Choosing a Blogging Platform
/
The first step in beginning a blog is to choose a platform. There are a number of blog platforms for you to choose from. Some are free, some are not. The two most popular blogging platforms are Blogger and Wordpress. When I say Wordpress I mean a self-hosted wordpress blog, not a free blog from Wordpress.com.
The pros and cons of each service is extensive and I will be diving into those in the coming weeks. This post is about choosing the right blogging platform for you and your blog. Here are some questions to think about:
- How much control of the blog do actually want?
- Do you want to be able to install scripts for additional functionally? (ex. shopping cart)
- Are you willing to spend money on web hosting monthly? (normally as little as $5/month)
- Are you willing to spend money on a domain name yearly? (normally about $10/year)
- Is this blog just a hobby, a ministry, or a career?
- Do you plan on accepting paid advertisements on your blog?
- Are you willing to learn the technical side of blogging? Or outsource it?
- Do you have a site you really like the layout and use of? What platform are they using?
Answering these questions will help you decide which blogging platform is best for you and your blog. Not everyone's needs are the same and all the blogging platforms offer different benefits.
If you already have a blog, what blogging platform do you use? I admit I'm a bit of a WordPress snob and use WordPress for almost everything but would love to hear what others are using.
P.S. Don't forget about my free blogging Q&A webinar on Thursday. If you have specific questions about blogging platforms I would be happy to answer them in the webinar. Sign up here.
