I just set up a copy of WordPress Multiuser, running at calgaryblogs.net. It’s an open and free blogging service. I won’t be running ads, or charging for individuals to use it. My only goal is to get more people publishing content online, and if yet another blogging service will help, then so be it.
It’s configured to serve subdomains, meaning you can easily set up a blog at “mygreatblog.calgaryblogs.net” and treat it like it’s your own server.
I don’t have a “policiy” or usage agreement or anything yet, but for now, the only rule is “don’t be evil.” – so, I guess that means anything goes, except for spam splogs and link farms.
I’m probably a little crazy to set this up as a free service, but this stuff shouldn’t cost money for people to use. I’ll start things off sharing my Dreamhost account. If it outgrows that (and hopefully it will) then I’ll investigate other hosting options.
You’re a giver, D’Arcy, you’re a giver. WordPress…I can’t think of a better Xmas present for a city!
Let me know if you need help maintaining it… 🙂 Probably should have a page for all the other Calgary blogs or an aggregator I think would be cool. Like wanna set up aggregator.calgaryblogs.net?
I admit it I’m going through my reader with 2 weeks of backed up items. I seem to be able to twit, read or blog but not all three, get dinner on the table and my daily quotient of imagining the school in.
Anyhoo after that tangent, let me pick up on a total side issue of this post (which is all about using your powers for the forces of good- you rock!): hosting.
I want a local host that offers the kind of service that Dreamhost does. There must be little gals and guys out there trying to make an honest buck hosting? I want to support that service in Vancouver. I want you to support a similar service in Calgary. I’m willing to pay more for a local service. I’ve been having this debate with colleagues who are local=better on all fronts. I mostly agree but not always (i.e. local chocolate is not better. Local oranges suck. You know.) I found myself occupying the ground of “well the web works differently” by default ’cause all the local=better highground had been already staked out.
But the dust has settled and I want a local service. I don’t want to send more of my $$ and my ideas south of the border, even to a pretty groovy company like Dreamhost, if there’s a reasonable and credible local alternative. If it makes sense for buying veggies (it does), does it also make sense for web hosting? And what are the local alternatives?
Keira, I’d love to support a local hosting company. I still haven’t found one with the bells and whistles the DH has, for the price. There are some good companies, to be sure, but they offer much more restricted services, or charge much more cash. I’ve resorted to the “on the internet, nobody knows where you are” position. There could even be an argument for using a centralized colocation facility (DH is in LA) that might be more efficient from a resource utilization perspective than a small shop on the edge of the ‘net. (higher density in a coloc facility means more efficiency for power, HVAC, security, fire, etc..) that might offset the cost to ship the bits a few hundred or thousand kilometers…
having said that, I’d move hosting providers if it cost a little more (but not orders of magnitude) and/or performance of the server was better. not sure if that makes business sense for a small and local hosting provider, though…
and if you think local BC oranges suck, you should try the Alberta Grown variety…
Keira, I just did some poking around and found a potential local hosting provider. Well, they’re more local to you, since they’re in downtown VanRockCity… Canadian Web Hosting – I’m thinking they look a bit like a Canadian DreamHost, but haven’t done any research on how good they might be…