What Platform is the Best Fit for your Blog?

There is no more common question or concern among both new and veteran bloggers alike: which blogging platform should I choose? Aside from learning how to blog, it's an almost universal concern.

And there is no stock answer. All bloggers NEED to own their URLs, but platform choice is largely dependent on the indivudal blogger's requirements. With that stated, I've compiled a list of disadvantages and advantages of the two primary platform options below.

Hosted Platforms

Hosted platforms refer to services whereby a service provider gives you access to their software, hardware, and network connection, and you register a blogging account for use on their platform. With a hosted blog, you have access to an administrative panel for your blog, and that's it.

Common hosted platforms include solutions like Blogger, TypePad, and LiveJournal.

Advantages of Hosted Platforms

• Inexpensive: most are free; some (like TypePad) are offered with multiple price points
• Easy to setup: just signup for an account and then quickly  learn how to create blog posts
• Automatic updates: you don't have to concern yourself with keeping hosted software patched and upt-do-date.

Disadvantages of Hosted Platforms

• Rigid: there are fewer cusotmization options with hosted platforms.
• Limited design choices: you typically only get to choose from a limited number of standard designs, and you often can't make updates to them
• Generic URL: some hosted platforms don't offer the option to use your own URL
• Less control: you are at the mercy of the platform
• Migration issues: migrating from many free hosted platforms results in a lot of effort and often the temporary loss of search engine rankings

Self-hosted Platforms

Self-hosted platforms consist of your own web hosting account with a data center, and the blogging software you install on the data center's server. With a self-hosted blog, you have access to an administrative panel for your blog, but you also have access to a server account and the blog software where you can do almost anything.

Common self-hosted software includes Movable Type, Drupal, and WordPress.

Advantages of Self-hosted Platforms

• Design flexibility: you have full control over layout and design
• Great software: killer software exists on self-hosted platforms
• Custom URL: custom URL's are ubiquitous on self-hosted platforms
• Adaptability: you can change your blog as your needs change
• Easy migration: should you ever want to move to another platform or another server, moving is a snap

Disadvantages of Self-hosted Platforms

• Difficult setup: setup can sometimes be difficult, but this can be overcome with a good blogs how to
• Cost: while the blogging software is free, the hosting platform will cost you money
• Hosting issues: unless you choose a good host, you might have to suffer from down-time or poor support
• Upgrades: you will need to keep your software patched

The majority of my blogs are self-hosted, and it's what I usually advise anyone looking to create a professional blog. There are just too many advanatges to ignore, and you usually have the ability to host many blogs and domains on one account, driving the cost per blog down to a small amount.