# anyone have a blog or know how to start one?



## ronaldj (Dec 26, 2019)

anyone have a blog or know how to start one?


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## Catlady (Dec 26, 2019)

Go here.  I have one with GoDaddy, it was free and easy to set up.  Haven't been there in ages.

https://www.blogtyrant.com/best-blog-host/


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## squatting dog (Dec 26, 2019)

Mine is on wordpress. I use the free version although they have upgrades depending on your needs.
I should add that I have no intention of expanding (online store, sales, etc) so this works fine for me to just put my thoughts down.


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## Gardenlover (Dec 26, 2019)

In my opinion Wix.com is one of the best available. It's free, easy to use and offers many templates. It also offers it's own web hosting.
Wordpress is more flexible (I use both) but with flexibility comes a little sharper learning curve.

Here's a site I made using an upgraded version of Wix: https://www.woodencuriosities.com/
But you can achieve the same results with the free version, but I wanted to tie the site to a specific domain name.


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## Catlady (Dec 26, 2019)

@Gardenlover -  I love your Viking mug, I have several books about Vikings.  You're a very talented woodcarver!


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## Gardenlover (Dec 26, 2019)

Catlady said:


> @Gardenlover -  I love your Viking mug, I have several books about Vikings.  You're a very talented woodcarver!


Thank you Catlady - I created it using a computer and CNC machine. (I wish I could carve that well - )


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## jerry old (Dec 26, 2019)

Catlady and Gardenlover:
I'm curious about this blog thing.  
What are they for: is it your page where you can write anything that is on you mind, does it function as a diary, a place to post
short stories?  What \?

My only experience with this infernal PC was a closed program at work.  
We had internet for two days, then the Computer guy checked the activity of the employees, their were dozens of 
entries where the employees were going to pron sites-Bingo, no more internet, nothing but the  locked work system.


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## Catlady (Dec 26, 2019)

Gardenlover said:


> Thank you Catlady - I created it using a *computer and CNC machine*. (I wish I could carve that well - )


Sounds like the wood version of 3-D printing machines.  Amazing!


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## Catlady (Dec 26, 2019)

jerry r. garner said:


> Catlady and Gardenlover:
> I'm curious about this blog thing.
> What are they for: is it your page where you can write anything that is on you mind, does it function as a diary, a place to post
> short stories?  What \?
> ...


For me, I only started one because I had a shop at Etsy and they all said it helped to spread the word about your shop.   The problem is, you have to find a way to find the traffic and that means posting everywhere and including your URL.  I like writing but got tired of the work involved. 

You can use it like one of our members where he told about living in Alaska, or you can use it like a diary, or like Gardenlover to showcase and sell your items.  There's one where I go sometimes, she tells how she and hubby retired early and live frugally.


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## Catlady (Dec 26, 2019)

Gardenlover said:


> Thank you Catlady - I created it using a computer and CNC machine. (I wish I could carve that well - )


I just thought of this, have you considered opening a shop at Etsy.com?  Check it out.  They charge a listing fee for each item and then a selling fee for the items you actually sell, no contracts to worry about.  I just made jewelry (self-taught) but they have a ton of jewelry sellers and I quit, I doubt there you will have a lot of competition sellers.


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## gennie (Dec 26, 2019)

No, because I doubt there is anyone in the world who is interested in what goes on in my life or my mind.  

Used as a diary or a journal might be fun but it would be just for myself, not to share.  And would only be a time waster.  My day is not long enough as it is.


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## Gardenlover (Dec 26, 2019)

Catlady said:


> I just thought of this, have you considered opening a shop at Etsy.com?  Check it out.  They charge a listing fee for each item and then a selling fee for the items you actually sell, no contracts to worry about.  I just made jewelry (self-taught) but they have a ton of jewelry sellers and I quit, I doubt there you will have a lot of competition sellers.


Thanks Catlady - I have an Etsy shop, it's just not active at the moment - things didn't move very fast.


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## Gardenlover (Dec 26, 2019)

jerry r. garner said:


> Catlady and Gardenlover:
> I'm curious about this blog thing.
> What are they for: is it your page where you can write anything that is on you mind, does it function as a diary, a place to post
> short stories?  What \?
> ...


Blogs can be for fun and popular blogs can be profitable. It can be as simple as sharing ideas with family and friends or as complicated as sharing your expertise with the world. There are blogs for just about anything you can imagine.


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## jerry old (Dec 26, 2019)

Thanks Catlady and Gardenlover.  
Thanks for information, may give it a try


Garden, those aren't carvings there sculptors,
I like them immensely, but cannot for the life of me understand how you can form such exquisite figures  It's beyond anything I would ever attempt, but I can admire them.


