Microsoft are making a great effort nowadays and this free web site tool is little known but really quite good. In particular, at the time of writing they are offering free real addresses too - I got 1s6d.co.uk for example.

Just noticed this on BBc's Click programme - a very clear and easy-to-use blog tool which is worth investigating. More about this when I've experimented a little more!

http://tumblr.com

A simple way to publish on the web, but not now the simplest and you'll need to check whether you can use it at work. However, as a bonus you get an automatic news feed which can update VLE content or an institution's web site.

http://www.blogger.com/start

An easy way (pb = peanut butter, as easy as a peanut butter sandwich!) to create a password-protected wiki that you can share with colleagues, students etc. A useful tool for collaborative work, reflective exercises, planning and running projects etc. Great free offers available for educators.

http://educators.pbwiki.com/PresenterPackInfo

Use Zoho Creator to create database-driven applications from scratch by defining form fields, by copying and modifying existing applications, or by importing data. Beats Access and php hands-down for many of the sort of tasks you'll need!

http://creator.zoho.com/

Have a collaborative blog and need to monitor it for changes? Researching a subject and need to follow a lot of weblogs regularly? Bloglines makes it simple to browse new articles on each blog you've subscribed to. Your subscription list can be organized into folders.

http://www.bloglines.com/

Very smart web page creation tool with which you can quickly and easily share notes and links with others. Pages comprise panels that you just drag into position.

http://www.pageflakes.com/

With Google's contribution to this sector you can create professional web sites with no special skills or publishing knowledge. The interface could do with some updating now, however, and may take some getting used to but it certainly beats traditional web design software.

http://pages.google.com

Eduspaces is an open source learning landscape platform, where you can using blogging tools, and interact with and learn from other learning professionals, swapping ideas, resources etc. Used to be called ELGG.

http://eduspaces.net

eXe is a simple, off-line authoring environment that enables you to make web content without the need to understand code. Content generated by eXe can be used inside any Learning Management System or as self-contained web sites. eXe enables users to select from predesigned instructional devices to create objectives, case studies, reading activities, etc.

http://exelearning.org

Here's another really simple web page creator - ideal for notes and images, drag what you want around the page, name it and it's there for all to see.

http://protopage.com

SiteKreator is a real site creation tool but dead easy to use with excellent templates to choose from and, again, all you need do is type and name your pages and links.

http://sitekreator.com

Take video, images, some text and add some music. Drag and drop the files into this remarkable application and it produces a professional show, host it for you and all you need to do is make a note of the address.

http://web.splashcast.net/console/

Select from a range of gadgets - from serious research tools to fun games - and these can be added to enhance your web log or VLE pages with minimal effort. Their radio tunes in to stations of your choice with much less fuss than more familiar players.

http://labpixies.com

CoffeeCup sell web design software but currently have an amazing offer that provides students with their complete range for use in institutions totally free. All students need is web space - which most of them have somewhere.

http://coffeecup.com

If you have a web site and want to add news feeds then this application does all the hard work for you, providing a line of code to add to your page. You'll still need some editing skills, though, but for those that have this is a godsend.

http://www.rss-to-javascript.com

An interesting package that enables you to organise a group of people, send them e-mail 'blasts', record events and membership records. Wild Apricot is bullet-proof and so easy to master that even inexperienced volunteers can use it.

http://www.wildapricot.com

A development of tiddlywiki which looks a little less confusing to get started. You just sign in and type and there you have a web presence you can share. No download.

http://tiddlyspot.com/