59 Easy Ways to Publicize Yourself Online in Minutes (for Free)

The Internet has become a vital part of today's society connecting over 2 billion people. It seems like almost everyone is benefiting from being online in some way - whether they're just staying in contact with friends and family, enjoying a new found sense of financial freedom with an online business, or spreading their message to a potential audience of millions.

No matter who you are or what you do, the Internet offers tools and an audience to expand or even transcend yourself.

• Create your own websites step by step
• Appear on social networks to connect with friends
• Update friends and family with your latest news
• Start a new social or activity group
• Share (and sell) your photos
• Create and share videos
• Publish your writing
• Keep an online diary
• Create a 'second life' in amazing 3D worlds

And so much more. Here is a list of free, easy to use tools that will have you online in minutes:

Create a Website

These tools let you create (and host) your own website step by step using a 'wizard' or by 'drawing'. Many offer extensive features like a large number of pages, free forums, social networking, and promotional marketing tools.

• 110mb.com - Just like having your own professional website. Easy tools for new users and highly customizable for advanced web designers.

• Google.com/Sites - Create your website at Google with pre-built templates and limit who can see it.

• Webnode.com - Create a personal or business website using hundreds of possible templates, even from your cell phone.

• Webs.com - Easy to use website builder plus custom widgets like blogs, calenders, forums, social networks, photos albums, and video channel.

• Weebly.com - Named one of Time Magazine's 50 top websites. Choose from among custom templates and widgets like youtube video, music gallery, contact forms, many more. Also allows custom HTML/CSS editing.

• Wetpaint.com - Create your own 'social' site using wikis, blogs, forums, and social networks. Collect and add your favorite content easily.

Create a Simple Single Page Website

These tools let you create a single page site very quickly by building it in pieces with 'widgets'. Add pictures, videos, products from Amazon or Ebay, and much more. Perfect if you only have a little bit to say.

• bukisa.com - Write articles with pictures, video, and slideshows, share advertising revenue

• knol.google.com - Publish your expertise and share with a professional network

• squidoo - Create your own 'lense' and choose from among dozens of 'widgets' - videos, pictures, slideshows, audio, product modules, and more. Promote your page on Squidoo and share advertisement revenue.

• hubpages - Non-techie tools allow you to easily load publish text, pictures, links, videos, polls, and quizzes. Promote your hub on hubpages and share advertisement revenue.

Start a Blog (or keep a diary)

Blogging has been going strong since the turn of the millenium. It's a super simple way to publicize your writing and make some money or just keep a private diary. And there are many other potential uses from news columns to portfolios.

• Blogger.com - One of the oldest blogging services now owned by Google. Create unlimited blogs. Highly customizable, build a blog using prepared templates and gadgets and HTML editing for advanced users. Place advertisements for revenue. Privacy controls available.

• Livejournal.com - Journaling community especially for keeping an online diary. Insert pictures, video, other media. Set to share with friends or private viewing only. Choose from hundreds of prepared templates. Celebrating 10 years online.

• soulcast.com - Blog anonymously: uncensored and without constraints. No personal information or IP addresses are collected, email optional. Possible advertisement revenue.

• Typepad.com - Professional, simple blogging. Choose from hundreds of templates, dozens of 'widgets' (to add pictures, video, social networking, poles, etc). Micro blogging features included.

• Wordpress.com - Free hosted version of the most popular personal publishing platform on the Internet. Incredible flexibility - thousands of themes, hundreds of 'plug-ins' for many additional features. Full integration with social networks. Start publishing almost instantly.

• Vox.com - Blogging with highly customizable privacy controls (down to individual items within a post). Also full integration with social networks and other sharing sites (youtube, flickr, amazon, etc).

• Xanga.com - Simple blogging service with community, custom templates, and premium upgrades available.

Update Friends and Family (Micro blogging)

Micro blogging is the latest popular trend online. It's simple: write a sentence or two about whatever you want and hit enter. You can also post links to pictures, videos, anything you want. This is a great way to start writing - you can easily form a habit with just a sentence or two at a time.

• Jaiku.com - Micro blogging service by Google. Custom backgrounds and icons. Add friends as contacts. Mobile phone integration with events calender, availability, and location.

• Plurk.com - Unique micro blogging service in the format of a horizontally scrolling 'timeline'. Earn or lose 'karma' reputation points based on your activities. Add friends and fans.

• Tumblr - Simple, powerful microblogging allows full customization of template (including HTML editing), posting of any content (video, audio, links, etc), categorization by content type, and subdomains (sub.tumblr.com).

• Twitter - The original, largest micro blogging service. World wide reach. Simple customization. Add friends, followers. Used for personal publishing, business, even politics. Now downloadable.

• Yammer.com - A simple, private, real-time communication tool for organizations. Create your own networks and invite who you want. Includes full personal profiles. Information contributed by colleagues is stored within a searchable 'knowledge base'. 'Apps' make Yammer compatible with a wide range of websites.

