Job Profile: Careers in IT : System administrator

System administration refers to the management of one or more hardware and software systems.

The task is performed by a system administrator who monitors system health, monitors and allocates system resources like disk space, performs backups, provides user access, manages user accounts, monitors system security and performs many other functions.

 

Duties of a system administrator

The duties of a system administrator are wide-ranging, and vary widely from one organization to another. Sysadmins are usually charged with installing, supporting, and maintaining servers or other computer systems, and planning for and responding to service outages and other problems. Other duties may include scripting or light programming, project management for systems-related projects.

The system administrator is responsible for following things:

1. User administration (setup and maintaining account)
2. Maintaining system
3. Verify that peripherals are working properly
4. Quickly arrange repair for hardware in occasion of hardware failure
5. Monitor system performance
6. Create file systems
7. Install software
8. Create a backup and recover policy
9. Monitor network communication
10. Update system as soon as new version of OS and application software comes out
11. Implement the policies for the use of the computer system and network
12. Setup security policies for users. A sysadmin must have a strong grasp of computer security (e.g. firewalls and intrusion detection systems)
13. Documentation in form of internal wiki
14. Password and identity management

Cloud computing and sysadmin

Cloud computing is nothing but a large number of computers connected through the Internet/Wan. Cloud computing is now part of technology and sysadmin must lean:

1. Automation software such as puppet, chef, etc.
2. Cloud infrastructure such as AWS, Openstack etc.
3. Network services in cloud such as Content delivery networks (Akamai, CloudFront etc) and DNS servers.
4. Source control
5. Designing best practices for backups, and whole infrastructure.

What is so special about the system administrator account?

The root account has full (unrestricted) access, so he/she can do anything with system. For example, root can remove critical system files. In addition, there is no way you can recover file except using tape backup or disk based backup systems.
Many tasks for system administration can be automated using Perl/Python or shell scripts. For example:

• Create new users
• Resetting user passwords
• Lock/unlock user accounts
• Monitor server security
• Monitor special services etc

Most important skill to a system administrator

Problem solving, period. This can some time lead into all sorts of constraints and stress. When workstation or server goes down, you are called to solve the problem. You should able to quickly and correctly diagnose the problem. You must figure out what is wrong and how best it can be fixed in small amount of time.

Job Summary

Responsible for the technical design, planning, implementation, and the highest level of performance tuning and recovery procedures for mission critical enterprise systems. Serves as a technical expert in the area of system administration for complex operating systems. Recommends the redesign and configuration of operating systems and system applications. Investigates and analyzes feasibility of system requirements and develops system specifications. Identifies methods, solutions, and provides project leadership and management in order to provide a high level of service to the customers of the department. Performs full supervision of Operations staff.

Typical Duties and Responsibilities

1. Manages the day-to-day operations of the PCC host computers by monitoring system performance, configuration, maintenance and repair. Ensures that records of system downtime and equipment inventory are properly maintained. Applies revisions to host system firmware and software. Works with vendors to assist support activities.
2. Develops new system and application implementation plans, custom scripts and testing procedures to ensure operational reliability. Trains technical staff in how to use new software and hardware developed and/or acquired.
3. Supervises Operations staff including hiring, training, evaluating and disciplining. May guide or provide work direction to technical staff, contract staff and/or student employees. Determines appropriate coverage for all hours of operation.
4. Performs troubleshooting as required. As such, leads problem-solving efforts often involving outside vendors and other support personnel and/or organizations.
5. Establishes, maintains and manages users Unix accounts. Installs, modifies and maintains systems and utility software on server computer systems. Provides server support related to other software.
6. Establishes guidelines and methods for the installation and management of the host computer operating systems, disk arrays, fiber channel switches, tape libraries and other components.
7. Ensures high availability and acceptable levels of performance of mission critical host computer resources.
8. Develops procedures to maintain security and protect systems from unauthorized use, acts of nature and user abuse.
9. Develops procedures, programs and documentation for backup and restoration of host operating systems and host-based applications.
10. Develops and coordinates project directions and schedules to maximize benefits and minimize impacts on the customer organizations. Provides leadership in planning and implementation of projects for computer operations and enterprise systems administration.
11. Develops tools, procedures, and training sessions for Operations, Client Support and Systems Development staff to assist with work.
12. Manages the data center and computer host systems including hardware, software and equipment such as air-conditioning system, UPS (uninterrupted power system) and fire protection system.
13. Stays current with technological developments in systems administration technology and recommends ways for PCC to take advantage of new technology.
Positions in this classification may perform all or some of the responsibilities above and all positions perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Associate's degree in Computer Science or related discipline. Relevant experience may substitute for the degree requirement on a year for year basis. Three years work experience in complex systems design, programming and systems software and support.

