A Few Thoughts on Choosing a Blog Platform

I am sure that I sound like a broken record to my clients about the value of having a blog. I often say the question isn’t whether to have a blog (there’s no reason NOT to have a blog), but how to blog. There are a multitude of options and choices - all of them good and each provide great search visibility. However, a honest consideration of not only desired results, but also one’s working style, personality and technical savvy - are all things to think about before selecting a blogging service or software.

Before choosing a blogging option, I’d consider the following questions:

#1:  Purpose: Are you looking to build a community with lots of comments and guest authors?  Or are you just seeking a way to voice your opinion and showcase your knowledge? 

#2:  Service Provider vs. Self-Hosted: Do you like the ease and peace of mind of having the blog hosted and managed elsewhere? Or, do you prefer having the customization options and control of self-hosting?

#3:  Cost: Are you looking for a free solution? Or are you fine with paying a subscription fee for a few extra bells & whistles that make blogging more convenient?

#4:  Customization: Are you determined to have a fully customized blog that blends with the rest of your site (and are OK with paying for some development)? Or, are you looking to have a simple setup at minimal time and cost?

I have worked with every major blogging platform - Blogger, Wordpress (hosted & installed) and TypePad - the three big players in personal and small business blogging. They all have their strong points - and all are great choices. Based on my experience, here’s the pros & cons of each:

Blogger

Blogger Pros: 

• The utilitarian’s choice… everything you need, nothing you don’t.
• Free
• Instant setup - I recommend it as a starter blog
• Easy to use

Blogger Cons:

• The navigation bar at the top of the screen can’t be removed
• I have experienced issues working with the feeds generated by Blogger - especially when attempting to display headlines on other sites.
• Limited customization options

Wordpress (hosted & self-hosted versions)

Wordpress.com (Hosted) Pros:

• No installation needed - it’s hosted by Wordpress
• Free
• Great bells & whistles for a free service

Wordpress.org (Self-Hosted) Pros:

• Free
• Flexible - endless possibilities for expansion
• Loads of plugins, themes and access to CSS for ease of customization

Wordpress Cons:

• Self-hosted version requires installation on your webserver - with the attendant need for maintenance time
• Appearance - some themes look great - some are somewhat clumsy looking
• Requires a willingness to sometimes wrestle with it to get desired results
• Free plug-ins offer loads of options. However, many don’t play well with each other and can unexpectedly break your blog for no obvious reason.
• No technical support - only a support forum of other users

Typepad (this blog is on Typepad)

TypePad Pros:

• Easy to set up, great support
• Visually elegant - Themes look great in any browser - easy to read
• Easy to add content and widgets that offer connectivity to other content
• Maintenance-free!
• Easy-easy-easy to use
• Terrific convenience features
• Upgrading to an enterprise-level blogging solution (Movable Type) easy.

Typepad Cons:

• Monthly fee based on selected service level.
• Flexibility comes at a price - access to advanced template and CSS customization options require higher-cost subscription levels.

Basically, any blogging choice boils down to flexibility vs. convenience. My previous blog is on self-hosted WordPress… and even I got tired of wrestling with it to get it to do something I wanted it to do (and I LOVE doing this sort of stuff). I ended up wondering if that was the most effective use of my time… so I switched to the TypePad format. Clean, easy & simple - for me, convenience won out.