5 Questions To Ask Before Choosing A Blog Platform
Written by Darnell Clayton in
13 Comments
Just as it would be foolish to select a phone, car, house, pet, etc. without understanding the fundamentals of the product (or in the latter case the creature), it would also be foolish to simply select a blog platform without discovering the benefits (and minuses) of using it.
Believe or not there are hundreds (if not thousands) of blog platforms, ranging from keep-it-simple blog services (like Blogger, WordPress, etc.) Â to do-it-yourself hosting solutions (like WordPress.org, MovableType, and b2evolution).
While each service (or software) has their weaknesses and strengths, you should ask at least 5 questions before choosing a platform to blog upon.
Do I enjoy writing code or do I simply want to write my heart out?
If you do not enjoy messing around with HTML, PHP, CSS, altering CNAME settings (or if you have no clue what any of those are) it’s probably best that you select a blog service platform like WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr or OnSugar.
However if you are confident in the way of the geek, going the self hosted route via WordPress.org, Movabletype, etc. is the better route (as you will have greater control of the blog, especially when it comes to plugins).
Am I going to blog for fun or for profit?
If you are going to blog for personal reasons, then most blog platforms will easily suit your needs (provided that you do not require heavy customization of the theme).
However if you are an aspiring Blogging Pro you will need a blog platform that allows you to not only easily insert ads but also enables you to heavily manipulate the theme (or even create a custom one from scratch).
How much do I want to spend on my blog?
Cost is always a factor in blogging and aside from time you should (wisely) spend as little as possible when starting a blog (especially if you desire to become a Blogging Pro).
Most companies (or at least the best ones) allow users to map personal domains to their respective blog platforms for free, although a small minority do charge users to map domains to their respective platforms.
If you are selecting the self hosting route, always find out the annual cost to host a blog (make sure its under $100/year), and ALWAYS ask for discounts when starting (example: ask for 20% off the first 6 months, or request the first month free).
Can I easily blog from my phone or tablet?
This question may sound silly, but with more people moving upon smartphones and touchscreen tablets, you don’t want to be the sucker unable to post on the go because your blog is incompatiable.
There are still many blog platforms that have yet to embrace the mobile universe (and even more lacking tablet apps), so you should inquire as to whether there is an official app or a quality third party app that will help you blog away from your computer.
Is there active support for the blog platform?
Although there are hundreds of blogging platforms available, I would estimate that only the top dozen are actively supported by a company and (most importantly) third party developers.
If the support site of your blog platform looks like a ghost town, chances are you will encounter many years of frustration using the service (especially if you encounter a mysterious bug that crashes your blog).
You also should verify if the platform you’re using allows you to easily leave, as the last thing you want to blog upon is a locked platform.
Any other questions?
For those of you who are new to blogging (or who have been blogging for quite some time), what questions do you ask before choosing a platform, and what platform (or platforms for some of you) did you choose over your blog career?
Very informative post, Darnell. Though WordPress seems to comparatively be more popular than Blogger, I find Blogger to be much easier to learn for those of us who are somewhat “technically challenged.”
There is no shame in using Blogger Jennifer!
In fact I learned how to become a blogging pro (web design, html, css, etc.) through Blogger, and in my opinion if you are not going to self host your own blog then you should use Blogger or OnSugar as they provide you with more freedom than the WordPress platform without the expense and hassle.
Perhaps I should do a Problogging on Blogger, OnSugar, etc. series here or upon the Blog Herald.
Actually, that’s a great idea.
Blogger what is that? Are they still alive?
Just kidding, I think most of us have started on Blogger, at least the ‘old guard’ . WP for blogging has outgrown me though, even if I still use it personally but that’s because of the awesome zen, distraction free writing plugin.
If you want really simple blogging, then Tumblr is your friend. Or Posterous.
Even worse.. I started of with MSN Spaces now rebranded to Windows Live Spaces
I also use Blogger and i am quite happy with it. And i want to stay here forever. I want to show it’s possible to make good amount of money using Blogger platform
Darnell,
I don’t ask questions anymore – I just opt for WordPress.org!
I did start with Blogger but found it restrictive – so quickly moved to WP.org.
Andrew
I did start with Blogger, too. But, I found that it’s hard to code a new template (actually, it’s for me, I don’t know for the others, especially Blogger guru).
Now, I use WordPress.org. It’s easy to code, simple loop method, even you can make it more complex. Additional points—it has jQuery included.
I have used Movable Type, Blogger, Typepad and WordPress. I have 3 goals with my blog: (1) to engage with the outside world in a way that extends my brand and creates new opportunities; (2) to be as easily found online as possible; and (3) to archive my best thoughts on small business success so I and others can easily find and utilize them.
I know just enough HTML to be dangerous, so starting with Movable Type was a big mistake for me because there was too much coding knowledge required. Blogger was easy, but I could not customize it and make it distinctive. Typepad was fantastic, but the customer service was poor for what I was paying, and it did not come with as many widgets and plugins as I felt I needed. So, I finally switched to self-hosted WordPress and I am very happy. I host with BlueHost.com and they do a great job.
One caution for everyone using Typepad — if you ever want to switch, Typepad will not allow you to export your graphics. You can only export your text. This was a big problem for me since graphics are essential to an positive reader experience. I had to go back and manually add in all of my graphics. Needless to say, I’m still not done.
I see this sort of comment a lot, but that doesn’t really make it true. Movable Type actually requires far less coding knowledge than its competitors from theme designers. The template tag language is designed to have a minimal learning curve for people who have just learned HTML but don’t know a real programming language. To develop or customize a theme for WordPress or another platform, you typically have to know PHP. You can build huge sites with Movable Type and never write a single line of Perl or PHP.
In the past, it was true that installing new themes could be difficult in Movable Type, but Movable Type 4 changed that by introducing support for template sets which could be deployed with a few clicks. Movable Type 4/Melody’s ThemeManager and Movable Type 5′s theme features make installing a whole new theme about as easy as WordPress.
Mike, I agree with you BUT it is one more step for the user. Although the template tags might be easier than the knowledge WP requires (and highly mimic the templating platform known from Expression Engine 1.5), it does represent a hurdle for the average user to throw that little knowledge they might have over board and dive into new documentation.
Most won’t. And will thus never discover that both EE and MT easier are to theme/design.
Nice simple article that defines the best platform based on your needs. I’m going to take a closer look at b2evolution…Thanks Darnell
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