Special giveaway: Start your own blog!

Today's giveaway is not exactly clothing or fashion related but it is directly related to this blog. To understand why I chose today's giveaway, we'll travel back in time six years to the summer of 2003. I'll try to make this as short as possible.

I had just graduated from college and was living back at home with my parents. I was very much unemployed and had nothing going on. At the same time, Six Apart opened up beta testing for their new hosted blogging service called TypePad. Being a big fan of Movable Type and of a lover of blogging in general, I dived in head first. I became hooked on how easy TypePad was to use and customize and loved the small but growing community of users who rallied around the product.

I maintained a (very dorky but not ridiculously so) personal blog, created custom TypePad templates for other users for a small fee (way smaller than it should have been, in hindsight!) and started the very blog you're reading right now. TypePad gave me something to do and a way to help other people during a time when I felt useless. I applied for job after job, only to be rejected for one reason or another. Blogging gave me a sense of purpose and a feeling that people needed me, at least in a small way.

I was lucky enough to be offered a spot on the TypePad Support team in March of 2005 and jumped at the chance. I had been searching for a job for nearly two years and finally, someone took a chance on me! I'm still with TypePad today, as a lead on the Support team. Tech support isn't always fun or easy but having the opportunity to work with a product that I've loved for six years is a blessing and so are my smart, patient and hilarious colleagues.

TypePad quite literally changed my life and continues to every single day. You never know where life will lead you! I didn't think I'd still be writing this blog six years later or that helping other users would become an actual career. Maybe I'm just lucky but I've learned that if you do what you love and what makes you feel good, it can open up opportunities that you'd never imagine.

Today's giveaway is for someone who has thought about starting a blog but didn't know where to start. It's for someone who has a great idea and wants to share it with the world. It's for someone who has had doors slammed in her face and just needs an open window.

If you need a little push, below are 5 reasons to start your own blog (and information about how to enter the giveaway).

It's easy
I talk to people every day who have very little computer or internet knowledge who have gotten their blogs up and running in just a day or two. If you can navigate email, you can create a blog on TypePad.

And if you get stuck, I happen to know some people who can lend you a hand.

It's fun
Seriously, it is. It's a challenge but anything worth doing is!

It's empowering
Your blog is your piece of the web and no one can tell you what to say or how to say it.

It's all about you
You have brilliant ideas and you should share them with the world. Whether you're a writer, an artist, a mother, a professional, a hobbyist, a passionate know-it-all, or none of the above, you have something worth sharing.

It opens windows
I've met incredible new friends and connected with people that I never would've connected with if it wasn't for blogging. There are material and financial gains to be had but the real benefits come from the people you'll meet and the ideas you'll share.

There are many other reasons to start a blog but those are my favorites.

The Prize!

The winner of today's giveaway will receive a TypePad Pro account. Not for a year, or even two years, but for life. Forever. As long as TypePad exists, you will have a free account. This page gives a break down of what you get at each account level so, as you can see, a free Pro account forever and ever is a pretty good prize!

The Rules

This giveaway is open to new users. If you already have a TypePad account, thank you for being a member, but this giveaway isn't open to you. I really want to give this prize to someone who hasn't started a blog yet or hasn't gotten serious about blogging. It's about creating the opportunity.

This giveaway is open to US and international readers, too. You have to be over 13 to register without parental review, blah blah. Please read the Terms of Service.

How to Win

I'm eager to award this prize to someone who's serious about using it. So instead of using the random entry wins method, this will be a judged giveaway.

The form is below. You must complete the form in order to win. Leaving a comment on this post is nice but it won't enter you to win.

Please include your name, email address, and a brief but thorough answer to the question: Why do you want to win? Tell me about your big ideas or your reasons to start blogging. Tell me about what's held you back or what's pushing you forward. You must fill out the form completely or I'll discard your entry.You can enter once.

I'll be choosing a winner on August 7th, so you have well over 2 weeks to enter. If you do not wish to enter the giveaway yourself, please pass along the URL to someone you know who might be interested.

Because of the extended entry time period for this giveaway, please feel free to enter to win the other prizes in the series. Winning the lifetime TypePad account will not disqualify you from winning other prizes.

Comments

[Carrie]

I think it's really, really nice of you to support others this way. Hats off to you, it perked up my otherwise drab day to see this example of kindness. :)

[Kimmoy the Curvy Coach]

I swear this could be the prize that takes me away from my WordPress woes forever lol. So here goes...

I would like to win this prize because I want to share with entrepreneurs around the world that there are tons of opportunities in the plus-size industry! I'll have the opportunity to make others first aware of what the latest trends are, consumer experiences, and wants/needs all from a plus-size perspective!

This information and the services I provide is much needed and I'm bursting to tell everyone about it. It's about time I take my passion, market research, experiences as a consumer and entrepreneur and share it with those who will listen.

I believe that every one has their purpose and one of mines happen to be helping others achieve success in their business. Not just any business, but a business that speaks to who I am; a plus-size, curvy-friendly business. With a blog I'll be able to connect with entrepreneurs and the plus-size community in a way that empowers and inspires us all. I will be able to help business owners as well as fellow bloggers attract more plus-size clients and grow their curvy-friendly business.

Thanks a bunch for your consideration. You giving back in such a generous way is very inspirational and I am happy to witness and be a part of it in this tiny way :)

[OTM]

Colleen, this is the sweetest contest yet, and I love that you are offering the prize only to the blogless.

[Kimmoy the Curvy Coach]

I forgot to add that as I was preparing to launch my blog, I was told that WordPress is the way to go because it's so easy and has all the plug-ins and do-dads. Let's just say I felt bamboozled, I've used other platforms in the past that were template-ready and user-friendly so my experience with WP went down a totally different path as expected.

I'm still not convinced it is the end all of end all for me but I work hard to get what I need done. As an entrepreneur there are some things I just don't want to stress over and installing and updating a blog platform is not one of them :-/ From my research, Typepad's usability is more up my alley; besides if Typepad is good enough for Seth Godin, it's good enough for me! :)

[draadje]

This is such a cool gift!