In a time where virtually anyone can have their own website, one of the most popular methods for quickly deploying a robust personal website is by using a blogging system. To go down this road, a person has a few choices. They could of course get a blog for free through WordPress or Blogger, or they could build their own using a blog framework, customizing the design and application, and hosting it on their own server (like this blog for example).
Whatever the case may be, I thought it would be useful share a list of free/open source blogging resources I use on a regular basis.
Free Blog Hosts
- Vox (an awesome new blogging system featured in this month’s Wired Magazine.)
- Blogger
- WordPress
- LiveJournal
- Yahoo Geocities
Open Source Blog Frameworks
- WordPress (In my opinion, the best framework available)
- B2Evolution
- TextPattern
- Nucleus
- Drupal (A very robust CMS framework; however, does the duties of a blog engine very well)
Blog Design Resources
- 80 WordPress Themes (Does one look familiar?)
- Kaushal Sheth (TextPattern & WordPress)
- 10 Best WordPress Themes
- 980 WordPress Themes
- ThemesPress (An awesome service where for a small price they will turn your static XHTML design into a WordPress theme. Okay, it’s not free but, it’s well worth it.)
- Text Garden (TextPattern)
- NucleusSkins
- B2Evolution Skins
- Drupal Themes
Blog Plugins/Modules
- John Chow – My Top 10 Best WordPress Plugins
- WordPress Plugin Database
- Top WordPress Plugins
- Drupal Modules
- B2Evolution Plugin Directory
Other Resources
- Blog Software Comparison Chart
- Blog Tutorial – Tips For Blog Templates & Blog Design In Photoshop
- 21 Surefire Tips for a Successful Blog Launch
- How to Make Money From Your Blog
- How to get traffic for your blog
– Neil Harner