Here is a list of resources that I use myself. The list is varied, from software to books. Sometimes, people ask me what tools I use to do what I do, and I thought putting up a resource page like this one will help out. Use and enjoy!
Disclosure: I want you to know that some some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. These products and services are not in this list because I am earning a commission from it though; the following list is based STRICTLY on the usefulness of the product/service. I find them good enough to recommend to friends. Also, many things can be done without paying for software etc, so invest wisely.
Getting Online
CMS → WordPress.
CMS means Content Management System. And WordPress is the platform when it comes to publishing anything online. If you want to blog, then there is nothing better than WordPress out there.
On top of the reliability of the WordPress platform, it is free.
Download/install either from your hosting control panel, or download from WordPress.org.
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Hosting → Hostgator.
I have used Rackspace Cloud, but moved to Hostgator.
I recommend them highly and you can get online in as little as 4 dollars per month.
They have great customer service (24/7 chat, email and phone).
If you have any questions regarding this, you can ask me as well and I will help you.
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Email → Google Apps.
If you are using anything other than Google Apps, then I am sorry, you are missing out.
I have helped companies big and small seamlessly deploy Google Apps on their domains. People usually start with the remarkable email service, then grow into other Apps such as Documents and Calendar etc.
I am myself a regular user of Google Apps Gmail, Calendar and Google Docs.
If you are relatively tech-savvy and don’t mind doing it yourself, you can start with the Free Google Apps product suite by clicking here.
Need any help, let me know. I can show you how to install Google Apps yourself, or if you want, I can do it for you for a small, yearly fee. Installation of Google Apps and free support all year round is included. Click here to see if I am available to do this for you.
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Online Harddisk / Data backup → Dropbox.
A few months back, my desktop crashed and I lost all my data on the PC’s hard drive. But I calmly resumed work on my laptop. I would have fretted over data recovery from the PC hard disk, but I have moved to the “cloud” long time back. All my data is now conveniently placed on Dropbox. Get a free account by clicking here. Or read the Dropbox review to see exactly how this awesome tool can help you.
Running Your Blog as a Business
Email Subscribers / Newsletter → Aweber
As you know, a blog’s true financial health can be fairly gauged by the number of email subscribers to the blog. To manage those email subscribers, you need a third-party service. Google’s Feedburner is an OK service and it is free. But if you are taking your blog/site as a proper business, then investing in Aweber should be top on your list.
Aweber is the service to use for managing your email subscribers and dishing out your newsletters, offers etc. I have been using it for quite some time now and at 19$ per month, you get everything there is to get. Relatively expensive? Yes. Worth it? Definitely.
[page is being updated – 15Oct11]