How to Blog Without a Blog.

Blogging can be such a pain. First, you have to set up the blog, whether on a hosted service like WordPress or Tumblr, or self-install a platform using your own hosting and by securing a domain name. Then, you have to come up with original and recurring content. Finally, you have to share each blog post with your friends and followers on social networks.


But what if you need a simple way to just write a single update, without the hassle of an entire blog platform or needing to remember yet another username and password? Two new Web-based apps make this entirely possible. With apps like Checkthis and InstaBlogg, people with something to say can blog without a blog.

Checkthis was one of the first platforms that allowed users to quickly post something akin to a blog post, but without the structure of an entire blog. The founder and designer of Checkthis, Frédéric della Faill, actually describes the service as something “between nothing and a blog.” He says that Checkthis provides a way for people to share things using “beautiful stand-alone pages with your friends, family, and followers. [There's] no need to set up a blog that readers would expect you to keep updating. Just publish and share the link in seconds.” You can make your page temporary or permanent, public or private, and creating it is simple. Just add a title, add content, embed video, pictures, or widgets (such as a comment box), and choose your page properties. Checkthis also features the ability to choose from a palette of color themes, as well as change the background — even to your own image.


Another service new on the scene that allows people to blog without a blog is InstaBlogg. This service is equally as anonymous as Checkthis, but much less comprehensive. You simply type your content and a unique URL is generated when published. Users can change font color, size, and add links and formatting, but no design features are available. Unlike Checkthis, there is no option to change the background or color scheme. Both InstaBlogg and Checkthis do feature social sharing buttons on each page, making it easy to share your content.

Would you use Checkthis or InstaBlogg to replace a traditional blogging platform? Let us know what you think in the comments.