Knowledge of: Programming languages and operating systems; current equipment and technologies in use; Unix system administration, enterprise backup and recovery procedures, and system performance monitoring tools; effective project management techniques; principles and practices of effective management and supervision.

Ability to: Plan, organize and document complex system design activities and to configure systems to be consistent with institutional policies/procedures; communicate technical/complex information both verbally and in writing; establish and maintain cooperation, understanding, trust and credibility; perform multiple tasks concurrently and respond to emergency situations effectively.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements

Work environment includes typical computer related noise levels and paper and equipment generated dust. Exposure to video display terminals occurs on a regular basis. Incumbent is on call to provide support services during off hours. Scheduled night and weekend work is required. Learned physical skill is required for keyboarding and use of peripheral equipment. Moderate lifting.

There are different types of system administrators based on their roles and responsibilities. A bigger company might have different system administrators having different roles, but for smaller company, most of the different roles might be shared by just a few system administrators, or even one single person. Some of the different types of system administrators are:

• Server administrator – maintains the operating system of the servers, and to some extent, the applications as well, such as the mail services, the web services, etc. He is also in-charge of troubleshooting any hardware, operating system or application related problems.
• Network administrator – maintains the network infrastructure, such as the routers and switches, and troubleshoot network-related problems.
  • Database administrator (DBA) – maintains the database system used by organisation. In bigger organisation which uses bigger and more complex databases, there is a DBA which specifically responsible for this role. In smaller organisation, this role would normally be shared by the server administrator

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Set Specific country Target in Google Webmaster Tools for website

Geo targeting or geographic target setting is the option for webmasters to link targeted geographic location of traffic to their sites in Webmaster Tools account. This helps Google to determine the search results for a specific geographic location.

Geographic setting is one of the tools Google uses to determine the top search results for a particular country hence Google search results will vary from country to country for the same keywords.

Domains and Geographic Settings

All the country specific domains like .us (Unites States), .in (India) or .ca (Canada) are by default linked to a particular country and hence there will not be an additional geographic targeting option required for these domains. This means for country specific domains you will not see a “Geographic Target” setting option in your Google Webmaster Tools.

The generic top level domains like .com, .net, .info or .org are not linked with any countries in specific. Hence Google provides an option to add a geographic target for the webmasters owning a generic top level domain.

If there is no geographic location set for a generic top level domain site in Webmaster Tools account then Google uses various other data like server location and information on Google Places before displaying it in the search result pages. If your site is not linked with any geography and you changed your hosting provider then it is recommended that you inform Google about the new location of your server through geographic target setting. This will help Google to re-determine the position of your site in the search results for geographically restricted searches.

How to Set a Geographic Target?

1. Login to your Webmaster Tools account and select the site. You need to have your site verified successfully in order to use this option.

2. Go to 'Search Traffic'

3. Click on 'International Targeting'

4. Set the Geographic target by selecting the country from the drop-down.

Select “choice country” if you do not want to link your site with any of the geographic locations.

