Choose you blogging platform

Blogging is an Idiom, a fool’s errand but as long as Internet is alive they are here to stay.

Also referred to as the “Online Diary”, the phenomenon called Blogging has been very popular and the rise in numbers suggests they are here to stay for a long. Officially started in 1994, today we can find millions of blogs on various topics and genres.

Considering all the free blogging sites, it is a very straight forward task to start a blog. However, the task of figuring out which blogging platform best fits your needs is a confusing one and for a newbie to the world of blogging this seems to be the biggest hurdle.So, in the post  I will try to make you aware of some of the most popular blogging platforms which are worth giving a try.

1) WordPress

Starting with open source let’s first talk about the mighty WordPress, the open source content management system which was primarily built for blogging but because of its versatility, it has been used as a Content Management System in many websites nowadays.

Why choose WordPress:

Easy to create and manage the content of the blog

Large number of elegant themes to choose from

With the working of WordPress as a website, you get a good chance to learn how things work in a website

The entire look of WordPress is customizable, so it depends on you who good you can make it

A large number of plugins available which make it versatile to work with.

Auto save option available, which can be quite handy at time

Active community and superb documentation

Few sites to check: Spotify, Wall street journal, People, verio

2) Blogger

The first thing I would say about Blogger is that it is powered by Google. A product of Google has a positive impact in our thinking. Blogger is primarily for novice blogger and doesn’t require much programming skills. This platform is mainly for personal blogs rather than commercial blogs.

Why choose Blogger:

Linked to your Gmail account, so no use to create a new account, in fact the setup is so easy you can start blogging within 15 minutes

Most user friendly, easily customizable colors and backgrounds

Posting articles is very easy as if you are writing an e-mail

Features like mobile blogging is available

Large number of templates to choose from but they are not as good as WordPress

AdSense works well with blogger (but the amount you earn is too little)

Few sites to check: The Green Riders, Trend Web, serendipitous

3) Tumblr

The first comment on Tumblr would be that it is a fusion between a full-fledged blog and twitter. The post on Tumblr are usually longer than Twitter but not involved and formal like a blog post.

Why choose Tumblr:

As it a micro- blogging site , speed ( time taken to post something ) is the big plus point for Tumblr

Different types of post for texts, links, images etc.

Compared to WordPress, it is easy to use

Though there aren’t many themes available but the default theme is an eye candy

No tool to import article from the previous blog ( can be a big problem )

If you don’t want to spend much time on blogging then tumblr is for you

Tumblr has a lot of similarities with Posterous and hence they are compared a lot but as for me, It should be Tumblr.

Few sites to check: newsweek, laughingsquid, soupsoup

4) Moveable Type

An open source blogging platform that came before WordPress. There are a couple of famous websites that has the Moveable type blogging platform. But the upcoming of WordPress and Blogger has shadowed Moveable type.

Why choose Moveable Type:

Better designed and easy to use

The biggest advantage of Moveable type is controlling multiple blogs

Integrated with a good search engine

Managing the comments is much easier

The commercial Moveable Type has a support contract which can help you with any problem till the contract lasts

Few sites to check: Seriouseats, brownstoner, heideldesign, barackobama

5) Typepad

TypePad is a blogging platform based on Movable Type. It shares technology such as templates and APIs with Movable Type, but it is designed and marketed to non-technical users with additional features like multiple author support, photo albums and mobile blogging.

Why choose Typepad:

The interface is clean and simple with large display pictures

With the option to choose from a number of themes you can customize your blog

The best thing about Typepad is photo album feature which is quite rare in other blogging platform

Options regarding AdSense and other scripted ads.

Apart from few default widgets, the other will cost you some bucks

The biggest drawback of Typepad is they charge you $4.95/mo for a basic plan and accordingly.

Few sites to check: soulfulliving, dilbertblog, aws

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In a Nutshell: If you are completely new to the blogging world and want to get your things done easily go for Blogger or Tumblr. As I have already mentioned it, Tumblr can be your choice if you don’t want to be involved with your posts. Finally, if you are taking blogging seriously and really make something out of it, you definitely should go for WordPress or Moveable type, of course WordPress being more preferable.

So, hope this will help you take off with your blog.

Good Luck and Happy Blogging !!!

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