I can’t think of a more common concern or question among both novice and veteran bloggers alike: what blog platform should I choose? Aside from learning how to blog, it’s an almost universal concern.

And there is no one-size-fits-all answer. All bloggers NEED to own their URLs, but choice of the platform is mainly dependent on the indivudal blogger’s needs. With that stated, I’ve compiled a list of disadvantages and advantages of the two main platform options below.

Hosted Platforms

Hosted platforms refer to services whereby a service provider gives you access to their hardware, network connection, and software, and you create a blogging account to use on their service. With a hosted blog, you have access to a control panel for your blog, and nothing else.

Typical hosted platforms include solutions like LiveJournal, Blogger, and Typepad.

Advantages of Hosted Platforms

• Economical: many are free; others (like TypePad) are offered with multiple price points
• Easy to get started: just create an account and then quickly  learn how to create blog posts
• Automatic updates: you don’t have to worry about keeping hosted software patched and updated.

Disadvantages of Hosted Platforms

• Inflexible: there are fewer cusotmization choices with hosted platforms.
• Fewer design options: you usually only get to select from a limited number of mediocre designs, and you often can’t make improvements to them
• Generic URL: some hosted platforms don’t have the choice to use your own URL
• Lack of control: you are at the mercy of the platform
• Migration issues: moving from some 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 host, 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, Joomla, and WordPress.

Advantages of Self-hosted Platforms

• Design flexibility: you have full control over design and layout
• Great software: the best software is available on self-hosted platforms
• Custom URL: custom URL’s are ubiquitous on self-hosted platforms
• Adaptability: your blog can change as your needs change
• Easy migration: should you ever want or need to move to another platform or another server, migrating 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 that’s what I generally recommend to anyone looking to create a professional blog. There are too many benefits to ignore, and you usually have the option to host many blogs and domains on one account, driving the cost per blog down to a negligible amount.

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