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Best power Banks for Smart Phones

Portable Power Banks are comprised of a special battery in a special case with a special circuit to control power flow. They allow you to store electrical energy (deposit it in the bank) and then later use it to charge up a mobile device (withdraw it from the bank). Power Banks have become increasingly popular as the battery life of our beloved phones, tablets and portable media players is outstripped by the amount of time we spend using them each day. By keeping a battery backup close by, you can top-up your devices while far from a wall outlet.

The Power Banks we're talking about are good for almost any USB-charged devices. Cameras, GoPros, Portable speakers, GPS systems, MP3 players, smartphones and even some tablets can be charged from a Power Bank - practically anything that charges from USB at home can be charged from a Power Bank - you just have to remember to keep your Power Bank charged, too!

Power Banks may also be known as Power Stations or Battery Banks.

Power banks store energy in an internal Lithium Ion battery and can charge the mobile and tablets. They are nothing but a special battery encased in special casing along with required circuitry to control the flow of power. That’s how we explain them in a non technical manner. They store the energy in them just like you deposit money in the bank and have a means to charge a device like you withdraw money! That is the perfect analogy. 

Now that the battery capacity of the devices we are using these days has gone too low what we have been expecting it to with a myriad of tasks being performed, there is a need for an auxiliary power supply and that’s where these power banks come into action.

Choosing a power bank

These are some basic guidelines on what kind power banks to buy. It all depends on your individual requirement. If you have the habit of carrying too many devices while on travel, you may need to get yourself a high capacity power bank. Else, a low capacity portable charger would be sufficient. Her are a few tips based on the major points –

Capacity: This is the most important deciding point in choosing a right power bank. Power Bank capacity refers to how much charge is inside a power bank battery. It is measured in mAh or milliamps per hour. But one thing you need to understand that when a power bank is charging your smart phone or tablet, some of the energy is lost in transfer of power. So the real capacity is about 60-65 percent of the battery capacity listed on the power bank. For example a power bank with battery capacity at 2200 mAh has real capacity in the range 1320mAh to 1430mAh. And this is for quality battery, for downgraded battery the loss of power is even more and hence the real capacity would be less than 1320mAh. Should you decide to buy a power bank, keep your own usage in mind. To meet ever growing charging needs of users, many higher mAh units are available today. Higher end power banks can charge almost any type of devices, from laptops, iPads, tablets and smart phones.

Connectors: Pay specific attention to the number of connectors and the type of connector. It would be more advisable to go for a power bank with built-in cable.

Portability: We are buying a power bank because of its portable nature. If you have to carry a huge power bank than your device, it is too impractical.

Price: Power banks which promise higher capacity at a substantially lower price may not be genuine. Most of them use refurbished battery and may not last long. Go for a power bank from a well known brand. Though it may be a bit expensive, it will keep your device safe and give the required performance.

Protective Circuitry: Ensure that your power bank has additional features to protect your device. Pay attention to following –

Short Circuit Protection – This will help keep your power bank and the device safe when the short circuit problems happen.

Over Charging Protection – This feature will let the power bank cut off the supply when your device is charged fully. Thus, it will be useful in cases of the device being left for charging and forgotten.

Temperature Protection – This will help identify the cases of device overheating while charging the device.

Certification: Check for the UL certification of the device. It will ensure that the power bank you have been buying meets all standard quality requirements.

Best power Banks for smartphones

Xiaomi Mi 16000 mAh Power Bank:

Xiaomi Mi started a trend to offer a good product at very affordable prices with its smartphones and they have carried that philosophy in their other products as well. The 16,000 mAh power bank comes in a metal case and when fully charged has enough juice to recharge a normal phone at least 5 times.