Appear on Social Networks

Social networks like the ever popular Facebook or Myspace are like the yellow pages of the Internet - except they can include photos, videos, short messages, a brief profile of yourself, and more. They also help you connect with other people and let you 'advertise' yourself to potential clients. Finally, many social networks are starting to incorporate games and applications to expand their features.

• Bebo.com - Bebo is a social network by AOL very popular in the UK, and gaining quickly in the U.S. It features all the usual social networking site features plus customizable profile skins, social inbox which checks popular email services, lifestream which collects and displays updates from other popular social websites, and a unique interactive timeline display of user posts.

• Facebook - Originally a social network for college students, Facebook is now the largest. With over 350 million users, you're sure to find someone you know. Add & invite friends. Post status updates with text, video, pictures, and more. Comment on other posts. Start groups. Play games. Fill out a personal profile and adjust customizable privacy settings. Facebook is quickly becoming a common platform for public figures.

• Linkedin - The social network for professionals. Connect with colleagues at work and in your industry. Display your professional profile and resume. Contribute your expertise.

• Myspace - Originally created for music bands, myspace quickly grew to be the largest social network until 2008. Featuring a young audience and extremely customizable yet simple interface. Connect with friends, send messages, post audio, pictures, and video, and create your own 'space'.

• Orkut.com - A social network owned by Google especially popular in Brazil and India. In addition to the usual features (connecting with friends, posting content), Orkut is one of the only networks that helps you reach out to new people with similar hobby or romantic interests.

• Ryze.com - The original business network designed to help you expand your professional contacts. Post a full profile, invite friends, join Ryze 'networks', and peruse the events calender.

• Simler.com - A new social network designed to connect you with people who have similar interests. Fill out your profile (by 'tagging' your interests). Those who have the most in common with you are displayed in the sidebar - they're 'simler'.

• Takepart.com - A unique 'social action' network which connects members with and organizes activism for social issues that are important to them. Members include citizens, activists, and non profit organizations.

Create a Social Activity Group

An increasingly useful feature, these websites let you form groups around your interests, activities, or other matters. Some even help you schedule real life meetings with your group. These powerful social tools are great when you are trying to take action issues and are having trouble finding people in your local area.

• Gather.com - A cross between an article publishing network and an activity group network, Gather let's you create 'groups' around your topic then invite members to join. Members can then post articles, links, and conversations related to the group topic.

• Meetup.com - A 'bridge' between the 'real world' and online social networking. Start a meetup group about any topic you like, enter a preferred location for the meet, and invite other members to attend in real life. Creating a meetup group also allows you to converse online with other group members, post photos, share  ideas and files, and promote your meetup.

• Ning.com - A new social network dedicated to helping members explore their interests together, meet new people who share your interests, and discovering new interests. Unfortunately Ning is phasing out free services to 'group' creators in favor of a tiered pricing structure. However, it is believed at this time you will still be able to freely view and join groups.

• Spruz.com - Let's you create your own 'social network' in addition to a full featured website. Spruz also allows users to work together on content such as articles for mutual improvement. They are increasing in popularity quickly and offer premium packages for larger or professional groups.

• Wackwall.com - An open source (totally free) way to build advanced social networks including photo/video sharing sites, dating sites, Education project, customer community, collaboration systems, fan clubs, family sites, and more. You can also download the wackwall software and host it yourself.

Publish your Writing

Many of us would love to be published writers. Before the Internet this required an often lengthy and difficult process of meetings with publishers, getting approved, and marketing. The following tools have completely changed the game, however. Simply write your piece, submit to one of these websites, wait for (almost certain) approval, and enjoy a potentially massive audience. You can even work together with other experts to create educational resources for anyone.

• AssociatedContent.com - Branded the people's media company, Associated Content is a world wide publishing platform for anyone who wants to share instructional information, reviews, guides, interviews, opinion pieces, and more. This can be in the form of articles, video, audio, or images. Authors are paid for their contributions and enjoy a large audience.

• Buzzle.com - A professional article directory with high standards makes this a reliable source for information and a good place to find an audience. Create a free membership, write articles on a wide range of topics, and wait for approval. Author credit is given, including a link back to your own website.

• Ehow.com - Featuring member created step by step how to guides on almost any topic, Ehow is great for anyone wanting to share their unique expertise without excessive writing. In addition to articles you can also publish videos.

• EzineArticles.com - The original article directory on the Internet. Ezinearticles allows members to publish articles on virtually any topic and include extended 'biography' boxes with links to their websites in every article. Ezinearticles enjoys a large, responsive audience and has become the premier place to publish articles on the web relating to your area of expertise. Similar to Buzzle, create a free membership, submit content, and wait for approval. Article quality is directly proportional to how many people will read it.

• GoArticles.com - A less strict alternative to EzineArticles, this directory is good for new authors and those seeking to capitalize on so called 'article marketing' for visitors to their websites. The approval process is fast, just create a free account and submit your content.

• Helium - Like AssociatedContent, Helium lets writers publish their content and get paid - in one of three possible ways. Helium also incorporates a co-operative structure in that writers are also the editors who rate every article on the site. Writers can also be rewarded by professional journalism organizations.

