As the news that NING was no longer going to be free (see my previous post), some began to offer suggestions for alternatives. For example, Free Technology for Teachers offered a list of other free services (most not nearly as powerful).
My reaction is:
- Why would free be what you are looking for? Is an online presence meaningful to you or not?
- Why not spend a hundred dollars, establish a presence you control. and pick the services you want to offer?
- Why not look at web hosting as an opportunity to learn something?
This site (not just this blog, but the multiple resources I offer at Learningaloud.com) costs me less than $100 a year and the hosting service offers the automatic installation of a wide variety of tools including Drupal, Moodle, several blog, wiki, photosharing options, and more. I use hosting services from Bluehost and have been impressed, but with a little web exploration you could likely find other credible services. I purchase several other services as well, but I would suggest $100 a year would be sufficient for most personal or small group projects. When you get right down to it – what other hobby would offer this much entertainment and so many learning opportunities for so little money?
One final suggestion – select software that allows you to export your content. For example, I can be assured that the content of my WordPress blog or this blog (using b2evolution) can be exported if need be and posted elsewhere.