Anker 2nd Gen Astro Mini 3200mAh Power Bank: Anker was founded in 2009, the brainchild of a group of friends working at Google. Fast forward a few years and we’re now the industry leader in mobile power. Anker is the first power bank brand in North America. This Anker 3200mAh power bank is for your basic charging needs. It is very compact and helps you use your smartphone in critical situations when you need to make or take an important call and your smartphone has run out of battery juice. This 3200mAh external battery can charge your Apple iPhone 6 or iPhone 5S/5C more than once, the Nexus 5 once, the Samsung Galaxy S5 0.8 times, Galaxy Note 3 0.7 times, HTC One M8 0.9 times and the iPad mini 0.5 times.

Jackery 6000mAh Power Bank：Jackery Brand mobile battery chargers go the distance. From sports fans to students, moms to mountain climbers, Jackery empowers people on the go. The power bank has single USB charging slot, and it assures full protection from any charging malfunctioning. There are four different colors to match your iPhone: Black, gold, orange, and silver while writing this. Jackery Bar is the smallest portable external battery with 2.1A output designed for extending mobile device battery life. It includes a high-energy density, fast-charging, compact design, and smart safety protection circuit. Jackery delivers beautiful design at affordable prices along with great customer service. The Jackery Bar is often used with leading smartphones and tablets like Samsung Galaxy, Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, and more. Jackery® Bar Performance for iPhones: 200%-300% battery life, Input: 5V/1A, Input charging time: 6-8h via Standard USB or AC adapter (not included); Output: 5V/2.1A; Compact Size: 3.8 x 1.8 x 0.9 inches; Weight: 5.5 ounce; 18- month warranty.

 

Lepow U-Stone Series 12000mAh Power Bank: This Lepow Brand power bank– Red Dot Award Winner for its unique and timeless design, Faster recharging speed of 2.1A for a quick 7 hour charge (please use a 2.1A wall charger). Great energy conversion – higher than 85% for better efficiency, Biodegradable packaging made from recycled materials. U-Stone Package includes the Lepow U-Stone, Micro USB flat cable, and user manual. Apple adapters-30 pin, lightening and wall charger not included.

Zendure A2 6000mAh Power Bank: Zendure USA Inc. was founded in 2013 by Tom Haflinger and Bryan Liu. The company’s mission is to deliver top-quality consumer electronics that exceed consumer expectations using high-end materials, premiere product development partners and user-centric design. The pocket-friendly A2 is our smallest portable charger, but with super-high-density battery cells, it’ll keep your phone charged long after the day is done. The Zendure A2 6000mAh external battery is highly durable, compact and lightweight. This power bank also has an auto-on feature which starts charging your device automatically after connecting it.

EasyAcc 10000mAh Power Bank: EasyAcc Accessory exists to please not to trouble. To make it easy as it uses and looks, The EasyAcc 10000mAh external battery is compact and ultra slim. It is attractive and is available in 6 different colors. This 10000 mAh portable charger is capable of charging the Samsung Galaxy S5 2.5 times, iPhone 5S 4.5 times, iPhone 6 nearly 4 times, iPad Air nearly once, HTC One M8, Moto X and Nexus 5 nearly 3 times, LG G3 and Sony Xperia Z3 more than 2 times.

RAVPower 3rd Gen Deluxe 16750mAh Power Bank: RAVPower has made numerous powerbanks or external battery packs with each version improving upon the other. 

One of the most important things about RAVPower is their reputation and reliability. The RAVPower 16750mAh portable charger is capable of charging various devices like AppleiPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, Apple 5S/5C, iPad Air mini, Samsung Galaxy S5, Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Tab 4 Pro, Google Nexus, HTC One (M8), LG G3, MOTO X, Sony Xperia etc.

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How does WhatsApp technology works?

Whats App is Chat application. WhatsApp is a texting service between mobile phones as a replacement for the regular SMS text messages. Over millions users are active worldwide using the Whatsapp service. Whatsapp uses an internet connection between phones. The service is available for iPhone, Blackberry, Android and Nokia Symbian60-phones.

