Characteristics of your Weblog Platform Options

There is no more common question or concern among both beginning 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 simple answer. All bloggers NEED to own their URLs, but platform choice is largely dependent on the specific blogger's requirements. That said, I've compiled a list of advantages and disadvantages of the two main platform options below.

Hosted Platforms

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

Popular hosted platforms include packages like LiveJournal, Blogger, and Typepad.

Advantages of Hosted Platforms

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

Disadvantages of Hosted Platforms

• Rigid: there are fewer personalization choices with hosted platforms.
• Not as many design choices: 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
• Less control: you are at the mercy of the platform
• Migration issues: moving 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 host, and the blogging software you install on the host's server. With a self-hosted blog, you have access to a management panel for your blog, but you also have access to a server account and the blog software where you can do nigh anything.

Common self-hosted software includes Movable Type, Drupal, 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 common on self-hosted platforms
• Adaptability: your blog can change as your needs change
• Easy migration: if you ever need 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

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