Most college students and young adults have turned to the web to shop, meet people, blog, and most of all to network. Below you will find a list of the most popular [and quirky] blogging sites that students are using to express themselves.
Tumblr
Unlike other blogging websites, the great thing about Tumblr is that it enables you to reblog (similar to a retweet on Twitter) the posts of others, while giving credit to the original author. With hundreds of themes to choose from, Tumblr is convenient because posting is simple, thanks to the navigation icons in your personal dashboard, or home page. Tumblr is becoming more popular among students, artists, and a realm of individuals who want to showcase their work without limiting themselves.
Weebly
Named as one of Time Magazine’s “50 Best Websites,” Weebly is a great site to use for blogging for “web creation made easy.” Not only is this convenient for bloggers, if you have an online portfolio to share, this is a great place to start. Using a widget-style format, Weebly users are able to create “pages” with just a few click and drags.
WordPress
WordPress started nearly a decade ago and has become a classroom tool favorite by many high school instructors and college professors. With millions of users worldwide, the uses of WordPress have evolved to be used as a full content management system—meaning that you can use the site however you please. In a classroom setting, WordPress is often used for hosting forums and discussions, enabling students to read and comment on posts, encouraging class participation. Fun fact: the site you’re looking at right now is WP powered.
Posterous Spaces
In this day and age, many of us use our cell phones to access most content on the Internet, including uploading pictures that we feel are worthy of sharing with our followers or Facebook friends. Posterous Spaces is a great place for users to share photos, videos, and ideas, and the site is just as easy to manage. Even better — there’s an app for this, on the Android and iPhone.
TypePad
Thinking about making your professional blog stand out from the next young blogger? Try TypePad, it’s easily accessible and site features allow users to update their blogs on the go. With built-in tools, TypePad allows bloggers to get noticed on search engines and social networking sites. From simple posting to professional support, Typepad is the place to blog if you have a product to share or are looking to get a small business up and running.
Blogger
Blogger might be a veteran in the world of blogging but with technological enhancements from Google and Google Plus, this site has been successful in making changes for the better, and of course, for the sake of blogging. Launched in 1999, Blogger has made its mark among bloggers, being easy to use and providing simple templates for users to choose from. Access controls on Blogger enable you to share your blog(s) with a group of people, and give you the option to decide who can and cannot leave comments on your posts.
Squarespace
For those of you who take blogging more seriously than others, Squarespace may be the site for you. Allowing users to begin from scratch, Squarespace is useful for “anyone who wants to create an extraordinary website” (Squarespace.com). With two payment options, bloggers can pay $12 a month for a personal package, $20 a month for the advanced package or $36 a month for the business package.