The major difference between regular SMS text messages and Whatsapp text messages is that Whatsapp is free: You use the internet connection on your phone (wifi or part of you mobile data package depending on subscription or pre paid type).

We call them Instant Messaging.  This means the messaging between sender and receive should happen in real time, unlike email (offline).

So you need to first understand challenge here to understand how chat apps work.  If you store something on database, then you pass again to another user, it becomes offline (not in real time).  If you pass any message and it stores and also pass at same to other user, it becomes IM (Instant messaging). 

Now in development, there are different PROTOCOLS that help achieve things.

For Emails its: SMTP, POP3 etc.

For Chat its: XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol)

It is protocol based on another format named XML (like html, not exactly, but to give you idea).  Using XMPP protocol, XML as communication medium and setting up this on a server, that host it and helps pass all communication and also setup logic on this server (Basically coding).  So there are many server created with protocol XMPP like eJabber.

Interestingly, WhatsApp is related to "Yowsup" , a Python library.  Python is a programming language on which Quora, YouTube etc. are built! You can find this Yowsup library on tgalal/yowsup.

So now lets put together all above information.

A user A has internet and a client application (whats app) installed on say Android phone), A user B has internet and has same client application (Whatsapp) installed on his iPhone. (So basically cross platform).

A types message "Hi" to B.  The message is passed via Web Services to XMPP server, The XMPP server has list of all WhatsApp user, based on unique phone number, it will detect B and XMPP server will then send message "Hi" to B with web service.  B will recieve this message on iPhone.  In between there will coding done with business rules on server, database level and on client applications as well. 

Whatsapp is implemented at server end over the protocol XMPP. Exactly it is done on XMPP lite which is well established open source chat engine. 

What is the Technology behind WhatsApp?

WhatsApp uses a customized version of the open standard Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) upon installation. WhatsApp automatically compares all the phone numbers from the device's address book with its central database of WhatsApp users to automatically compares all the phone numbers from the devices address book with its central database of WhatsApp users to automatically add contacts to the users WhatsApp contact list.

What is Extendible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) ?

The Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) is an application profile of the Extensible Markup Language (XML) for streaming XML data in close to real time between any two or more network-aware entities. The address format for XMPP entities was originally developed in the Jabber Open Source Community in 1999. It functions between or among servers, and facilitates near-real-time operation. The Protocol may eventually allow internet users to send instant messages to anyone else on the Internet, regardless of differences in Operating systems and browsers. 

XMPP is sometimes called the Jabber protocol, but this is a technical misnomer. Jabber, an IM application similar to ICQ (I Seek You) and others, is based on XMPP, but there are many applications besides Jabber that are supported by XMPP. The IEEE XMPP working group, a consortium of engineers and programmers, is adapting XMPP for use as an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) technology. 

In addition, the Messaging and Presence Interoperability Consortium (MPIC) is considering XMPP as an important interoperability technology. Eventually, XMPP is expected to support IM applications with authentication, access control, a high measure of privacy, hop-by-hop encryption, end-to-end encryption, and compatibility with other protocols.

Database management

For the database management Mnesia DB comes into play. Mnesia is a multiuser distributed DBMS which happens to be the default DB of ERLANG. Thus by using Mnesia, the app is able to achieve quicker request responses, thereby improving the overall efficiency.

FreeBSD is the operating system upon which WhatsApp is laid upon. Improvising on the ERLANG based applications and optimizing FreeBSD, WhatsApp is able to achieve better throughput. For storing multimedia files, the app uses an exclusive web server YAWS.

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Best Mobile Apps to Boost Productivity

Productivity is so much more than a buzzword for freelancers and project co-coordinators alike. Staying productive can sometimes be harder to achieve than it should, especially when working in a busy office. With no boss looking over your shoulder you need to keep your eye on the ball to stay on track and meet your targets and deadlines.

