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Which free blog hosts are "safe" to use?

by bobstevens67
13 replies
Hello all. I just found this forum. It's great! From my initial research on this, it sounds like if you want to use a traditional blog for IM, you're best off doing one like Wordpress and hosting it yourself, which is what I'm planning on doing. However, I'd also like to practice and test some things on some of the free blog hosts, as well as using them in a network with other sites.
Is there a good explanation out there about which ones are "safe" to use for IM? I've heard for example, that wordpress.com will drop you for using affiliate links, while Blogger and Posterous are friendly (I think Amazon Affiliates is actually built into Blogger now). I've seen conflicting info about Tumblr. While they wouldn't be my primary sites, I'd hate to use them, and have a blog pulled out from under me.
#blog #free #hosts #safe
  • Profile picture of the author 60MinuteAffiliate
    hi there, blogging is great.

    when i first started i used blogger over free wordpress because it's super easy and yes very friendly, it's a good way to get started but ultimately i would recommend having your own blogs that you own because it's much safer that way and ultimately much better, especially if one day you decide to sell one.

    good luck with it

    colleen
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Brian
    In this day and age and even during the land before time... anything free is unreliable.
    It's okay to use any of these free blogs as long as you use them as 2nd tier sites and never your main money site.
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  • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
    Using a free blog site like Blogger is just your way of building somebody else's business with no assurances that your own business will be there tomorrow. A domain and hosting will cost you under $20 to get started and installing Wordpress is as simple as clicking a couple of buttons in your control panel.

    With that being said, why on earth would you rather build somebody else's business rather than your own?
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  • Profile picture of the author R Hagel
    Yep, as mentioned above -- there is no "safe" free site. Even sites that seem safe today could change their business model tomorrow... and *poof*, your blog could disappear.

    If you want to test out some things on a separate blog, just get hosting that allows multiple domains at no extra cost, grab a domain (maybe even use a coupon and you'll get it for a buck or two), and set up another WP blog on your domain. Then test away... and sleep well at night knowing that your blog won't disappear tomorrow.

    Cheers,
    Becky
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    • Profile picture of the author bobstevens67
      Who would you suggest as a good host for this? The only hosting company I have any experience with is LunarPages, but I had problems with having IP addresses blacklisted with them.

      Originally Posted by R Hagel View Post

      If you want to test out some things on a separate blog, just get hosting that allows multiple domains at no extra cost, grab a domain (maybe even use a coupon and you'll get it for a buck or two), and set up another WP blog on your domain. Then test away... and sleep well at night knowing that your blog won't disappear tomorrow.

      Cheers,
      Becky
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      • Profile picture of the author R Hagel
        Originally Posted by bobstevens67 View Post

        Who would you suggest as a good host for this? The only hosting company I have any experience with is LunarPages, but I had problems with having IP addresses blacklisted with them.
        Hi Bob,

        I'm not sure who's best in terms of SEO (which it sounds like you're referring to). Check the SEO forum for recommendations from the SEO experts about the best host. Also, check out the "reviews" forum for general info about best web hosts.

        Cheers,
        Becky
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        • Profile picture of the author bobstevens67
          I suppose my 2 main concerns are:

          1. Not getting blacklisted because I'm with a host that's letting itself be used by spammers and such.
          2. Making sure that the host I'm with will allow a sufficient number of blogs to be hosted on the account. For example, a few years ago I was using wordpress blogs for something else, and the host I was using would only allow 3 blogs per hosting account.

          Originally Posted by R Hagel View Post

          Hi Bob,

          I'm not sure who's best in terms of SEO (which it sounds like you're referring to). Check the SEO forum for recommendations from the SEO experts about the best host. Also, check out the "reviews" forum for general info about best web hosts.

          Cheers,
          Becky
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  • Profile picture of the author Trent Brownrigg
    I don't think you should ever rely on a free host for your main blogs. Too many things are out of your control and there are horror stories every day of blogs being deleted for no apparent reason, or hosts shutting down. But they are okay to use for "extra" blogs that you aren't so worried about something happening to. I'd say blogger is probably your best bet.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by bobstevens67 View Post

    Is there a good explanation out there about which ones are "safe" to use for IM?
    I don't know if there's a good explanation, I'm afraid, Bob. You're right to have great reservations about the sites you mentioned, though.

    But I can suggest to you a free host which some professional marketers have been very successfully using for many years. They have paid hosting there, too, at various levels, and they have a good record of gradually converting their free hosting customers to upgrades, simply by offering a great free service with no strings attached. They're well-established and reliable, and they don't put an advertising button on your site, or anything like that.

    Here it is: Free Hosting, Paid Hosting, Reseller Services & VPS Servers : Byet Internet

    Many people say it's ideal for self-hosted Wordpress blogs.
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    • Profile picture of the author donhx
      Your identity is everything. You don't want to put that into the hands of others. It is always best to create your own site using your own hosting. That way, you retain control.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex65
    I have friends who use Siteground and they loved it.
    found quality, speed and good support
    Then you have a domain name for free and free installation of WordPress on the website, excellent for beginners.
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  • Profile picture of the author MissWrite
    Okay, I may be confusing this for myself, but if it isn't safe to use a "free" blog site, what about WordPress (hosted on your own url/site) as a home page full site. It seems like everybody and his brother does that. I know WP does not allow/like marketing on their blog sites that are hosted on them, but is it safe if you use WP on your own site?
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