Ghost: A New Open Source Blog Host
A new startup called Ghost is aiming to change the face of blogging. Ghost is an open-source blogging platform that solely focuses on blogging – nothing else. It is a platform that has been developed strictly for journalists and writers, and it has a ton of user-friendly appeal.
Take a look at what the future of blogging looks like.
A Look Inside Ghost
Ghost is full of customization options and themes, though it's built on Node.js instead of PHP. Right from the start, Ghost is clearly different. The aim of Ghost is to provide journalists and writers with a simple blogging platform that really doesn't require anything other than an idea.
Users can drag and drop images directly onto the Ghost preview screen to see what those images will look like as part of a blog. It is also possible to edit a post via a split screen, and watch those edits appear on the other side of the screen clearly and simply. No more clicking the ‘preview post' button to see what the edits you've made will do to your blog – it's all right there in front of you.
Ghost gets rid of the HTML hassle, formatting buttons, complex plugins and other bothers that come with a typical WordPress (or other) blogging option. The founder of Ghost, John O'Nolan, wants users to “…write down your ideas and format them on the fly…” by bypassing everything that makes blogging complicated. Why Ghost? Why another blogging platform? The answer is simple enough.
Blogging Without the Pollution
Simply put: blogging can be a pain. You have to mess with all kinds of formatting, customization is tiresome, and trying to edit while writing is nearly impossible. Ghost eliminates all of that hassle by giving writers something that's clean and simple. Ghost is the blogging platform that should exist but doesn't.
It's also really nice to see the streamlined dashboard that Ghost presents. When logging into a Ghost account, users will be presented with all those important blogging details on one simple page – including analytics, news feeds, comments, subscriptions, and anything else that is vital to a blog. No need to switch tabs or open up additional pages to view this content. Ghost puts it all before you in one nice and neat dashboard page. So, how can you get in on Ghost?
Ghost Is Emerging From the Shadows
Right now, Ghost is a concept in the form of a Kickstarter page. The startup has already reached its goal of 25,000 Pounds, and the project is well underway. This means that you should be seeing Ghost in some form within the very near future.
If you are serious about blogging, want a free blog host, and are tired of all the hassle that comes with other blogging platforms, Ghost is one of the most innovative options yet.
What do you think about Ghost? A good idea or something that's really not needed? Would you blog more if blogging was simpler? Do you find sites like WordPress difficult to use?
