Using Mac for a Blog Site? Time Sensitive Question.

[Simple Living]

Hi Everyone,

I'm on a time sensitive issue with deciding to start a blog site or not for something that will be going on in my life starting March 1st. I've never blogged before and I'm not the most computer savvy person you've met. That said, I'm not a complete idiot either.

I just bought my first iMac in January and can't believe I waited so long to do it! I will never go back to Windows! Along with the iMac, I bought the web service package. I can't remember the name because I haven't set it up yet and I'm at work so I can't go look at it.

I wanted to know how popular it is with Mac users to use this Mac product or do you prefer another site like Blogger, BlogSpot, etc.? I want something easy to use that I can make media rich (eventually). I'm also wondering if having a Mac address for your blogsite is irritating for readers to use?

What's the best way to set up a first time blog that you want to eventually develop into a very interesting place? I really do appreciate the time and patience of anyone whose kind enough to respond. Thank you!

 

[agentphish]

I believe what you bought was called .Mac, and if you bought it, i'd use it since you paid for it.

You can also use iWeb to create websites that you can use with .mac.

 

[vanmacguy]

I will assume you bought .Mac and if you did, well done.

Using .Mac and iWeb is a great way to start up a Blog. There is a blog template in .Mac already and it's real easy to get up and running.

Of course you can still use sites like Blogger, which is really good, but without knowing too much about HTML and formatting, .Mac is the best way to go. Just fire up iWeb, and take a look at the tutorials on Apple's web site. You'll be up and running in no time.

Don't forget to come back and tell us about it so we can take a look.

Cheers.

 

[ChicoWeb]

I'd personally do something like WordPress. The thing about iWeb is you really are stuck with what you have and what they offer. If you ever wanted to take your data, expand upon it, good luck. I prefer solutions where you aren't Locked in, and have the flexibility to do what you want.

If you're not worried about expanding or going past iWeb you may be okay, but whos to say you won't want to in 1 year.

 

[Simple Living]

agentphish and vanmacguy,

I appreciate your taking the time to respond. I'm entering a new phase of my life and I've gotten a lot of requests by friends and colleagues to start a blog/website because they want to 1) follow my progress and 2) think it could encourage others.

I'm not technologically savvy but I'm open to learning. Macs have been a very easy transition (from Windows) for me. I think you're both right that using my .Mac (yes, that's what it's called) with iWeb makes sense. I'll get the website up tomorrow and then use my One on One membership to go and get specific lessons.

Thank you both, again. It's a bit overwhelming at first.

Thank you, Chico.

This is where it gets confusing for me, not being technically savvy. What if, for the simplicity of it, I get my .Mac account running with iWeb and then, say several months or a year from now, I want to have my own domain name, if the blog takes off? Will the information transfer?

Even though the blog will start as a personal one, I want to treat it as though it will expand and grow. I want to include photos and video clips. Any further suggestions/advice?

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

One more thing...

This is where it gets confusing for me, not being technically savvy. What if, for the simplicity of it, I get my .Mac account running with iWeb and then, say several months or a year from now, I want to have my own domain name, if the blog takes off? Will the information transfer?

Even though the blog will start as a personal one, I want to treat it as though it will expand and grow. I want to include photos and video clips. Any further suggestions/advice?

 

[motoracer1486]

Just so you know, you can publish your blog on your .mac account, purchase a website domain (www.whateveryouwant.com), and have that re-direct to your .mac page so people don't have to type a long url.

One more thing...

This is where it gets confusing for me, not being technically savvy. What if, for the simplicity of it, I get my .Mac account running with iWeb and then, say several months or a year from now, I want to have my own domain name, if the blog takes off? Will the information transfer?

Even though the blog will start as a personal one, I want to treat it as though it will expand and grow. I want to include photos and video clips. Any further suggestions/advice?

Read my above post. This sounds like what you'd need to do. Have your .mac site all setup, and just purchase a domain and have it redirect to your .mac site. Piece of cake!

 

[vanmacguy]

You can have photo's and video on your .Mac blog and as motoracer said, you can get your own domain eventually and just 'point it' at your .Mac blog site.

It's really easy and requires no technical savvy at all.

Cheers.

