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39 Ways to Put Yourself on the Web

Whether you're interested in blogging, making music, shooting videos, publishing your novel, or starting your own social network, these great services can help--in many cases, for free.

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:00:00 UTC

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Illustration by Mick Wiggins

The Web is not a spectator sport. Sure, you can watch videos and do countless other low-brainwave activities online, but the Web's outlets for self-expression and creativity are boundless. In fact, the medium doesn't come alive until you take advantage of the participatory Web--the sites and services that can present you and your talents to the world.

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Whatever your passion--creating video, networking with friends or colleagues, blogging, running a business, making music, or publishing a novel--you're bound to find a site or service that can help you pursue your goals. While many of these services are free, others may charge from a few bucks to thousands of dollars. We'll give you our favorites in each category. And in our companion story, "Six Rising Stars on the New Web," we'll introduce you to six people who are making a living by distributing their creative efforts on the Web.

Star in Your Own Videos

The best thing about a lot of video-posting sites is that they let you earn cash based on the number of views your videos generate. And if you're a fledgling auteur, some can help you get discovered by the entertainment industry.

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Metacafe Metacafe claims over 1 million users a day. Equally important to video creators, though, is the site's revenue-sharing program, which pays $5 for every 1000 views, although payments don't arrive until your clip receives 20,000 views and an average viewer rating of 3 stars (out of 5) or higher.

RevverAnother income-sharing site is Revver, which offers a 50-50 revenue split based on views and ad clicks. You can disable the ads that run before your video starts. Some Revver clips play on Verizon Wireless VCast phones, which extends your opportunity for cash and exposure.

CrackleIf you're waiting for Hollywood to discover you, Crackle can be your online casting agent. This Sony-owned site limits file uploads to 100MB, so don't post your feature film here. Crackle's contests offer prizes such as pitch meetings with studio execs.

VeohSeveral innovative features distinguish Veoh, a hidden gem whose video-playback quality is a notch above that of most sites. If you have an account on Google Video, MySpace, or YouTube, Veoh automatically posts your clip to those sites too (you must activate this feature first). And it imposes no size limit on video uploads--a rarity.

YouTubeIt's no secret that YouTube has the biggest audience of video viewers, so naturally you'll want to post there. The site's playback quality isn't great, particularly when compared with that of Crackle and other newer sites. You won't find a video site that's easier to use, however, and its Video Toolbox section provides helpful shooting and editing tips from the pros.

SpikeFormerly known as iFilm, Spike provides a platform for fledgling filmmakers. You can embed your Spike-hosted clips on personal sites, including blogs and MySpace pages. The service offers no revenue sharing, though. Your file uploads can be as large as 500MB--many sites limit you to 100MB.

JibJab is the place to submit video jokes: You'll find everything from stand-up routines to the ever-hilarious guy getting kicked in the groin. JibJab accepts photo, audio, and text jokes too. The site's editors decide if your bits are funny enough to post; if they're not, well, there's always YouTube.

Yahoo VideoYahoo Video lets you link clips to your blog and drive traffic to your site.

Google VideoVideos are a breeze to upload at Google Video, thanks to the service's intuitive (and bare-bones) interface. The site provides an optional desktop uploader for files larger than 100MB. It doesn't offer revenue sharing, and we'd like to see more (or at least some) integration with YouTube, but Google Video's big-name pedigree and utter simplicity make it a good place to post your videos.

Be the Center of Your Social Network

If you've moved beyond Facebook, LinkedIn, or Orkut and are ready to build your own online community, either for personal or professional use, these sites will let you create a social network, complete with discussion forums, RSS feeds, member profiles, and other essentials. Constructing a simple social network costs nothing, but you'll likely want to upgrade to the sites' paid services as your network gains members, or to remove the ads that display on networks you build for free.

NingThe best design tools we've seen for building a social network are at Ning. Organize your network's main page by dragging a text box, forum widget, or other component into the layout window. Then select fonts, colors, background images, and other page elements. Invite friends and associates by importing addresses from AOL Mail, Gmail, MSN Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, and other Web mail services--but not from Outlook or any other desktop mail clients, unfortunately. Your finished product has a polished and professional appearance.

A close second is Nexo, which provides a great site builder that is simple enough for anyone to use. Just choose a design template, or start out with a blank page and insert your choice of more than two dozen modules, including forums, feeds, images, and polls.

KickAppsThe page-design tools at KickApps are targeted more at Web-savvy developers who have built sites before. Getting your KickApps network to look the way you want may take time, but experienced designers will appreciate the site's advanced tool kit.

