SLST Articles

Choosing a blogging platform can be overwhelming for new bloggers. Choosing the right blog is important as a beginner blogger because if you pick a platform that is too advanced for your skill level, you are bound to quit blogging. The top two blogging platforms are Blogger and Word Press.

Blogger is a great platform for newbies because it’s free, easy to use, easy to post articles to, easy to navigate and easy to meet other bloggers. You might want to start on the Blogger platform because it’s free and the platform is user friendly. As a matter of fact, you can have your first post up in a matter of minutes!

The bad part of Blogger is once you become an advanced user, you will notice that there are not many customizable options and you will be limited to simple templates. Also, since your blog is hosted on their website, you will never “own” your blog and it can be deleted on a whim (if you abuse Blogger terms of service).

Word Press (WP) is used by many professional bloggers and is more for advanced users. You might need to know a little html or css to use WP. There are many more templates and plug-ins (”Widgets”) that can be added to your blog with a drag and drop feature. Word Press widgets are customizable and you can either auto-install the plug-in or manually install them. The majority of people who us WP buy their own domain name and host their own website. The reason is that most professional bloggers believe their sites are valuable “real-estate” and can be sold later on. Also, there is more leeway in terms of what you want to do with your blog if you use your own hosting and Word Press.

In conclusion, if you want a free blog that is easy to use and beginner friendly, choose Blogger. If you want more options and know a little bit about html and css, choose WordPress. Also, most people who use WordPress put money into their blogs by purchasing a domain name and hosting.