 

If you are new to working from home, you probably haven’t noticed your apartment looks a lot cleaner these days. And you now know all the best before dates for your fridge items. You have made a complete turnaround in your day to day schedule, so staying focused on not letting your standard of work drop is now your number one priority.

The good news is that, as a freelancer, you now have a whole army of mobile apps ready and waiting for your requirements. You need to take heed and find the ones that will work best for you as soon as possible. The new generations of mobile apps are all better individually than all the systems you used for your Filofax, and the days of spreadsheets being used as organisers are over. It is time to discover just how good the latest raft of apps is. After all, it’s all about keeping up with your productivity and getting help is always a reasonable option.

Any.do

Any.Do-Mobile-App

Any.do is a good looking task manager with a difference. The big plus is a unique tool every morning to take you through your everyday tasks, so you don’t forget all your important tasks and meetings for the day. This friendly nudge every morning is called the Any.do Moment. You will get familiar with it until completely relying on it every morning like the assistant it has been designed as. 

The Any.do is a collaborative effort and presents a beautifully laid out utility available for Android and iOS.

Abukai Expenses

Abukai Expenses will make tedious expense reports a thing of the past. Your organisation would do well to employ this easy integration system for expense filing. Abukai Expenses works for both Android and iOS and has customisation laid on for many of the back-end financial software products. The app allows you to snap receipts on the go and feed them to your accounting system, so no information is lost.

Rescue Time

This is an excellent free app for time tracking. Rescue Time tracks how you spend your time and which apps you keep going back to use most. On analysis, you can ascertain everywhere you waste time and where you could be more productive. There are graphs and chart presentation of data to indicate where you need to change your ways. Writers, for instance, may be unaware they spend too much time on research than honing their writing skills. Rescue Time is a fascinating Android app for management.

Buffer

Social media freelancers should know about the buffer app. Buffer schedules all your social media posts to be done together. You can plan to put out your messages collectively for your Facebook posts, Google Plus posts, tweets, and LinkedIn posts. With one click you can update your aggregate work output simultaneously. Buffer is particularly useful for professional tweeters who need to co-ordinate better the timing of their tweets to stay timely and relevant. 

With increasing importance dependant on content, for the areas like digital marketing, sharing and link-building appropriate control will help efficiency. Download it on your Android or iOS smartphone.

Asana

Productivity apps are featuring workplace collaborative tools more and more, and it is easy to see why. A large part of management now requires for more teamwork and employees working together, so communicating frequently and unimpeded with an app such as Asana should be warmly welcomed. Asana has been successfully designed to keep teams working together with complete accountability for who-did-what in real time. 

All businesses whatever size can get their team members away from slow and inefficient emailing to close team collaboration. Get the updated version on your Android phone.

Remember the Milk

Task management has just been made simple by an app called Remember the Milk. Apart from the cool name, RTM doesn’t lack any functionality and will become a vital source of note sorting for you quicker than you think. It is web based but supports Android and iOS for mobiles. RTM will integrate effectively with Evernote, MS Outlook, Gmail, Google Calendar and Twitter. The useful user interface comes with keyboard shortcuts to make task management that little bit quicker.

NutCache

Nutcache is perfect for online invoicing. It is simple, fast and offers multi-lingual capabilities. Invoice and estimates are free including time tracking. For hour-logging per jobs,  Nutcache also handles client billing and the available mobile time logging app for logging hours anywhere all done through iOS or Android.  

Even the free version includes loads of great features such as accessibility to 20 comprehensive and flexible reports for real-time business analysis of activity. NutCache keeps some sophisticated billable hours tools at a comfortable and convenient central location. Freelancers and team collaborators can pitch in some brainstorming time or use the tools to boost productivity and project building at the same time.

Brewster

Brewster is an all-in-one contacts app that effortlessly pulls in all your places of contact information and provides you with a go-to logical place for that vital information. Any duplicates across the applications are handled without fuss and contact info is keep up to date across-the-board. Brewster in Android proves to be a huge time saver whenever you are working with networking back up.

