Self-Hosted vs. Hosted Blogs

So you may be looking into starting a blog… but there are so many options to choose from.   WordPress, Blogger, Typepad, Livejournal… the list is endless.  So where to start when thinking about setting up your blog?

First, you’ll have to decide whether you want a hosted or self-hosted blog.  This will determine which blog providers you can use.  We’ll discuss the basic differences first, and I’ll list some examples for you.

Hosted Blogging

When you have a hosted blog, it means that your blog is hosted (e.g. “lives”) on another domain.  So your URL might be yourname.hostedblogservice.com.  Hosted blogs are very quick to set up — you just need to register a username and password before you can start blogging.  On the flip side, though, you don’t own the domain name.  You often  can’t fully customize your blog either.  Some hosted blogging options include:

• WordPress.com
• Blogger.com
• Typepad.com
• Xanga.com
• Livejournal.com
• Vox.com

I’ve used hosted blogs, but unless it’s for personal purposes, I am not the biggest fan.  There are just too many limitations on what I can do (visual customization, available widgets, etc).

Self-Hosted Blogging

A self-hosted blog “lives” on your domain name (URL) of choice.  You can set it up as a sub-level of your main website (e.g. yoursite.com/blog) or at its own url (e.g. mycoolblog.com).  There is a little installation work required, once you have it set up, you have *complete* control over your blog.  You can customize it as much as you want, and change the theme to match your main website perfectly.  Some self-hosted blogging options include:

• WordPress.org
• MovableType.org
• ExpressionEngine.com
• Habari.com
• Chyrp.com

I am a fan of self-hosted blogs.  I’ve blogged on Livejournal, Xanga, Blogger, WordPress (.com + .org) — and my personal favorite is WordPress.org (self-hosted).  I want to be in control of my blog — and I want to be able to customize things to my liking.  WordPress.org allows me the ultimate flexibility.

5 Reasons to Self-Host

And to wrap things up, I’m including five resources on self-hosting your blog.  These articles have some good points, and should help you make an informed decision about self-hosting your blog or just using a hosted blog.

1. Advantages of A Self-Hosted Blog: Why using a paid web hosting service is better for blogging.
2. 10 Reasons to Self-Host Your Own Blog: Why self-hosted blogs get more love than hosted ones.
3. Self-Hosted Blog Options: A pros + cons breakdown of some of the self-hosted blogging platforms.
4. WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org: Learn about the key differences between the hosted + self-hosted versions of WordPress.
5. Blogging Wars – WordPress vs. Blogger: A comparison of Blogger and WordPress features.