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## Catlady (Dec 26, 2019)

Gardenlover said:


> Thanks Catlady - I have an Etsy shop, it's just not active at the moment - things didn't move very fast.


LOL, what I hated the most was listing or relisting an item to bring it to the top, and a few seconds later some big shop would list 25-50+ items at once and my puny little listing ended up several pages back.  I, myself, seldom look past 2-3 pages on Google and such.  I just gave up but never deleted the shop.


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## Fyrefox (Dec 27, 2019)

I also recommend _Wordpress_, where I have a blog.  I did a free one there for years before opting in to a paid one that has a few more bells and whistles.  The blog you create can be about any subject, interest, or topic of your choosing, and customized with features you like...


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## Victor (Dec 29, 2019)

I began a journal on Wordpress, mainly to publish an article I wrote and it is not as easy as it appears.
Too complicated for me; I had someone help me through all the choices. Whole books are written about Wordpress! You can do it for free or pay for services and some domains. I recommend it only if you are very 
skilled with following detailed instructions.
Maybe you mean just a site where you can write your thoughts, 600 words or so. I think Google has an easy one or they did a few years ago. These are free I believe. I wonder who reads them?


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## Keesha (Dec 29, 2019)

Gardenlover said:


> Thank you Catlady - I created it using a computer and CNC machine. (I wish I could carve that well - )


Wow. That is good work. I’ve seen those machines. They have one at busybee. I’m a work carver but do most stuff manually usually carving knives.


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## Gardenlover (Dec 29, 2019)

Keesha said:


> Wow. That is good work. I’ve seen those machines. They have one at busybee. I’m a work carver but do most stuff manually usually carving knives.


Those who can carve well by hand have always amazed me. I like the feel of hand tools and they add a whole new dimension to the work.


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## JimBob1952 (Jan 2, 2020)

ronaldj said:


> anyone have a blog or know how to start one?


I have one.  Very basic on Wordpress.   You pay $48 and follow the instructions.  The hard part is getting views!

https://realliferetirementblog.com/


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## katlupe (Jan 16, 2020)

I do. I used to have four about different topics. Now I since I changed my life and moved I only kept the one on Blogger because it is free and easy to use. My others were on my own server and I also had a business and was selling on eBay and Amazon too. I do not want to sell anything now. So this blog I am writing now, was actually my original blog from 2005. Before that I had one on Yahoo360. So I am working on it, trying to figure out what to focus on now. So far I am writing about my life and how it changed and what I do now. No ads on it anymore as where I live I am certified every year and if I make more money my rent goes up. Most of my readers have stuck with me and are friends with me on Facebook.


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## MarciKS (Jun 8, 2020)

I have one on Simple Site that's pretty basic. I used to have one that was HTML based but it's been a long time.


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## Devi (Jun 8, 2020)

There's also WordPress.com.


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## MarciKS (Jun 8, 2020)

They posted that further back in other posts Devi


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## Devi (Jun 8, 2020)

Ah, okay @MarciKS. Thanks.


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## LindaB (Jun 9, 2020)

If you are just interested in keeping a personal journal I would suggest keeping it private on your own computer with a program such as Word or any word processing program. You can then save it to a file with any title you choose. Then it won't accidentally be out there in a cloud or the "netherworld. "


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## JaniceM (Jun 9, 2020)

I have Weebly and Blogspot.


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## CallmeIshmael (Aug 23, 2020)

Some friends of mine started one at Grumbling Gurus.  They kind of have a do it yourself bent towards personal finance issues for retirees - they got the idea when one of them had a scare from, shall we say, an unscrupulous "financial advisor" and wanted to do something about it.


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## CallmeIshmael (Aug 23, 2020)

CallmeIshmael said:


> Some friends of mine started one at Grumbling Gurus.  They kind of have a do it yourself bent towards personal finance issues for retirees - they got the idea when one of them had a scare from, shall we say, an unscrupulous "financial advisor" and wanted to do something about it.


pretty sure they are using wordpress


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## bowmore (Aug 28, 2020)

I got sandbagged by Earthlink. I had created a website about our travels using Trellix. Earthlink discontinued access to it, and it meant I would have to create a totally new website, which I was not going to do. 
Anyway all our trip stories except 2019 Alaska cruise are still there. There are also some stories of trips I took before meeting Kayelle.
www.stevekathytravels.com


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## Youngatheart (Oct 18, 2020)

I have a blog but most people find it boring. Starting a simple blog is easy.


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## Rosemarie (Oct 18, 2020)

LindaB said:


> If you are just interested in keeping a personal journal I would suggest keeping it private on your own computer with a program such as Word or any word processing program. You can then save it to a file with any title you choose. Then it won't accidentally be out there in a cloud or the "netherworld. "


That's very good advice. Many people are too explicit about their activities and then wonder why their house gets burgled when they are away on holiday.


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