Trello

Trello makes creativity accessible to whatever project you are working on. The popular app that is available on both Android and iOS operating system uses a card system to hold all the relevant bite-sized information that is linked to a larger project and is open to inviting collaborators to work on the project. This access can be revoked at any time, or the cards are also meant to a private project. The card system makes productivity accessible for task completion one by one while all your progress keeps the bigger picture up to date on a larger white board.

LastPass

LastPass is perfect for anyone who gets frustrated by being prompted for passwords all the time. LastPass suggests you keep one final password with them so you can never get blocked from important work when forgetting your latest password update. LastPass is great news for those who don’t want to keep all their memory joggers strewn across a myriad of sticky notes and secret files. 

Download free on both Android and iOS platforms.

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Why! we should have to write own blog ?

Today, everyone is using tech devises computers, smart phone etc with Internet. everyone knows how to use Internet in their daily life. in World, there are people with great abilities which are now no more hidden from outside world if you share with other people.

Many blogger puts their thoughts on their blog so others can read them, take guidance from them, can use in their life. It can be anything, you can just write about your hobbies, life experiences, study, learnings, nature adventure, guidance etc. some of them share educational tips with others where we can take free advantage and can implement our life.

on Internet world, many of them are writing about technical news, tech gadgets, computers tips and tricks, Internet tips and other tech resources which are very helpful to us.

undocopy is tech blog one of them which are provide wide knowledge about Internet tips, blogging, nature love, education, softwares, etc. you can check that too.

on your own blog site you can also share you all kind of your own views with other. you can write anything out there without any cost.

Below list of best free blogging platforms 

Blogger (www.undocopy.com using this service)

You'd hope with a name like 'Blogger' that Blogger would be a decent free service for blogging. Fortunately, it is. Sign in with your Google ID, and you can have a blog up and running in seconds, which can then be customized with new themes. It is, however, a Google service, and so be a touch wary, given how abruptly that company sometimes shuts things down that millions of people were happily using.

Tumblr

To some extent, Tumblr feels a bit like a half-way house between WordPress and Twitter. It offers more scope than the latter, but tends to favour rather more succinct output than the former.

Decent mobile apps make it easy to submit content to a Tumblr blog from anywhere, though, and it's reasonably easy to customize your theme to make it your own.

Tumblr also has a strong social undercurrent, via a following model combined with notes and favourites. Although be mindful that the service has quite a few porn bots lumbering about, which may give the faint-of-heart a bit of a shock should they check every favourite off of their posts.

WordPress

WordPress is responsible for 76.5 million blogs and counting! The reason why it’s so popular has to do with its flexibility and unique features, such as the ability to customize your permalinks. The tools at your disposal here are ideal for beginners, but there’s enough depth and freedom for veterans to stretch their legs as well.

On top of this, WordPress has themes and plugins. These two features allow you to easily customize the look and feel of your site. Themes will give you structured layouts and plugins will add functionality like SEO tracking, analytics, social media share buttons, and plenty more.

WordPress is constantly improving and being updated as well. Its open-source design allows anyone to tweak the program and add new functionality as they see fit.

What Types of Blogs Should Use WordPress?

    Personal blogs

    Online portfolios

    eCommerce sites

    Just about any type of site, really

Weebly

With Weebly we’re crossing into the world of website builders. These are perfect for beginners who don’t have any web design experience.  Web builders allow you to easily drag-and-drop new elements into your theme.

It takes the complications out of web design and does all the coding in the background so you can focus on the end result. There’s a free account option that lets you dive in and check out the various tools and features on offer.

You’ll be able to create extremely professional looking websites that are also mobile-responsive for maximum rankings on Google and other search engines.

Medium

For those who simply want to see their thoughts and ideas take root on the internet, Medium is a great way to get it done. You can join a community of people who are from all walks of life.

