Blogging is an effective way to keep in contact with students - particularly for online learners who don't have actual day-to-day interaction with their professors. Setting up a blog is easy (hey, even I've done it!) and you can do it without paying a dime.

If you're an online teacher interested in setting up a blog, check out Art Wolinsky's Thirteen minute multimedia presentation on WiredSafety.org. He covers all the basics of blogs in education including the basics of blogs, blogs in schools, the pros and cons of blog use, and more. It's not for the advanced blogger, but if you're a beginning blogger it's a good place to start.