Starting Blogging

So, I've decided I'm going to start a blog journaling going to brewing school, and my other thoughts and musings on beer, breweries, etc. as well. Anyone have suggestions on good (ideally free) blogging services?

I want to be able to journal and have a tab on the side to categorize pages by content such as thoughts on beer, breweries, beer reviews, my beers, etc.

Is this "which blogging software" question? If so, you won't like my answer....I rolled my own using MySQL and PHP. :)

Yes it has a keyword field so I can search for entries on specific topics.

Hmm... I've done something similar to that before, but I'm feeling more like being lazy.

Two years ago I liked Blogspot for a quick-and-easy blog. Dunno what the hot setup is these days.

I can give this advice.

Do NOT attempt to use the free "Quickblog" stuff that comes with a godaddy purchased domain. They intentionally make it hard to find and use so that you will purchase the upgrade. There is a vauge series of 12 links that you have to follow to get to it and if you bookmark it when you get there that bookmark will lead to a login where you have to find all those links again.

That crap is why I always seem to give up on my blog.

I currently have one on Blogspot, and another on Wordpress, but I have seen some really creative things done with Tumblr.

Pick one and run with it, I think you can do almost anything with almost any of them.

I'm looking for something that will be really easy to set up and keep updated and that provides software and hosting for free, if possible.

I'm currently poking around with Blogspot and Wordpress. I checked out tumblr, and I don't think I like that.

just get a facebook account and write your random thoughts there.. or maybe MySpace if you don't want anyone to ever see it.

I already have a facebook. I want this to be separate. This is going to be public musings for acquittances like folks in my brewing club and GRMers. Also, something I can point potential employers to so that they can follow my thoughts and travelings regarding beer. Facebook is for my "private" life.

If the free hosted Wordpress is similar to the 'install on your own machine' Wordpress (which is what I'm using and IIRC they're very similar) then it's a pretty good solution.

I'm one of those annoying geeks who insist on running stuff like that on their own server so I can't really recommend a hosted service but for my minor blogging needs Wordpress is more than enough.

Salanis wrote: I already have a facebook. I want this to be separate. This is going to be public musings for acquittances like folks in my brewing club and GRMers. Also, something I can point potential employers to so that they can follow my thoughts and travelings regarding beer. Facebook is for my "private" life.

you could always set up another facebook account. it's free and there are no limits on how many you can have and no law saying you have to tell your friends or family about it...

Good luck, I just bore you guys with everything after the wife stops listening

Well, I'm happiest with wordpress and so I've got the beginnings of the site up now: http://brewercameron.wordpress.com/

I'm going to chronicle my journey to brewing school and on to professional brewing, along with beer reviews, profiles of breweries, watering holes, my beers, and various thoughts and musings on beer.

wordpress is a good choice.

I am a definite fan of Wordpress, my buddy and I use Wordpress on a 1and1.com hosted domain, couldn't be happier with it.

We tested a Blogger account and I hated it for the sole fact that it was connected to a GMail account. We set up seperate emails for the site, and switching back and forth was such a pain, especially on my work computer where I only had one browser...

Yeah, I like that wordpress is FREE and seems to walk a nice line between being idiot automated and giving me the ability to fiddle around with CSS templates and such should I eventually feel like it.

The Tumblr network has explosive growth over the past six month, resulting in network errors and occasional service disruptions. Tumblr blogs also have fewer out of the box features than some competing services.

That said, I never hesitate to recommend the service - it's free, setting up a new blog can be done in under 30 seconds, and posting updates is about as easy as it gets. The real benefit though is that blogs on Tumblr are by default part of their blogging network. Like Flickr photostreams, other users in the network are encouraged to subscribe to and comment on blog they find interesting. Post cool stuff, and over time you can build up an audience of thousands of followers. Ask me how I know ;)

nderwater wrote: The Tumblr network has explosive growth over the past six month, resulting in network errors and occasional service disruptions. Tumblr blogs also have fewer out of the box features than some competing services.

They have a sense of humor!

good luck with the brewing school thing. I worked with a guy at a brewery that went to school for it, someplace in california, i forget the school name, but it was only one of a few programs across the country. I have been a homebrewer for a bit of time, kida funny I though that he was fresh out of school, but we had to teach him how to brew beer.

Otherwise I use wordpress, they are a very good service, you can blog from your iphone as well.

I'm using Wordpress now. The blog is up and I'm adding content now and should be updating it regularly with reviews of beers and profiles of my own brews.

UC Davis is probably the program you're thinking of. I looked into them, since they're local, but they have a 2-year waiting list. There's also the American Brewers Guild that does distance training and sometimes hosts their graduation at a local micorbrew/pub nearby. I've heard mixed reviews about the UCD program, it does not strike me as quite as practical as a lot of others. One respected local brewer summed it up to me that most graduates of the Brewers Guild program go on to head brew at small craft breweries or start their own, and most graduates of UC Davis go on to work in labs at Anheuser Busch.

All the brewers I've talked to and asked whether it's better to start by going to brewing school or getting an assistant position haven't given me a solid answer on that... but I have decided that all successful brewers started out home brewing.

Fortunately I am already a homebrewer and do know how to brew good beer. What I need to learn are the specific procedures for brewing and fermenting larger batches, and the high level knowledge/theory to assess ingredients (especially water) and fermentation. The practical experience I'm working on now. I've made contacts with a bunch of local microbreweries and think I'll be able to help out at a couple, operate and clean equipment, and observe their procedures.