For the sheer “feel” of blogging, you can’t beat the simplicity that Medium offers. This is a place where you can have your voice heard without the responsibility of a full-time blogger.

The fact that it’s also a free and open platform means that you can jump in quickly, write about anything that you’re passionate about, and share it with the world.

You’ll also be able to read other people’s work which will in turn inspire new content for you. It’s a beautiful way to get in touch with the spirit of blogging.

Who is Medium For?

People with strong opinions or unique perspectives

Someone who simply wants to feel what it’s like to blog

A curious blog reader who wants to try their hand at the craft

Wix

Wix promises to give you an incredible looking website without requiring any knowledge of coding whatsoever. This is another website builder, but you really can’t argue with the results people get.

Professional results, without the need for advanced web design knowledge, is a massive benefit of using Wix. Businesses will also find a lot to love here. The company offers plenty of tools and designs to assist growing businesses.

The designs on offer all exhibit a strong understanding of today’s styles and best practices. It’s a very well maintained blogging platform. The company is continuously growing and the user base is a loyal bunch.

Overall, Wix ranks in the top among other website builders. If you need great results with simple and easy to use tools, this is a great pick.

What Types of Bloggers Should Use Wix?

    eCommerce websites are a great fit here.

    Small businesses

    Artists and writers

    Beginners

Squarespace

Squarespace wants to help you create a website that looks like you spent a ton of money on it. The end results with this platform are extremely polished, responsive, and visually pleasing websites.

Squarespace is a great option for websites that have a lot of dependence on their layout and design. The options here will give you the ability to make a website with image-focused design and a very clean look.

This platform is a website builder like some of the others on this list. As a result of that, you can easily make tweaks to the design without ever touching a line of code. That level of convenience is spectacular.

Digging deeper into this platform, there’s a feature called Cover Pages that lets you create scrolling layouts that can be combined with a template or made on its own. This adds a flourish to your website that would normally require an intense amount of coding.

Each and every template you use on Squarespace is also responsive, meaning it will appear properly on desktops and mobile devices. This may not seem huge, but it has a gigantic impact on your success in both search rankings and with customers.

What makes this platform stand out from other website builders is the thoughtfulness put into the design options. What I mean by that, is the fact that everything is laid out in a simple and user-friendly way.

Everything from colors, to font, to spacing and sidebar width can be tweaked at the touch of a button.

Who Should Use Squarespace? 

    Business owners

    Bloggers who want a very flashy web design

    Beginner’s looking for a user-friendly website builder

Penzu

Penzu is focused on the original purpose of blogs as online journals. This platform takes that approach as its main focus with great results. You can sign up for free and choose from different types of journals.

Some of them are public, others are private. You can tweak the settings in any way you like and let your thoughts take form on the page. If you’re trying to form a schedule, there’s another great feature here that lets you receive email reminders when you’re supposed to post.

By default, the journal entries you have are private, but you can choose to make public. You’ll have options for your cover, background, and font to make the journal unique to you and your personality.

Who Should Use Penzu 

    Someone who wants to have a blog for journaling purposes.

    A beginner looking to try out blogging.

    Someone who loves journaling, but wants to go digital.

SVBTLE

SVBTLE immediately captures your attention when you arrive by saying that it was designed to work like the human brain. It’s a platform that not only gives you the ability to blog, but also the inspiration you need to come up with new ideas.

It all starts with a dashboard designed to help you curate ideas and guide you through the process of seeing them come into fruition. Unlike many free blog sites, SVBTLE also promises that they will never take down your blog.

The design of the text editor is geared towards a distraction-free experience that allows you to focus while you work. Finally, the final product is clean and easy to read for your visitors.

It’s slick, simple, and suave. A great platform for bloggers and a great way for writers to grow and develop their ideas.

Who Should Try SVBTLE? 

    Writers who want a free-flowing platform

    Bloggers who struggle with writer’s block

    People who need a distraction-free experience

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