I’m compiling my lists of tools which I’ll probably make a takeaway during the class. Blog platforms are the bread and butter of a blog: the code that makes a blog run. Choosing a blog platform is the first technical step in creating a new blog. Here are a few that I’m investigating/planning on including now:

Blogger – one of the originals, one of the biggest, now with Google muscle, and fresh out of beta (although I’m finding some of the features are still a little rickety)
WordPress – I’m actually debating switching over because their features (integrated stats!) seem so clean and straightforward, perhaps even to test out the import/export feature
LiveJournal – SixApart’s old free platform
Vox – SixApart’s new free platform
Xanga – old school, but they’ve always called themselves The Weblog Community, that deserves a mention
Drupal – learned about this one today when I found out through the grapevine that this open source platform is what Ann Arbor District Library is using for their great site I mentioned previously

I’ll probably mention TypePad and Movable Type as well, even though they are pay platforms, because they do have some outstanding features, especially in a business or professional setting.