Chris Brogan Blog

On the topic of startups, Chris Brogan says if he were to start today “No matter what, the very first piece of social media real estate I’d start with is a blog. It’s a website, with lots of built in features that make it useful from a search perspective, and simple from a content creation perspective. That alone is worth the price of admission.” And Chris should know.

Chris Brogan is a ten year veteran of using social media to build digital relationships for businesses, organizations, and individuals. Chris blogs at www.chrisbrogan.com, a blog in the top 10 of the Advertising Age Power150, and in the top 100 on Technorati.

With a blog virtually anyone can publish their thoughts, ideas and opinions to millions of potential readers.  In return, those readers can “participate” by expressing their view points or comments.  This method of communication is allowing all of us a means to become involved in information rather than just being passive consumers of it.

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary awarded “blog” as “The Word of the Year” in 2004, when more and more people started using them as a means to express themselves personally.  Today, blogs are reaching new heights in popularity.  Many businesses and corporations are increasingly implementing blogs as they discover the flourishing opportunity it provides to build relationships with their existing customers as well as developing relationships with prospective new customers!

We’ve talked to many of our customers who say they want a web-presence.  Cash is tight and they don’t have big advertising budgets. Blogging is a very inexpensive way to help accomplish this goal (all you need is your IX Webhosting account).

Some of our customers haven’t started a blog because they are intimidated by the setup process. That’s where the other Chris comes in.

The 2nd Chris

Now that you’ve heard the reasons that a blog is the first thing to do from Chris Brogan, it’s time to hear from another Chris. Our own Chris Testerman. Chris will help you with the “how” do I start.  Chris created this really awesome video that will show you how to set up a WordPress Blog in your IX Webhosting account in under 2 minutes!

If you don’t have a hosting account here’s an earlier post to let you know why you should.

Now, there’s nothing to hold you back!
Now that you’re ready to start creating your content, you are going to have to start sharing it with someone, right?  So please, feel free to comment to this video with links to the blogs you’ve created.  We’d love to take a look at them!

By the way, here’s a link to the tutorials Chris mentioned in his video: http://www.ixwebhosting.com/index.php/v2/pages.customerCenter

As you consider your options for moving your GeoCities website, you have freedom of choice.

While you can’t choose if you will move that doesn’t mean you can’t choose where you will move.

Will you choose free hosting again after what happened to Geocities?

If the founding fathers were choosing I suspect that they would choose a paid hosting account. In their own words here’s why:

A fondness for power is implanted, in most men, and it is natural to abuse it, when acquired.

Alexander Hamilton
The Farmer Refuted, February 23, 1775

Allow no tyrant to attach letters to your fine name or unfairly tarriff your ad money! Paid Hosting allows registrtration of your own domain name.

Would Hamilton choose this? http://www.geocities.com/Hamilton33/or this? www.alexanderhamilton.com

Let the traffic you generate with your marketing efforts help visitors find you, not your free-hosting provider. If you display ads on your site you keep the ad revenue.

But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.

John Adams
letter to Abigail Adams, July 17, 1775

Never give up the rights to your content. Control your site content with FTP access and File Manager access to hosting account. It is your content, a hosting account can provide essential backup protection. Liberty to transfer your content to another host should never be lost.

Without Freedom of Thought there can be no such Thing as Wisdom; and no such Thing as Public Liberty, without Freedom of Speech.

Benjamin Franklin
writing as Silence Dogood, No. 8, July 9, 1722

If Franklin were writing Poor Richard’s Almanac today, he’d probably be using WordPress instead of lead type. You will have access to web tools to build your website. Add Blogs, Shopping Carts, Forums, or GuestBooks without restrictions!

He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.

Thomas Paine
Dissertation on First Principles of Government, December 23, 1791

Stay secure . Letting someone else insert banner code on your site can expose you to security issues.

Finally, the words of George Washington encouraging your to own your website……….

A people… who are possessed of the spirit of commerce, who see and who will pursue their advantages may achieve almost anything.

George Washington
letter to Benjamin Harrison, October 10, 1784