Tips for Newbie Bloggers: Sharing My Experience Using Free Tools for Blogging

This is my advice for newbie bloggers or beginners.  You have to start somewhere so start using free tools.  That way you test yourself and see if you really want to pursue this endeavor.  Been at this for over 10 years and I can tell you from experience, that consistent and persistent blogging is not for the faint of heart.

I'm cheating a little with this post.  Via Quora (a Q&A platform where I am an active member) there was a published post generated by an AI bot titled "Which are the best free tools for blogging? - Quora".  

I went through the list and I can comment on most of them because I have tried them.  I am publishing this content on Blogspot (aka Blogger) - owned by Google - because quite frankly, I think this is the best blogging platform for newbies.  The Quora post listed 8 platforms and I am sharing my thoughts and experience with some additional thoughts for the platforms that were not mentioned.

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1. WordPress.com

The free tier is nice but I could not monetize my content.
Last blog post: Creating Real Worlds in Fantasy and Fiction

2. Blogger

A simple blogging platform owned by Google.

Easy and free. Was approved for Ad Sense but that was ages ago, Not sure if new users can get approved.

I have several blogs.  View my Blogger profile.

3. Medium

Affiliate links are permitted but not encouraged. They don't want the site to become a spam magnet.  Super easy to publish and has a lively community that interacts with the writer. The Partner Program helps you monetize content but don't expect money to come rolling in. The PRO is the ability to create your own publication (kind of like a magazine).  

View my Medium publications:  Express Yourself! and Nothing but Love for Korean Drama.

The CON is that if you are not a member you can only read 3 free posts each month.  The way the monetization program is set up, external visits don't count.  Only visits to your articles by other members are used in the algorithm.  Even so ... it's one of the best platforms.  They accept original and republished content and Medium links often get found by the search engine.

View my Medium writer's profile.

4. Wix
5. Weebly

Tried them but did not like it. Just my preference.

6. Ghost (Self-Hosted)

Never heard of it!

7. Substack

Tried it. Liked it. But it didn't work for me. It was just extra work with no profitability. But others have reported a different experience. So don't take my word for it.

8. Tumblr

They offered a way to monetize and then they discontinued the program. Nevertheless, it's a fun platform for social sharing or for bookmarking.  Take your links from your other blogs and share them via Tumblr ... BUT! ... 

"Tumblr backlinks can help you increase traffic, but they won't be as effective as backlinks earned on another blogging platform. This is due to the fact that Tumblr pages are considered subdomains. And they carry less weight as a source of backlinks. You should also include images in your blog posts."  (Per Tumblr SEO Best Practices & Tips | Tactica)

View my Tumblr blogs.

CONCLUSION: 

Two Platforms Not Mentioned:  Quora and Vocal.Media

(1)  Interestingly, the AI-generated post was published on Quora and it did not mention Quora! {Maybe it's not "the best". (O.o) }Quora offers a free blogging platform. I have used and it's been an off-and-on relationship. At present, I am turned OFF! Quora had a program that would allow bloggers to monetize their content and now they don't. That was the reason I tried so hard. I was trying to earn money. But now that they don't have the revenue-sharing programs anymore, so I said “Bye Bye!”

(2) The post also did not mention Vocal.Media.

Easy to publish. Republished content accepted. Free account (upgrade offered). Earn $3.80 per 1000 unique views.

View my Vocal.Media profile.


Hope these tips help.

Why Article Writers and Bloggers Should Create a Medium Publication

I signed up for Medium over 5 years ago. My main reason for creating an account was because Medium is one of the few sites that allows republished content. YAHOO Voices used to allow it but they shut down. The difference between YAHOO Voices and Medium was that with YCN (YAHOO Contributors Network) you could earn $5 for every 1000 unique views. It was an income stream and then it wasn't! 

However, even though Medium did not pay me for my content the fact that my other content from around the web could be republished made the platform worth its weight in gold. As time went by, the site owners set up a Partner Program, so that some of the contributors could earn income from their articles. Many writers have reported that earn good money for their content. I'm sorry but I don't have any bragging rights in that regard.  But I'm OK with it. Because like I said the Medium platform offers a lot of other "extras" that are great for a struggling freelancer.

One of those "extras" includes creating a Medium Publication.  It's free to create your own publication.  You can use it for your own articles and/or invite other writers to contribute.  When I first started the publication it was just a way for me to organize all of my content.  But now other writers are happy to contribute.  I love publishing content by fellow writers.  It a way of supporting them and it's a different "voice".  

I need a better way for readers to peruse my articles.  My content dates back to 2014 and my profile shows over 300 articles.  It's not so easy for a visitor to be scrolling and scrolling and scrolling down the profile page.  But with a Medium Publication, the articles are neatly archived by Year.  When you scroll down, at the bottom of the page for your Publication there is a link to the "Archive".  Another plus, after you click on that link?  The visitor will find the "Top Stories" published or rather the content that was the "Most Read" by visitors.

