domain right away. All of your search engine credibility won't need to be transfered, for example, and you'll learn a lot about running your own site quickly. GoDaddy offers hosting with a domain for as little as $55/year, so it doesn't cost much to get started. Once you outgrow them as a host you can easily migrate to better waters!I'd highly recommend reading through that guide. If you think you could handle the installation process (believe me: it's not that hard) then go ahead and give it a shot. If not, set up on Wordpress.com and migrate to your own domain when you're ready. Let me know what you do!
Antriksh Yadav
2010-12-20 15:30:00
I have used WordPress before, and I like it. I didn't know that WordPress.com supports redirection. I guess I'll go with that then. If I get lots of traffic, I'll move to WordPress.org and start advertising. I was looking for advertising support right from the free hosting time. But since there is no other option, I'll experiment with WordPress.com and think of advertising later.
Saki
2010-12-17 11:07:00
Yes, Wordpress is the best choice. Start with wordpress.com free domain, where you can't advertise but later you can switch to wordpress.org. Most of the bloggers suggest this way. Makeuseof has a nice guide to wordpress.I have also heard that typepad has nice and useful options as well, but it is not free so I haven't tried it.
Antriksh Yadav
2010-12-20 15:27:00
Thanks. I'll go with WordPress then!
Aibek
2011-01-01 16:56:00
Wordpress is definitely the best choice for many. I would suggest going with self hosted Wordpress setup though. Better host the site on your own domain, regardless of how small it is.
Antriksh Yadav
2011-01-01 17:16:00
Yes I know. But I still think I'll start off free and see if my idea for a blog turns out to be good.
Aibek
2011-01-02 12:00:00
good luck!