Ensure the Right Amenities

Most blog programs require a few things in order to run properly and at their full potential:

• MySQL: Almost every platform requires you to run one database, which is a system that enables you to store data in an organized manner that can be accessed by a program, in this case a blogging tool. Most blogging software packages run well using MySQL, a type of database management software, and your web host should provide the ability to add a MySQL database to your account. The larger the package you purchase, usually the more databases the web host allows you to add. If you will be running multiple instances of software requiring more databases, you will need a more upscale package to accommodate it. However, for running a blog, you usually just need one single database.
  
  Installing a MySQL database can typically be done through your web host's control panel, an area of your hosting account where you administer items like setting up email addresses. Most web hosts provide an easy step-by-step section for creating and setting up a database. Setting one up is as far into databases as you will need to get to set up and run your own blog. Once you have it created, the hard part is done.



• Perl and PHP: Many blogging software programs use Perl and PHP for their basic functions, so your web host will need these programming language packages installed on their servers. Most web host do; just make sure that the package you obtain includes them. You are not required t know how to use Perl and PHP, you just need to ensure your web host has and supports them in order o run most blogging software tools.



• Some type of image-resizing module such as ImageMagick: A lot of blog platforms can automatically resize photos that you use in your blog entries, thumbnails included. This depends on whether your blog platform has an image-resizing module installed. In addition to ImageMagick, other popular image-resizing modules are Gif Draw and Graphics Draw. Whether your web has and supports this feature is something to investigate before you buy any web hosting packages, but if the host you choose does not have it, it is not the end of the world. It is just a nice perk that will make your blogging software run at its full potential.



• A control panel user interface such as cPanel: Inquire with web hosts whether they have cPanel or some other type of control panel user interface. This interface enables you to manage your site, email, and databases yourself, rather than rely on someone in technical support to do it for you.