Below are the Top 10 Stories published by Express Yourself! (publication started May 16, 2019) as of the beginning of March 2020.  Feel free to peruse the yearly archives as well:

• 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020

● Character Study: People and Places: Bathsheba - Adulteress or Innocent Victim?

People are quick to read the Bible story and accuse Bathsheba of enticing King David to commit sin. However, reading the account one wonders why the woman is always to be blamed when it's about sex. This article presents a character study of Bathsheba.

Story Behind a Blue Bracelet

Once upon a time, a blue bracelet from Bukan was born. Worst of all, it was baby blue. There were many others, and this was just another rubber baby blue bracelet from the batch. Well, maybe for you! But for me, a different story was about to unfold...

The Greatest Accomplishment of My Life

30 hours on an airplane with my four-year-old. I've recently achieved one of the greatest feats of my life. If there was an app that could track and rank "impossible human conquests" I'm sure this would be trending towards the top of the list.

Why The City Of Rome Still Stands Today

How an ancient general saved Rome from complete devastation "Rome has grown since its humble beginnings that it is now overwhelmed by its own greatness." Rome has stood as an important city in the world for nearly 3000 years. The ancient city gave us multiple languages, ideas, history, arts, and beliefs that spread across the planet in some form or another.

Life like a jagged arc

<

p>Filling in the spaces The obituary my sister writes a year later would remind us that my father's last year was only one year within 73. His life stretched out in a jagged arc. She made it linear, if not a jumble of identity, way better than I can, so I show it intact, whole here.

Korean Drama: TV Series: Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)

"Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo" (2016) is a Korean adaptation of a Chinese novel. Per quotes from Wikipedia: "Despite its ensemble cast, extensive publicity and US$13 million production budget, the series only averaged single-digit audience rating of 7.59% in South Korea, and was overshadowed by Love in the Moonlight (2016) .

When I Get Married, I'm Not Signing a Marriage License

I'm new to the adult world. It feels like I should still be in school, but suddenly I'm finding myself in the daily grind of a nine to five job just like everyone else. It was only a few short years...

Incredible!

Incredible! A light bulb just went off in my head. My husband at one time was studying psychology and I used to help him with his research. He took several courses but never completed his degree. (Personal reasons.)

Request to Contribute

Hello! How are you? My name is Treathyl Fox (aka cmoneyspinner) and I am the editor of Express Yourself! I started contributing articles to Medium.com in 2014; republished and original content. This year, 2019, I made several bold moves. ✨ MOVE 1: I joined the Medium Partner Program .

Why Options Ruin Everything

So, I'm sure this makes me sound pretty flighty and just a touch crazy, but science is on my side here. Christina Hammond, MS, LMHC, from her article "What is decision fatigue?" put together an outline of this strange and 'made-up sounding' phenomenon.

***

My Medium Progress Report ~ As of March 2019

A couple of years ago, I shared a post at this blog about my experience with Medium.com. (“My Medium Round Up ~ Article Contributions”) The main attraction of this site was the fact that it accepts republished content. It's now 2019 and nothing has changed in this regard. The site still accepts republished content. The change is that the site has implemented a Partner Program. The goal of this program is to allow the writers to earn some revenue for their contributions to Medium. 

With the exception of one article that was republished after the implementation of the program, all of my articles are not available for the paywall. The article that I republished was dated March 9, 2019, “The Origin of Brutal Regimes” and is “eligible to be part of the metered paywall”. I opted in to allow that. An article contributor can opt out. Even though I opted in, I realized after reading the additional details that can only earn money if I am in the Medium Partner Program. 

Guess what? I JOINED!! 
Hope the MPP proves to be a consistent income stream.

Question on @Quora: Is the Medium Partner Program worth it? https://t.co/RbUipeoaqg #articlewriters #freelancewriters

— My Fox Nooze (@FoxMarks_ATX) March 30, 2019

The Partner Program has potential — but suffers many of the same pitfalls for authors as the free platform. ... "I just made $76 writing for Medium members. Here’s what I learned…" by @hiatuscc https://t.co/MHs5d6LAfD #articlewriters #freelancewriters

— My Fox Nooze (@FoxMarks_ATX) March 30, 2019

My Medium Profile ~ Treathyl Fox ("cmoneyspinner") ~ https://t.co/okLrSj8esl ~ Just joined the #MediumPartnerProgram. ~ Accepts original and #republishedcontent. #publishingplatform #bloggingplatform #articlewriters #articlesbycmoneyspinner #freelancewriters pic.twitter.com/XSvE4tnXsT

— My Fox Nooze (@FoxMarks_ATX) March 30, 2019