SnapPages, an impressive browser-based website publishing platform, has released a major new upgrade that introduces blogging functionality. Other changes to the service since we covered it last September include an improved control panel, support for favicons, and more flexibility for the service’s free accounts (though premium accounts, which run $50/year, still have much more functionality).
SnapPages is an all-in-one publishing platform that also includes a rich photo album and web-based calendar. The site tries to differentiate itself from competitors like SynthaSite, Wix, and Weebly by offering an intuitive interface that actually cuts back on the amount of customization options available to users. This isn’t to say you can’t make your site look the way you want it – there are quite a few themes and color schemes available, but SnapPages tries to prevent users from putting together ugly color combinations or oddly placed images, which can often ruin a perfectly nice looking webpage.
The new blogging system isn’t particularly unique, but it has been a oft-requested feature by many of the site’s users. The system features most standard features you’d find on platforms like WordPress, including tagging, multiple author support, and threaded commenting. The system plugs into the service’s other applications, so you can import photos from SnapPages’ rich photo application directly into your blog posts. And for the most part, it’s easy to use, especially because there is a minimal amount of setup involved.
I’m a big fan of SnapPages, not just because it has a very slick and polished interface but because the company consists of one full-time worker: founder Steven Testone (he says he’s planning to hire his first full-time employee next week). He has hired some part-time contractors, but he put together the vast majority of the site himself and it is very impressive.
