What Platform is the Best Choice for your Blog?

I can't think of a more common concern or question among both beginning and experienced 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 MUST own their URLs, but choice of the platform is mainly dependent on the specific blogger's requirements. That said, I've compiled a list of advantages and disadvantages of the two main platform choices below.

Hosted Platforms

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

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

Advantages of Hosted Platforms

• Economical: most are free; some (like TypePad) are offered with multiple price points
• Simple to get started: just create 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 updated.

Disadvantages of Hosted Platforms

• Inflexible: there are fewer configuration choices with hosted platforms.
• Fewer design options: you usually only get to choose from a limited number of average designs, and you often can't make improvements to them
• Generic URL: some hosted platforms don't offer the choice to use your own URL
• Lack of 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 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 WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.

Advantages of Self-hosted Platforms

• Design flexibility: you have complete control over design and layout
• Great software: the best 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: if you ever want to move to a different 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 it's what I generally recommend to anyone looking to create a professional presence. There are just too many advanatges to pass up, and you usually have the choice to host many domains and blogs on just one account, lowering the cost per blog down to a small amount.