Overview
X-Journal is a Weblog (sometimes called a blog or an on-line diary) hosting service that has been developed with the needs of remote travelers in mind. What that means is that we have created all the necessary tools to enable you as a member to post your writing and photography to the Internet from anywhere in the world, without having to do any programming yourself. There are no links between this server and a secondary server to establish, no messy file transfers, no need, really, to have another site at all (unless you want one). We have built enough customization into X-Journal to allow you to make a truly unique Weblog that fits with your style and adventure, and made it very easy to get started and establish a Web presence for your team.

As a professional tool, X-Journal has been used by teams that have been sponsored by the National Science Foundation, NASA, Royal Geographic Society, the Explorers Club, and a wide range of corporate sponsors.

X-Journal Features

The core module is X-Journal Free, which provides:

• Easy-to-use Web interface for adding, editing, and deleting journal entries
• No special/custom hardware required
• Create post-dated entries
• Attach photos to entries (which are uploaded to the server, not merely linked to a second site)
• Control title and directory (URL) of weblog
• Theme manager allows for user-specified color scheme
• Archival feature for backup "zip" files
• No posting limits
• Listing, if desired, in our directory of X-Journal weblogs
• Access to Member Forum for support and announcements

X-Journal first and foremost has been designed to be simple to use. A journal can be established and configured in as little as 30 minutes, with posts only taking a few clicks to add, or even less when using the Remote option. X-Journal provides the ability to include a table of contents, will order your posts by date and time, and can have multiple entries per day and per page and a host of other customizations.

In addition, we have designed X-Journal to be modular, so you only have to purchase those features you feel you need, with the ability to add new features when you need them. This can help you keep your costs down initially while providing a foundation on which to build on as your project takes shape.

Premium Features

XJ Basic ($35/ year):

• load your own header and footer template
• remove the ads, or put in your own Google Account
• have the ability to add additional blogs ($10 / year each)
• increased storage
• enable the RSS feed for your blog
• lock (make private) your blog

XJ Remote ($50 / year):

• All of Basic plus the following:
• Enable posting via email
• Turn on the editor feature (allows someone else to proof your posts before they go live)
• Enhanced support for having the journal appear in an external site

XJ Overland / Sail ($100 / year):

• Incorporates XPlot map tracking of your team/vehicle/vessel
• XPlot maps are linked to the journal, so a user can click the map to read the journal for that position.

XJ Pro (by Proposal):

• Full web site development / XJ integration solutions available
• Automatic map update via satellite phone system
• Podcasting / Audio dispatches
• Integrations with other service providers - PayPal, CafePress, iTunes, Google Adsense/Adwords, etc.
• Contact us about your project and we'll help you determine what is needed for your site

Hardware Independent
XJournal is designed to be used by any hardware combination that you are comfortable with using. Want to take a full laptop? Palm PDA? Text message from the sat phone? Mac Powerbook? All of these devices have been used to post journal entries via XJournal. XJournal allows YOU to decide the right hardware and software combination for your project. This has the added benefits of allowing the team to use those programs that they are most comfortable using, and allows for full system testing well in advance of the project's start date.

From the very first version of XJournal, the system has been designed to be completely independent of specific hardware/OS limitations. If your device can send email, or send text to an email account, you can use XJournal.


Who Are We?
X-Journal is the expedition support arm of WebExpeditions.net, created in 1999 by Tim Harincar. WebExpeditions.net is a leading site featuring science and adventure expeditions of all sizes though its main page and archives. Through WebExpeditions.net, Tim has assisted in developing sites and implementing X-Journal for a wide variety of expeditions, starting with supporting Sky & Telescope Magazine's four field teams for the 1999 solar eclipse. The most recent supported expedition is the Lost Ruins of the Inca expedition led by Hugh Thomson, taking place in spring 2003. These and many other examples of teams using X-Journal can be found in the Featured Journals section.