Build A Website - Choosing A Blog Platform

It seems a bit difficult to try and guess where you will be in 5 years time when it comes to your blog. Many people start blog after blog and never last more than six months with any of them, but some folks hit it right the very first time. There are just so many factors that contribute to the success of a blog. One definite factor in the success or failure of a blog is the choice of blog platform.

While you CAN transfer your content from one blog platform to another after you've been blogging for a while, the process will entail time and effort - not to mention the possible effects that change might have on your Search Engine rankings.

If you're coming into blogging with a specific goal in mind, then it makes your choice of blog platform easier. You should take your time to consider the following questions to help you choose your blog platform.

1. What do you want to do with your blog?
   Are you using a blog as a journal to record your personal thoughts - sort of like a diary? Will you be the only one who has access to the entries in your blog? If your blog isn't meant to be public, then you can probably get by with a free blog.
   
   Do you think you're going to be blogging for a long time? If writing seems effortless for you and topics to write about seem to flow easily, then you might want to consider a blog platform that can handle the thousands of entries that will eventually be the prized content of your blog.
   
   You'll also want to think about eventually monetizing your blog's traffic. This means that you'll need to access your blog's html to insert affiliate code snippets. Free blogs may not allow you complete freedom to do this.
   
   If your blog is purely for your pass-time pleasure or to complement your hobby, then you might be happy with a basic set up that free blogs offer. However, if your blog is an online representation of your professional practice or business, you'll want it to reflect your professionalism. In that case, free blogs might give potential clients that you're "cheap".



2. How much are you prepared to spend?
   Hosting a blog involves 3 main costs :
   
   
   
   
   • the actual blog platform
   
   
   • the hosting fee for your web hosting package and
   
   
   • the cost of your domain registration.
   
   
   
   
   At Blogger.com and Wordpress.com, you can get you the blog platform, hosting and blog name for free. Notice I mentioned "blog name" instead of "domain name". This is because when you opt for these free blogs, you can choose a name for your blog that may look like "yourblogname.wordpress.com" or "yourblogname.blogspot.com". With MovableType (TypePad), pricing will depend on bandwidth, storage and features.
   
   However, if your choose to host your blog yourself, that means you need to download the blog platform and host it with a web host using your own domain name which looks much better for example "www.yourblog.com".
   
   The 3 costs mentioned above are not necessarily the only costs you will incur if you choose to host a blog yourself. Depending on the scale of your set up and your personal skills set, you may need to hire web designers and programmers to set up the design and back-end according to your needs. As your blog grows, you may also need to purchase various software and services to handle ad management, statistics tracking and other tasks.



3. Can you handle the technical stuff?
   Blogs aren't as straightforward as their proponents will have you think. For the technie who's used to installing and uninstalling software, installing and running a blog is a cinch. However, if you are a total non-technie, then be warned that blogs are NOT as simple as plugging it in and flipping a switch. You can get your web host to set up a blog for you and you can pay people to do the technical stuff for you, while you concentrate on producing the content, but sometimes relying on people takes time. You'll find that with blogs, eventually, you will have to get your hands dirty.
   
   There are things that WILL go wrong with your blog (especially when you're new). However, when your blog is new, you always have the option of deleting everything and starting a fresh installation, but when you have years of content and tons of widgets and plugin's running in the background, you need to have some technical know-how or at least be willing to learn.
   
   Which brings us to this question. If you are not technically able and you don't foresee yourself putting in the time to leearn, then you basically have 2 options :
   
   
   
   
   • You can pay someone to handle the technical stuff for you
   
   
   • You can pray nothing goes wrong but learn only when you need to
   
   
   
   
   You then have to make sure that you :
   
   
   
   
   • Choose an easy-to-set up blog platform
   
   
   • Choose a simple, straightforward theme (look)
   
   
   • Choose a reliable and reputable web host
   
   
   • Choose a blog platform with a large community of users - who help share their knowledge and skills, in case you need them
   
   
   
   
   However, if you aren't afraid of the technical aspects of blogging, then your main task is to choose a blog platform that will meet all your expectations.

Wordpress is by far the most popular blogging platform, with the last unofficial count at just over 3 million blogs using it. Being open-source (free to use and edit), Wordpress is easy to set up and with tons of widgets and plug-ins to help you manipulate just about every aspect of your blog - from the way headings are displayed to how your navigation columns appear.

You can choose to have a Wordpress blog hosted (free) at wordpress.com or you can download Wordpress from wordpress.org and host it on your own web-host, which is what many bloggers prefer to do since this allows them complete control over all the features of Wordpress.

