Podcast: Play in new window

In the last few years the blogging craze has taken over the internet and has become a worldwide phenomenon. Some people are using blogs to post events taking place in their everyday life while others are earning a living from it. For people who are thinking about starting a blog; choosing between blogging websites and buying their own domain can be a confusing question indeed. Some people may be impressed by the popularity of blogging sites and come to the decision that they are a good place to start, while other may prefer the independence of having a personal domain name.

Here are some pros and cons of both blogging platforms and hosted blogs.

Blogging Platforms

Pros:

Most popular hosted platforms like Wordpress and Blogger are free of cost. You can setup a blog in no time since everything is already done for you. Hosted blogs are easier to maintain and posting content on them is a simple process. You don’t have to worry about updates as they are done automatically. Another advantage is that you get ranked easily because your blog is on a domain that ranks well already.

Cons:

If you like to customize your blog then you may get frustrated with hosted platform. Of course, customizing options vary depending on the platform you choose .For example, Blogger.com has no categories option, Wordpress.com does not allow you to add advertisement to your template.

With hosted blogs, you do not own the URL; this may not be a problem for some but in the opinion of some professional bloggers it’s better to have your own URL because it looks more professional. Another problem with hosted blog platforms is that your blog may end up looking like others because the default templates get used over and over by new bloggers. You must also have knowledge of CSS and HTML to make changes. Changing domain name can also be a problem because you have to redirect traffic to the new domain and get ranked in search engine results from scratch.

Own Hosted Blog

Pros:
With your own hosted blog you have control on all aspects of the blog. You can design it to your liking; you can also use different plug-ins developed by users.
You also get you own URL which can be a big advantage because they look more professional and are more marketable.

Cons:

If you don’t have the necessary skills then the setup process can be difficult. You are required to arrange hosting, set up databases and then download the platform onto you own computer and then upload it via ftp onto your web hosting server. You can learn this from a tutorial, but there is also an alternate option which involves finding a web host that will install your blog platform for you. Some platforms like Wordpress give advice on how to do this by recommending platforms.

The blog platform itself is free, but you have to pay a yearly fee for your domain name and also a registration fee. The hosting fee is also paid on a yearly basis. New versions come out with time and you may find the updating process a bit complicated if you don’t know abut it. Similar to blog platforms, hosting systems have their problems and you should choose a good one if you want your own hosted blog.

If your aim is to develop a blog that can be used for a business or corporate purposes then a standalone blog will serve you better in the long run. You can hire someone to design it for you or learn the process yourself. If your purpose is to have a casual blog then the free option will work just fine.

- Kaung | KMKBlog.com