 

[Simple Living]

motoracer and vanmacguy,

Thanks again! You know, I never once received this kind of support, or kindness, in all my years using Windows. Not to mention the speed of your responses.

Any suggestions of web hosts that would work well for my needs in directing my .mac address to? Will the web host limit me in any way (or increase capability for anything)? Or is it just a matter of buying the name and their hosting it.

Any thoughts, if you're so inclined, as to how to choose a name?

Thanks again.

I got my questions answered, Chico. Thanks again! I greatly appreciate your time!

 

[motoracer1486]

motoracer and vanmacguy,

Thanks again! You know, I never once received this kind of support, or kindness, in all my years using Windows. Not to mention the speed of your responses.

Any suggestions of web hosts that would work well for my needs in directing my .mac address to? Will the web host limit me in any way (or increase capability for anything)? Or is it just a matter of buying the name and their hosting it.

Any thoughts, if you're so inclined, as to how to choose a name?

Thanks again.

You're most welcome.

Just to be clear, the .mac account you purchased is going to act as your web host (this is where you will upload your files). When you purchase a domain name (through any of the 3rd party sites: google "buy domain"), they simply redirect a user to your .mac site.

Here's an example (I don't know what .mac addresses look like, so I'll just make one up):

When you setup your blog with .mac, your website will be www.mac.com/user/Simple_Living

That's kind of a long/ugly url, right? You can purchase a domain (ie, www.simpleliving.com), and have that point to the long/ugly url. Setting up a domain is as easy as choosing the name of your site, and setting it up to point to www.mac.com/user/Simple_living (which is usually setup in a step-by-step process after you purchase the domain).

As far as what the site's name should be...nobody other than you could decide. Just make it relevant to what your website will be about.

Also, if you haven't already, I'd like for you to watch the following 3 video clips:

http://www.apple.com/findouthow/web/#design-createwebsite

http://www.apple.com/findouthow/web/#express-blog

http://www.apple.com/findouthow/web/#publishmanage-publish

Note that you must have iLife.

 

[digitalnicotine]

Here is a link to a list of virtual web hosts that offer a free domain.

Here is a link to a domain redirect service that costs $15/year per domain you intend to merely point at another URL.

Good luck to you, and hope this helped.

 

[Simple Living]

motoracer, Thanks again for all that great information! I'm considering iLife anyway so I will definitely watch those clips. The information you gave is definitely a bit of what I've been looking for. Thanks again!

digitalnicotine, Thank you for taking the time to link to the information you did. I will definitely look at it. I have a question for you though. What's the difference in a free domain that will redirect service and the one(s) that have a fee?

 

[digitalnicotine]

The hosts that have a monthly fee offer storage space on their servers, an email (often several) that matches your domain, such as me@simplelife.com. The monthly fee servers vary in the other things they offer. Some may have features like a chat room, or message board that you can set up in the control panel, rather than self install, which requires a tutorial or a bit of PHP knowledge, depending on the program. Many also offer a web database (used for message boards, etc.).

The storage space can be used to store images and video, but you will have a specific amount of bandwidth per month, and if you go over that set amount, they charge additional fees. This means if you have a huge number of visitors "hitting" your site, or downloading/streaming video footage, they use up a lot of bandwidth in the process. But I think the entry level monthly fee hosts would be fine for what you've described, if you choose to go that route. They also often come with built in blog software, usually Wordpress, which is more complex than using your .Mac and iWeb.

The domain parking/redirecting means your visitors will type in www.whateveryoupick.com, and it will load your .Mac/iWeb site once you've configured it to point there. I am not sure if these hosts offer email, but it's likely they will. If not (and either way), you can just put your contact information in your site, and they can click to email you.

If I were you, and planning to use the .Mac/iWeb route, then I would likely opt for the redirect/domain parking service initially. If in the future you decide you want to move on to a more complex software such as Wordpress, you could easily keep your domain and point it to a host that offers storage, database, and other things that suit your needs. You have plenty of growing room this way, but aren't paying for more than you are presently using.

I also have .Mac and iWeb, and they offer a fair amount of storage space that can be upgraded if necessary. I am not sure about their bandwidth, if it's limited to a specific amount. Hopefully someone else will know. Good luck.