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Blogging Software: Page 2 of 7

Blogger provides the ability to allow posting by registered users of Blogger.com whom you designate as members of your team. However, even though you can elect to host your blog on your internal corporate Web server, all entries are made on Blogger.com's servers before they are posted to yours. Though there is no reason to believe your information will be made public, this does mean that you have limited control of the destiny of your data. In addition, there is no built-in ability to keep anyone who knows the blog's URL from viewing its content, so sensitive information should not be posted.

I like Blogger for its ease and open access. If you want to create a business blog that is easily accessible by your customers, and if you count public access as a plus, it's tough to beat Blogger.com. It's also a fast and free way to get your feet wet and to learn how a blog works.

Blogger.com

Google, Inc.

Price: Free

Movable Type is the open-source veteran of blogdom. Like Blogger.com, Six Apart offers both a hosted version called TypePad and an installable application called Movable Type. Unlike Blogger.com, neither TypePad nor Movable Type are free. Both are robust and capable, and can be modified using templates; however, Movable Type is requires some technical competence for installation and configuration. Once up and running, the user interface is as user-friendly as its hosted counterpart, TypePad.

TypePad offers three levels of subscription: $4.95 per month for the Basic level, $8.95 per month for Plus, and $14.95 per month for Pro. The versions differ primarily in the level of customization available in each, and the number of authors and blogs that can be maintained. TypePad is an "open" blog, meaning there is no provision for privacy, if someone knows the URL for your blog they can read it.