Pros : The Wordpress community is huge. Consultants and members all over the world help to develop Wordpress to be as intuitive and user-friendly as possible. There are loads of templates and options in Wordpress than any other platform, making it the most powerful and flexible blogging platform today.

Cons : Since Wordpress is open-source, there's no "Official" definitive documentation for Wordpress. The advantage of having thousands of templates, widgets and plug-ins to choose from (mentioned in the Pros) is also a weak point - many of these widgets and plug-ins are buggy and often released to users without any support or continued development by their creator.

Typepad is a blogging platform created by Movable Type. Unlike Wordpress, Typepad is hosted - meaning you don't need to download it and host it on your web-host. They offer a number of plans - from the basic account costing $4.95 per month to a business account which costs $89.95 per month. Obviously, your choice of which package to choose depends on your budget, bandwidth, storage space, expected traffic and features. Typepad has almost all the plug-ins and widgets that Wordpress offers. However, unlike Wordpress where you need to find the widgets you want, download them, perform any modifications you need, then upload them to your web host, Typepads widgets do not require any downloading. Typepad suits users who need a good blog platform without the full-featured customization offered by Wordpress.

Pros : Typepad comes with hosting, basic email and manuals. The interface can be easily customized with built-in search engine friendly features. You also can edit your posts in HTML.

Cons : Typepad is not as intuitive, robust and flexible as Wordpress. If you have a blog with heavy traffic, you must be prepared that hosting your Typepad blog will cost you more than a pretty penny. Many customers have also reported issues when they attempt to upgrade to the latest version.

Google's free blogging platform is intended more for first time bloggers and those who don't have a budget. Blogger blogs can be hosted on your own server, but the majority of people who opt for this platform host it on BlogSpot - Google's free blog hosting service.

Pros : Blogger blogs are meant for beginners, so set up is easy. There aren't many settings to contend with so you basically just point and click and your blog is set up. HTML editing is possible.

Cons : Blogger doesn't score very high in community features, neither does it have the full-blown library of widgets and plug-ins that you associate with Wordpress.

Blogabond.com – Niche site for travel blogs including map integration and lots more.

BlogCheese.com – A video blogging website.

BusyThumbs.com – Blogs for text messages and camera phone images.

Freevlog – Free blogs for video blogging

Trippert.com – Travel blogs you can create and share.

Ufem.com – Blogging site mainly for women.

Xanco.com – Another site where you can share your mobile comms with anyone.

Blogetery.com – Lots of templates, free sub-domain and anti-spam with lots more features.

BlogRox.com – Wordpress blogs with free online space

Blogsome.com – Another Wordpress blog sire with nice selection of themes.

Edublogs.com – Blogs powered by Wordpress specifically for education niche.

Blog.com – Free package includes hosting with unlimited bandwidth, paid members get more features.

Blog Ladder.com – Your blog posts appear in a main "ladder" including your own blog.

Blogr.com – Blog, host photos & videos, and podcasts here.

BlogSpirit.com – You get a 30-day trial and the option to subscribe after that but they include quite a bit of storage.

Blogster.com – Free blogs and free image hosting

BlogYx.com – Blogging site that allows you to interact with your visitors via chat boxes.

Bloki.com – You can build a blog yourself or invite a group to collaborate.

Bravenet.com – Free blog hosting with RSS feeds and many more features.

ClearBlogs.com – Another free blog site with free hosting, templates, friends-only posts, IP-Banning and more.

Etribes.com – European site that lets you create websites and blogs.

Multiply.com – Combines blogging with social networking and photo galleries.

Netcipia.com – Free blog and wiki for private or public display with 2GB of storage.

Open Diary.com – You get unlimited storage. Advanced features come with affordable subscription rates.

ShoutPost.com – Blog platform that specifically focusses on traffic generatiion.

SoulCast.com – Blog site that allows you to post anonymously.

Squarespace.com – You can build your blog using muktiple themes and many site features.

Terapad.com – Blogs with intergrated online store.

Tooum.com – Blog and fully integrated forum for seamless discussion between the two.

Tumblr.com – Blog platform that focusses on allowing media-rich posts.

Weebly.com – Change the designs of your websites and blogs on the fly.

Windows Live Spaces – Free blogging with MSN account.

Vox.com – Blogs that cater more to personal journal type.

Xanga.com – Combines free blogging with social networking.

Yahoo 360 – Part of your Yahoo account and features easy publishing.

Zoomshare.com – Free blog hosting with loads of free storage.