When you’re ready to start blogging, you have quite a few options. The first decision to make is which blogging platform that you’re going to use. The two most popular formats to choose from are Blogger and WordPress. Both are free and both can be formatted to host your blog files on your own hosting account. So how do you choose between them?
Blogger is popular for its easy set up. You can visit Blogger.com and have your own blog up ad running in just a few minutes. If you want Blogger to host your blog files for you, you simply choose a subdomain name and you get a blog URL that looks like this: http://whateveryounameit.blogspot.com .
Blogger gives you several preset templates to choose from and you do have some ability to customize the look.
If you have an existing website that you would like to add your Blogger blog to, you just create a folder on your hosting account, then provide the FTP info to Blogger and it will publish the files over to your site.
WordPress offers you a hosted option similar to Blogger at WordPress.com, however the options for customization on the hosted version are limited. If you’re going to choose WordPress, you will be happier with the features and customizing options if you install the blog script on your own hosting account.
Installing WordPress is much easier that you might think. You simply upload the files and open up the install page, one click later and you’re all set. Customizing the look is a little more involved but there are good instructions available online.
WordPress installed on your own domain shines over Blogger with features like being able to set up categories and publish ‘pages’ in addition to the individual blog posts. WordPress also gives you the ability to schedule posts so you can set it and forget it for a period of time.
If you’re blogging for personal reasons, Blogger is a good choice for its simplicity and ease of use. If you’re using a blog to promote your business, you will enjoy the feature rich options that come with WordPress. Pick the right tool for the job and you’ll be enjoying your blog for years to come.