I'm very excited to announce valME just rolled out some major enhancements. If you run a blog or forum elsewhere and pay $60+ annually, check out what we can now offer:

• Custom domains, including SSL/https support: In the /mod/edit moderator function for any community you own (all new users get a free community), you will now see a Custom Domains section that allows you to use your own customized domain name (e.g., http://MyAmazingBlog.com) to point to your community. You can choose to show only content from within your community or across all (public) valME communities. Additionally, you have an option to redirect all traffic from your valME community to your custom domain. Because valME uses SSL to help protect our users, you must provide us with an SSL certificate if you want users to be able to log into your custom domain. Without an SSL certificate, users will only be able to view content (and if you designate your community as private & restricted but don't provide an SSL certificate, permitted users will not be able to view or contribute content to your community via your custom domain). Any new sub-communities started by users from your custom domain will automatically require a moderator's approval.

• Custom header and footer: Under the Look and Feel section of the /mod/edit moderator function for any community you moderate (with appropriate .css permissions), you now can add HTML to the header and footer (e.g., images, links, community messages). These headers and footers will appear on all community pages (e.g., posts, moderator functions). For those of you good with .css/style sheets, we encourage you to create themes that communities can use.
• Other enhancements: You'll notice a few other enhancements and bug fixes, like the ability to filter tags using the "best from" dropdown, adding a few Bootstrap templates to your editor to make it easier to format content, some additional HTML id attributes so you can better customize your community's look, and a few performance improvements.

As about 200 files were changed, it's possible a few things got messed up. If you notice any problems or have any feedback, please leave a comment below.

Remember: after your free community, starting an additional community is only 1,000 karma ($10). Why spend $60 - $100 annually on a hosting provider for your blog or forum when valME is only a fraction of the cost and doesn't require any technical knowledge to install, maintain, or upgrade software? If you know anyone who runs their own blog or forum, we hope you will encourage them to check us out. We'll help them convert all their content and setup their look-and-feel for free. Not only can we save them a ton of money, but they also get the added benefit of getting paid for value.

...After all, that's how we work. :)

Edit: If you want to get a sense of how it works and what can be done, check out https://valerofineart.com.