Hi, I'm Chris. I write two blogs, Duct Tape and a Prayer and Lost in Translation, and I do my best to be active in the WOW blogging community. I'm really into the idea that everybody has a voice worth listening to, and lately I've been hearing you express frustration that because of the hosting you've chosen - blogspot.com or wordpress.com or whatever you're using - you can't express that voice in just the way you want to.

Not that they're limiting your content - just that you can't arrange things the way you want to, you can't install the plugins you want to, you can't use the themes you want to. I know just how hard that can be on the practice of blogging. Every time you go to your blog to post, you notice that one little thing that you want to change but can't, and every time it gets on your nerves just a little bit more.

In the meantime, I've got oodles of server space and bandwidth, and I don't really do all that much with it. So I want to extend that to you. I've set up The Story Thus Far as a site where you can host your World of Warcraft blog the way you want to. I'm not putting any restrictions on content (although my web host does; no spam or graphic pornography, please). The default is going to be a WordPress blog, but I can install other platforms if you prefer them. I can give you a hand importing your old blog into the TSTF system, so that you don't lose your posts or comments.

Plus, like I said, I have bunches of hard drive space, so I'll give you FTP access and 100 MB of server space to do with as you like. I think you ought to be allowed to host your own images, media files, etc. If you need more space, let me know and I'll see what I can do. (Again, just don't host porn or pirated files. And I can't run torrents or Vent/Teamspeak servers on my account, sorry.) I'll also set up an email address for you - or more than one, if you have multiple authors on your blog.

The TL,DR version is thus:

• You get yoursitename.thestorythusfar.com.
• You get a WordPress blog that you can customize as you like.
• You get 100MB of server space, to use for images, MP3s, etc. I can increase this at your request.
• You get an email address that you can either forward to your existing address or check directly.
• I'm not going to put any ads, sponsorship notices, or the like on your site. You have complete control. You don't even have to link to me or TSTF (although if you want to, feel free! If you want to put ads there, that's your business.
• I'll give you whatever help I can in setting up and maintaining the blog and the site, including assistance in migrating your current blog over, if you have one.
• If you want, I'll design and develop a custom theme for your blog. I normally charge $500+ per theme, but if you host with The Story Thus Far I'll give you a 90% discount - you'll get your theme for $49.

Here's the best part: you get the whole package free. (The custom theme costs, but that's optional.) All you have to do is fill out this form, and I'll get you set up, hopefully within 24 hours.

- Your name - How will I know what to call you?
- Your email - I can't contact you without your email!
I promise that I'll never sell, give out, or distribute your contact information.
.thestorythusfar.com - The sub-domain you'd like - I have to put your site somewhere.
@thestorythusfar.com - The email address you'd like - This can be the same as your subdomain.
I'll check this email separately
Forward this to my existing address
- Comments or questions?
I do not want to order a custom theme for my blog.
I do want a custom theme for my blog, for $49.

By checking this box, you confirm that you are over the age of 13.
Click here for my note to parents.

If you want to get in touch with me about this or for any other reason, feel free to write me at etherjammer AT gmail.com, stop by Duct Tape or Lost in Translation, or find me on Twitter and drop me a line. Thanks for your interest! I look forward to hearing from you.

I just got an email that looks like this:

I'll be in touch with you shortly to let you know how the registration went. If you haven't heard back from me in 24 hours, please shoot me an email at etherjammer AT gmail.com, or visit me on Twitter, and I'll see what I can do to speed the process up.

Have a great day!

Back in 2000, the Federal Trade Commission set up some guidelines for online interaction with people aged 13 and under. Called the Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act, or COPPA, these rules strongly limit the amount and kind of information I can collect from anyone who's 13 or under. You can read more about COPPA at coppa.org.

The rules control what kind of information I can collect from you here, which isn't so bad. But they also say I have to keep an eye on the personal information you post on your blog - your name, your hobbies, that sort of thing - and I can't keep an eye that without having admin access to your blog. Even then, you could post things that I wouldn't know about until the next time I checked up, and that gets into dangerous territory.

I'm truly sorry that I have to turn you down like this. I can suggest one potential way to work around this, which is to have a parent or guardian set up the blog for you. That way they'll have a good idea of the kind of personal information you post to the blog, and I can let them be responsible for patrolling it. If your parent or guardian is willing to let you do that, have them come back to The Story Thus Far and sign up in their name, and we'll get you set up.