Differences Between Blogging Platforms

You have decided to start blogging. Great! Now you have some tough decisions to make. While there are always solutions to problems that might arise the next few steps you make when picking a blogging platform could have long term implications in your blogging career. Choosing properly when you start blogging can help save a lot of stress down the road.

I will discuss the difference between hosted and non hosted, compare blogging platforms, list some popular blogging websites, and throw in some of my personal opinions.

Things To Think About

I know everyone has a different idea about the future success of their blog. Some people have financial goals, others just want to release some stress, and some want to share their knowledge with the world. While everyone doesn’t enjoy goal planning I encourage everyone to take about 15 minutes and write a few goals down on paper. This process will help you organize what you plan to do and where you plan to take your blog. For me, I think the biggest mistake a blogger can make is not planning for future expansion. Even if you don’t have big dreams of monetary success the internet has created the ultimate platform for growth and exposure. So, to start things off I would take a few minutes and get some ideas on paper.

Lalalala … 15 minutes pass and you site back down to read. Right?

Anyway, next I would consider how much money you want to put into your blogging idea. With the advent of Wordpress, Blogger, and cheap hosting strategies such as Go Daddy, I always shy away from free options (If you don’t want to spend any money you can skip the next few sentences). I will explain later why I feel this way.

Here is an estimated start up cost for all my blogs. This is exactly how I do it. I use the same few sites each time so you might be able to find a cheaper route. I use Go Daddy to buy my domain name and hosting. This total yearly cost is around $70. The domain name is roughly $10 and hosting is roughly $60. I use a free blogging platform called Wordpress. While installing it on your own is a little harder, Go Daddy has a great “applications” feature that will install Wordpress for free. This is process is very simple and only takes a few hours from start to finish (including buying domain, hosting and setting up the blog). Once this is finished you have a blog hosted on your unique domain name with a basic Wordpress template.

thegoldguys.blogspot.com

You are ready to start blogging. However, I always like to side with more uniqueness. I would consider adding a custom template and a custom logo. There are several great sites where you can buy Wordpress blog themes including Premium WP and Theme Forest. Blog themes range in price from $25 – $70. Designing a logo can be a little more difficult but Elance makes this process a breeze. On Elance people can post projects and developers can then bid on the projects. I usually pay around $150 for a unique logo design.

This entire process including design and implementation costs around $250 – $300. This might sound high, but it is so much cheaper than paying a developer a few thousand dollars. Again, using the free blogging platforms might work out for your blog plans. Just keep in mind that you can have a great blog design for just a few hundred bucks.

Lastly, I would also like to bring up your personal computer skills. While Godaddy and Wordpress have plenty of documentation online the process can still be a little confusing. This might be another reason for using a free blogging platform. (On a side note, if anyone has any questions regarding setting up a blog I would be glad to help. Just shoot me and Email.)

Hosted Vs Non Hosted Blogging Platforms

A non hosted blog is a blog that is hosted on your own server (usually third party hosting like Go Daddy or Host Gator). You will need a domain name for a non hosted blogs. A hosted blogging platform houses your domain name and blog. Popular sites include Blogger and Wordpress.com (wordpress.org and wordpress.com are different–wordpress.com is the free hosted version while wordpress.org is where you download blogging platform software).

Pros For Hosted  Blogging Platforms

• Free or Close To It – This is a great options for individuals who don’t want to spend any money on blogging. While it is not something I do, there are individuals who make money using hosted blogs.
• User Friendly – Hosted blogging platforms are usually very user friendly and easy to setup.

Cons For Hosted Blogging Platforms

• Domain Name – Typically you will be stuck with a less professional and more generic URL. The domain will look something like example.blogspot.com or example.wordpress.com. (Google has created a solution to this with Custom Domains–You still need to buy your domain name).
• Less Configuration – You will have less options and features when you go with a hosted option.
• Transferring – Transferring your blog to a non hosted solution at a later date can be difficult.
• Change – When you are with a hosted blogging platform you are at their mercy. Most companies will never change anything or go out of business but the possibility does exist. For instance, Blogger is no longer offering support for remote hosted blogs updated through FTP (File Transfer Protocol). I know this because I am going through the process of moving a blog that I update through FTP with over 300 posts. This is quite a nerve racking process. I think it will work out, but I still with I had gone with a non hosted blogging platform originally.

Popular  List Hosted Blogging Platforms

• Blog
• Blogabond
• Blogger
• Edublogs
• Live Journal
• Square Space
• Tumblr
• TypePad
• Wordpress

Pros For Non Hosted Blogging Platforms

• Control – With non hosted blogging platforms you will have complete control over CSS, HTML, ad placement, archiving of posts, permalinks, and more control over SEO.
• Plugins/Addons – Some blogging platforms, wordpress.org for instance, will allow users to add components to their blog. This adds loads functionality. Plugins can be used for advertising, polling, reviews, etc.
• Branding – I feel people like sites with a brand-able domain names. We3Geeks is an example of a short, funny domain name.

Cons For Non Hosted Blogging

• Time – Takes longer to setup. You can literally set up a hosted blog in about 30 minutes. Non hosted blogs might take a few days.
• Tech Savvy – You need to be tech savvy. Dealing with hosting accounts, CSS, and HTML can be moderately difficult tasks. While they are easily learned, you still have to learn them. If out-of-the-box blogging is what you are looking for non hosted blogging is not for you.
• Price – It usually can cost a few hundred dollars. Not terribly expensive, but still costs some money.

Popular Non Hosted Blogging Platforms

• • The most popular blogging platform seem to be Wordpress.org. Mashable is one site that uses this platform.
• Drupal
• Geeklog
• Joomla
• MoveableType
• Wordpress

I would advise businesses who are starting the blogging process to use non hosted blogging software. This will allow the business to have complete control over their blog. If you a are semi serious blogger I would use a hosted blogging platform. Lastly, if you are a blogger who wants to monetize their blog or somehow create a business from their blog I would use a non hosted blogging platform. These are my personal feelings.

Regardless of what you decide to use there is probably an option that is perfect for you. With a little research you will be able to find what is going to work for you.

Thanks for your attention (if you were able to make to the end). If I missed anything or you think I need to add something please let me know. Best of luck in your blogging adventures.

Related posts:

1. Blogging Manners
2. Blogging and Working Out
3. What Is A Blog?
4. 10 Reasons You Should Be Blogging
5. 5 Blogging Apps For Your iPad