Me.comFor people whose Web-design experience ends with their MySpace profile, there's Me.com, where setting up a network is a snap. You won't find the type of top-notch customization tools that Ning offers, or KickApps' developer-friendly features. And Me.com has a few weird quirks: For instance, you can't upload a video into the viewer, but must instead import a feed directly from a Webcam. The service is for personal, not professional, networks.

CollectiveXCollectiveX offers many business-friendly features, but it lacks the customization and hand-holding options that you can find on other social-network sites. You can import contacts directly from Outlook and Outlook Express, as well as from the major Web mail clients. Setup is a bit confusing; the service could use more Ning-style help guides. However, your finished CollectiveX page will be nicely organized and visually appealing.

Blog for Show, Blog for Dough

Getting your blog read takes more than compelling prose. These sites will help you attract and hold an audience.

The Vox blog editor makes adding photos, audio files, videos, and other nontext elements to your blog as easy as clicking a big, clearly labeled button at the top of the screen.Click here to view full-size image.Vox has the best blog editor we've tested. To add an image, song, or video to an entry, just click the appropriate button above the text window. You can embed a reader poll or other widget on your page, too. Vox's bigger sibling is TypePad--both are owned by blogging-services provider Six Apart. TypePad has the powerful design tools that professional bloggers crave, offering easy drag-and-drop design and more customization tools than other blog sites provide. Six Apart won't place ads on your blog, but you can supply your own via a third-party ad network, if you wish. TypePad's fees range from $5 to $30 a month (more for custom plans).

Live JournalYet another Six Apart site, LiveJournal is designed as a community tool rather than a standard blogging service. For instance, you can join user-created groups and text-message other LiveJournal members. The free Plus service provides 1GB of photo storage.

BloggerA good choice for first-time bloggers is Google's Blogger. Setup couldn't be simpler: Choose one of a dozen design templates, enter your blog title and text in the browser-based editor, and add an image, video clip, or links with just a couple of clicks. The service lacks TypePad's sophisticated features, and we'd like to see more editing tools, but what Blogger does, it does very well.

Yahoo 360If you already have a Yahoo Mail account, Yahoo 360 is the fastest way to blog--no additional setup required. The service's editor lacks the ability to post audio and video clips, among other features, but you can add reader polls. Microsoft's Windows Live Spaces is fine if you don't need high-end features. Its basic editor lets you add photos and embed videos, but you can't upload videos directly from your computer.

Word PressThe WordPress service provides handy editing tools, including a word counter, and the option to open links in a separate window. For $15 a year, you can access the site's CSS Stylesheet Editor to modify your blog's template.

Get Help for a Business or Workgroup

You have a business to run, and you don't have the time or skills to build a Web site from scratch. Let these services do the heavy lifting for you, allowing you to focus on more important management matters.

Designing a site couldn't be easier than using one of the 2000 templates in Homestead's Design Gallery.Click here to view full-size image.The Homestead hosting service has a great tool kit for building a professional site, even if you can't tell "HTML" from "BYOB." The Design Gallery has more than 2000 templates, so chances are good that your site won't be a clone of your competitors'. Homestead's drag-and-drop tools let you easily add your company's logo and other brands. Homestead's least-expensive hosting service for businesses costs $20 a month, plus a $25 setup fee (skip the "Starter" package, which is too limited to be useful). For more-affordable hosting, try Yahoo Small Business: Prices start at $9 a month, and when we signed up the startup fee was waived. The page-design tools are serviceable, although they can't match Homestead's. Constructing an e-commerce site is easy, and you get plenty of tips to help your site succeed.

Google Custom SearchGoogle Custom Search is a free, Google-hosted search window that you place on your business's site. You choose the pages that are searched when your visitors enter a query. For professional sites, the fee-based Business Edition is worth the cost (rates start at $100 a year). Business Edition removes the Google logo from the search window and Google ads from the search results, while adding more tools and support.

The Microsoft Small Business Center supplies free technical support for the company's popular business-oriented apps, including Windows XP Professional, Live Meeting, and Small Business Accounting. The Startup Center provides advice for entrepreneurs as well as an eclectic mix of business essays, such as the always-popular "5 rules for on-the-job romance."

Earthlink Business ResourceThe EarthLink Business Resource Center provides Web hosting, e-commerce, and other business services. Its Traffic Builder optimizes ad copy and search terms to boost your visibility on search sites.

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