Blogs are an easy way to get your voice out onto the Net. For the Web-It-Yourselfer, custom blogs are a great way to learn about web technologies and create something from the ground up.

With a little bit of tech savvy anyone can create their own custom blog. When choosing blog software or a blog service consider the following:

Support -

Implementing new software will create a lot of questions. Does the software have a support site/forum? How large is the user community? Is the user community helpful?

Is it Free? -

There really is no need to pay a lot of money for either the software or a service. Free doesn't mean cheap. There is quality, free software available.

Easy Customization -

Is the software flexible enough to allow for customization? Can the colors be changed? Can style sheets be used? Are there custom plugins available that are developed by the user community? Is there a robust set of functions that can be employed to accomplish simple tasks? For example, some software offers one simple function that will produce a long list of links. This saves on the need for a lot of coding.

PHP based -

Don't worry, it is not that scary. The combination of HTML and PHP can create a highly customized blog. Especially for those who like to dig around in the code, PHP driven software can provide a valuable learning experience.

Links -

Is the software able to manage links? Maintaining links manually in HTML is a tedious task. Any software that makes this easier is at a definite advantage.

Posts and Pages -

If you are familiar with blogs, you know that an entry in a blog is commonly known as a post. Can regular pages be created from the software as well? This allows for ultimate flexibility.

Content Management -

Can the software control elements for most or all of the website? Now, most blog software is not meant to accomplish this task. Search around and see if the blog software can be used to be a basic content management system. Some software is incredibly flexible and can accomplish this task.

It is said that a new blog is being created every second. Why not take the time to investigate blog software that will enable a blog to stand out from the crowd?

Paul Stefanski develops Recommended Web Tools, a web resource for web design beginners. View the complete free blog software article for recommended resources.