How to quickly create your own blog
Many years ago, I couldn't even dream of starting my own blog. Everything was too complicated—from setting up hosting to creating the site itself. Now, however, a ton of blogging services have emerged that simplify this task so much that you can be running your own virtual diary within minutes of registering.
In this post, I'll tell you about several of these services and teach you how to point your blog to your domain.
Tumblr.com
«Tumblr" is one of the most popular blogging services. Here you can create your own blog and subscribe to other blogs.
Tumblr.com supports a variety of post types, from text and links to audio and video. Various themes are available, but you can also create your own template. The service has a web version and apps for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. You can also post to your blog via email.
A link to a blog without its own domain looks like this:http://username.tumblr.com
To point your domain to a Tumblr blog:
- In DNS records*:
- For the main domain like mycoolblog.ua, add an A-record with the name "@" and specify the IP address66.6.44.4
- For a subdomain like blog.mycoolblog.ua, add a CNAME record with the subdomain name (for example, “blog”) and specify it in the datadomains.tumblr.com.(with a period at the end)
- In your blog settings on Tumblr.com, in the “Use a custom domain” field, enter your domain.
* Just in case, check the current data for setting up the domain inservice instructions
How to edit DNS records in a domain ↓
Scriptogr.am (blog on Dropbox)
Scriptogr.amis a service that helps you blog through Dropbox. Simply put, it creates a separate folder in your Dropbox, stores your notes there, and can publish posts from that same folder.
Posts can be written in a regular text editor, in the service interface, or through the app. Scriptogr.am also supports Markdown, a simple and convenient text markup language.
The service has several nice built-in themes for blog design, but you can also create your own HTML/CSS template.
After registering, Scriptogr.am will create its own folder in your Dropbox—this is where your blog and all its posts will be stored.
A link to a blog without its own domain looks like this:http://scriptogr.am/username/
To point your domain to a blog on Scriptogr.am:
- In DNS records*:
- For the main domain like mycoolblog.ua, add an A-record with the name "@" and specify the IP address50.116.1.192
- For a subdomain like blog.mycoolblog.ua, add a CNAME record with the subdomain name (for example, “blog”) and specify it in the datascriptogr.am.(with a period at the end)
- In your blog settings on Scriptogr.am, in the “Custom domain” field, enter your domain.
* Just in case, check the current data for setting up the domain inservice panels
How to edit DNS records in a domain ↓
Postach.io (Evernote blog)
Service Postach.ioPostach.io posts your blog entries from your Evernote notes. After registering and linking your Evernote account, you'll have a notebook called Postach.io. You can write notes in this notebook, and they'll be published to your blog after syncing. Please note that only notes tagged "published" will appear on the website—in Evernote, this is specified in the tag field next to the note's title.
The service offers several interesting design themes, and in the blog settings you can enable Disqus comments and install the Google Analytics code.
A link to a blog without its own domain looks like this:http://username.postach.io
To point your domain to a blog in Postach.io:
- In DNS records*:
- For the main domain like mycoolblog.ua, add an A-record with the name "@" and specify the IP address54.227.242.252
- For a subdomain like blog.mycoolblog.ua, add a CNAME record with the subdomain name (for example, “blog”) and specify it in the datadomains.postach.io.(with a period at the end)
- In your blog settings on Postach.io, enter your domain in the “Custom Domain” field.
* Just in case, check the current data for setting up the domain inservice instructions
How to edit DNS records in a domain ↓
How to point your domain to a blog
The basic principle is simple: you need to point your domain or subdomain to the blogging service's servers. Most often, this requires adding A and/or CNAME records in DNS, depending on whether you're pointing the domain itself or a subdomain.
Preparing for setup
Before changing the DNS records of a domain, let's check whether our name servers (NS) are specified correctly.
If you registernew domainWhen placing your order, at the "Select Name Servers (NS)" step, select "Domain Maintenance on NIC.UA Name Servers" from the list. This is a free service for domains registered on NIC.UA. It is renewed free of charge every 3 months and automatically for active domains.
If you already haveThere is a domain on NIC.UA, go to your account in the sectionMy Orders → Domains, and look at the NS column next to the domain you need. The "managed by NS" status is what we're looking for.
If there is a different status:
- Check the box next to the desired domain and click the "Change name servers (NS)" button.
- In the first step, select “NIC.UA Name Server” from the list and click the “Install for selected domains” button.
- Below, in the second step, click the "Submit a request to change name servers" button.
- Once the "NS" field displays "managed NS" and the order status changes to "active", you can proceed to setting up the domain.
If you already have a domain, but it is with a different registrar,Transfer your domain to NIC.UA or order name servers (NS).
What to specify in a domain
Now, to set up your domain correctly, go to your account in the sectionMy Orders → Name Servers (NS), check the box next to the desired domain, and click "Edit DNS records." You'll see settings similar to these:
If you want to directmain domainTo connect to a blog in one of the services, in the line with the name "@" and the record type "A", enter the IP address specified in the blog service settings. This will mean that you have directed the A record to the desired IP address.
To directsubdomain, create a new CNAME record with the subdomain name (for example, blog), and in the "host alias" field, enter the data that the service asks you to enter.
If you want the blog to be directedmain domain and domain with www, then register both the A record and the CNAME record.
Once you've entered the necessary entries, saved the settings, and specified your domain in the blog service itself, everything should work.
Please note!Domain data is cached by internet providers, so changes may take some time to appear—from 1 minute to 72 hours. You can check that everything is configured correctly on the website.dig.ua: Enter the domain name and see that the required IP addresses are listed in the "dig command" tab.
If something doesn't work for you or doesn't work, please write to oursupport service.
