MLBlogs are Now Free!

After three years of fee-based blogging, MLBlogs are now free. Expect the MLBlogosphere to explode in size! The new Movable Type interface is incredibly easy for novice users to set up a new blog and begin posting to it immediately. For existing users, subscriptions are being refunded.

The new free interface is not without its downside, however: The changeover to the new platform occurred with little advance warning over Opening Day weekend, leaving MLBloggers in the dark for approximately 60 hours (a "seventh inning stretch" according to MLB.com's customer service). Advanced functionality has also been disabled in the new iteration, including the popular sidebar customization. Some MLBloggers, such as Diamondhacks, have jumped ship--at least temporarily: "After three years of networking and crosslinking on MLBlogs and building a small but loyal readership, the only way anyone can now find me on this grand network is by googling Diamondhacks."

In my opinion, the upsides (did I mention that MLBlogs are now FREE?) outweigh any downsides. One of the best new features is the MLBlogs highlight on MLB.com's main page. On any given day, a quote from your blog could be excerpted and put on display for 10 million users. How cool is that?