• Scribd.com - The largest social publishing and reading site online, with over 50 million monthly readers. In addition to publishing content on any topic, Scribd makes your office documents easily viewable online while preserving their content. Scribd also places special emphasis on sharing your documents with other social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.

• Xomba.com - A simple revenue sharing article publishing directory. Along with creating your profile and sharing your articles with their community, you can also share bookmarks.

• Wikihow.com - Think of this as a 'co-operative' version of Ehow.com. As a registered user, you can upload how to articles. But you can also edit your articles and contribute your expertise to others at any time. This makes Wikihow even more informative.

Share (and Sell) Your Photos

Photographers are another creative group always longing for 'more exposure'. With the latest photo sharing sites - you have it. Post to Flickr or Photobucket with a good picture and you're sure to have many fans. What's more, you can sell your photography for profit, although you'll likely face stiff competition.

• Deviantart.com - This is a unique site which allows you to share more than just photos. It includes computer art, traditional art, software gui's, film and animation, cartoons and comics, and many other types of visual art. Designed with inspiration from 1980's bulletin board systems, the design is clean and easy to use. Simply register for free, create your profile and submit your art or photos.

• Flickr.com - Now owned by Yahoo, this is probably the most popular photo sharing destination online. Flickr  is unique in that it let's your friends, family, and other contacts do the organizing by 'tagging' your photos. You can also specify where your photos were taken so they can be searched by location. Finally, you can make things from your photos like mugs, t-shirts, dvd's, etc.

• Fotolog.com - Not just photo sharing but photo <em>blogging</em>. Post your photos onto your own customizable page and write a short entry about them. Be exposed to over 20 million unique visitors per month. You can also find people near your location, add and follow friends' photo blogs, and join groups based on topic.

• Photobucket.com - Photo and video sharing with many features: Albums with themes, advanced online photo editor, advanced searching and organizing, scrapbook and slideshow builder, and a store to buy items with your photos printed on them.

• Picasaweb.com - Owned by Google, offers highly advanced photo album capabilities which allow you to organize and display pictures according to what's in them. Also 'geo-tag' photos by location, edit photos, select who to share them with, and organize them automatically on your PC with downloadable Picasa.

• Tinypic.com - Owned by Photobucket, this simple service lets you easily share photos and videos across the web on social networks, your own websites, ebay, and more.

• Zooomr.com - A refreshing alternative to other photo sharing services which incorporates a simple interface and several advanced features (such as geo-tagging and portals). Also offers a multi-lingual community to share your photos with.

Share Your Videos

Among the hardest things for an individual to do before personal computers was broadcasting and motion picture promotion. Perhaps that's why video sharing websites are now the most popular aspect of the Internet. You can easily create, upload, and share your videos and gain a world wide following. If you are especially unique and creative it can easily become your primary source of income.

• Flixya.com - An alternative video sharing service with photo sharing, social networking, blogging, and 100% ad revenue sharing. Also has a reputation to be lenient on censorship.

• Youtube.com - The original video sharing service enabling millions of people to publish themselves in full motion online for the first time. Now powered by Google, Youtube is larger than ever. Your videos can be see by thousands, even millions of people. Create your own 'channel' and earn a permanent following. Even use it to showcase your talents and be hired by Hollywood.

• Vimeo.com - Accepts videos in a variety of formats and offers a 'desktop uploader' to make uploading easier. Free accounts allow 500 megabytes of video per week (about 2 hours worth). Also offers privacy controls, social networking features. Vimeo has a unique audience in that its users upload large numbers of especially creative home made videos.

Participate in 3D Virtual Worlds

Just now emerging from the 'fringes' of the Internet is the amazing world of 3D virtual reality. Unlike the turn of the millenium, most modern computers are suitable for whisking you away to massive fantasy paradises with your own property. Create your own items. Interact with people in virtually endless ways. Even conduct seminars, business meetings, and manage shopping centers with real cash economies. This market is sure to expand tremendously with the spread of high speed Internet.

• ActiveWorlds.com - Explore, chat, shop, and play games in amazing 3D worlds built by other users. Build your own 3D world for personal, business, educational, or non profit activities. Activeworlds software can also be hosted on your own servers.

• EntropiaUniverse.com - The first virtual world with a real cash economy, Entropia offers shopping malls, real business centers, political activism, and a microcosm of every day life. It also allows you to create your own home online with pets, property, possessions, and more.

• Kaneva.com - The first to combine a 3D virtual world with social networking features. Build your own home, walk around modern urban areas and meet new people, upload music, photos, and videos, and meet up to chat, go shopping, or enjoy other entertainment.

• Imvu.com - A social network and 3D world with an emphasis on avatar chat. Customize your own avatar with thousands of possible variations. Decorate your own 3D space. Sell your own 3D designs. Meet new people.

• SecondLife.com - Second life is the most popular of the virtual worlds. Advanced features let you make friends, participate in activities, create your own residence, customize your avatar, and perform a range of other activities. Similar to EntropiaUniverse it has a real cash economy - although it converts at a lower rate.

See more free web publishing tools here...