Blogging

Many people are visual and understand concepts better when they see graphics or images. Certainly websites that include some photos make the user experience nicer. But short of hiring an expensive photographer every time you want a photo, posting photos on your website can become a nuisance searching for copyright-free material. Because of this, we feel that we should let you in on some little secrets of where to find copyright-free stock photos on the web.

Microsoft is a haven for stock photos. Just go to their clip art, free images, photos and sounds page and you will find many categories which include over 3,000,000 (three million) graphics! Because of Word, Publisher, and Power Point, Microsoft offers the images online, as there are too many to put on a disk. Plus they are regularly adding new photos so you might just find what you need.

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If you are searching for a suitable CMS platform that enacts in a lightweight manner (while completing the tasks), allow me to introduce you to Nucleus CMS. There are certain requirements expected from a content management system. Some of them include stable operation without compromising the integrity of the website and ease of maintenance of the website. The learning curve must not be steep either. Nucleus CMS fulfills all the above-mentioned criteria. Web administrators often consider this software package for swiftly creating good-looking dynamic websites. The vantages that are in store for you if you opt for Nucleus CMS will be highlighted in the rest of the sections.

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The number of open source content management systems is on the rise. b2evolution is one such platform that is embraced by many web administrators to host their websites. Like the other competing CMS platforms, the end-user is provided with an assortment of features in b2evolution.

One of the best advantages that are often touted in the geek circles is the ease of installation of b2evolution in a particular web space. The need to edit the configuration files is absent in this platform and this makes the b2evolution an ideal CMS platform for novice web administrators. However, never underestimate the capabilities of this open source web publishing software package.

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TypePad is a powerful blogging platform that works a little different than other blog creation sites. It is a subscription based system meaning that it is not free, which distinguishes Typepad from Blogger or WordPress.com. Users choose a monthly package from three choices, the Plus package, the Unlimited, and the Business Class. Prices range from $8.95 to $14.95 to $89.95 per month. A fourteen-day trial offer is available but you still must provide billing information and your subscription ends only if you cancel the service. Even though it is not free, TypePad is still considered one of the most popular blogging sites.

Following are listed some of the reasons why users like TypePad and reasons why they dislike it.

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WordPress is a leading “web publishing platform”. Many website administrators effectively deploy the same on their websites. In fact, the user base of administrators who seek the aid of this platform is always in the rise. The following sections serve as an introduction to WordPress – certain advantages of the same platform will also be discussed extensively. The rise of the internet paved the way to the rapid development and utilization of web technologies. All of a sudden, the masses started to create websites, as if there is no tomorrow. Ease of use was one of their primitive requirements. Needless to state but mastering WordPress is a simple and straightforward process.

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Movable Type is a web-publishing platform just like WordPress. Although it is relatively unknown in comparison to other leading publishing technologies, Movable Type is still being opted for manifold reasons. You have to consider something – almost all the web-publishing technologies include the same feature set. You are free to opt for one among them.

As a rule of thumb, it is better to concentrate on one web-publishing platform – instead of being another “jack of all trades”. I would strongly recommend you to test these technologies and select one amongst them – for the time being, allow me to demonstrate the features of Movable Type.

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There exist countless sorts of web publishing systems. Although most of them function alike, these systems are designed to augment the functionality of a website in their own ways. WordPress is a common example (for an effective desktop web publishing system) that is widely employed these days. Certain power users who look forward to optimizing their websites utilize Textpattern. The advantages (and the disadvantages) of this web publishing system will be highlighted in the rest of the paragraphs. Some of the web administrators concentrate on developing websites that include dynamic content, and it is they who prefer Textpattern.

You must understand that Textpattern is an Open Source offering. In plainer terms, there are millions of developers working in tandem to ensure that the end user can enjoy one of the best experiences while deploying Textpattern. The Open Source tag, likewise, enables literally anyone to download the CMS for free and utilize it on their websites. You need not have to worry about support and documentation – they are also available freely in the form of discussion forums. It is quite natural to have doubts about deploying Textpattern effectively – head over to the official forums to participate in the discussions held there.

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WordPress, Movable Type and Textpattern were free CMS platforms. ExpressionEngine, on the other hand, is a proprietary platform developed by EllisLab. I fully understand the queries that might pass through your mind – should one opt for ExpressionEngine, especially when there are other free alternatives. The bottom line is simple as well as straightforward; those who have no working knowledge of PHP will find the ExpressionEngine to be exceedingly useful. In simpler terminologies, the novice web administrators will like this CMS platform. The various flavors of ExpressionEngine along with their subtle differences will be outlined in the following passages.

ExpressionEngine is available in three flavors – Core, Personal and Commercial. The Personal and Commercial versions are priced $99.95 and $249.95 respectively. This is a onetime fee, though. The Core version of ExpressionEngine is available for free. If you ask me, I would suggest you to familiarize yourself with the Core version before jumping ships and purchasing the pricier versions. The Core version does not come with technical support too. In case of doubts, you will have to consult the official documentation or ask for support from the community forums.

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WordPress.com is an exciting blogging platform that can help you get on the internet with no cost and little work. Unlike wordpress.org where you install the script on your own hosting account and domain, wordpress.com does not require web hosting nor domain names. Everything is stored right on the wordpress.com site and you are basically up and running in a matter of minutes. That sounds like a whole bunch of advantages, no?

For new webmasters, this is the ideal solution to express yourselves and get your opinions published without the hassle of dealing with web hosting, php and editing template files…

So let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of using WordPress.com as a blogging platform…

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