Written on April 22nd, 2007 at 01:04 am by Darren Rowse
Hosted or Standalone Blogging Platforms - Which is Best?
One of the most common questions that I get asked around blogging platforms is whether people should go for a hosted blog platform like Blogger, TypePad or WordPress.com or whether they should go for a stand alone platform that you host on your own domain and server like WordPress.org, Drupal or Movable Type.
I’ve talked previously about some of the Pros and Cons of Hosted and Standalone blog platforms - but thought it might make an interesting open mic discussion (or debate).
So what do you think?
- Do you use a hosted or stand alone blog platform? Why?
- Do you wish you’d made a different choice when you started?
- What are the Pros and Cons of the two options?
- What would you recommend to a new blogger?
80 Responses to “Hosted or Standalone Blogging Platforms - Which is Best?”
Rehuel
April 22nd, 2007 1:35 am
I use standalone blog platforms because it gives me more control over what I can do with my blog, and what not.
I am happy with the choice I made so I won’t do it differently.
The hosted platforms are usually free. But I think that’s one of the very few pros. The standalone platform does cost a little, but you have the freedom to add whatever plugin you like. The same goes for themes.
When starting off with blogging, it is important to decide whether to use hosted or standalone before starting. Most of the time it’s a hell to move existing posts from one to the other. Your blog will be indexed in the search engines, so moving to another platform will mean doing everything from the beginning, when it comes to search engines.
If you can spare $5-$10 a month for hosting and another $10-$15 per year for a domain name I would definitely suggest that you start using a standalone platform. If money is an issue, you can always start with a hosted blog and switch later.
Manas
April 22nd, 2007 1:38 am
I am using my own hosted Wordpress platform for my blog. I started out with Blogger only to be frustrated with its shortcomings. So Wordpress was the obvious choice when I wanted to shift.
Pros of Blogger : No bandwidth & space issues, Image hosting space
Cons of Blogger: Spam, No plugins
Pros of Wordpress : Plugins, Themes & many more…
Cons of Wordpress : None
I would recommend that one should start out with some free alternative like Blogger.com or Wordpress.com and then move to his own space after some experience in blogging. :)
Mahala
April 22nd, 2007 1:47 am
I’ve been blogging for a couple of years now and I use Blogger, mainly because that’s what I started with and am most comfortable using. When I began exploring ways to generate some income from my blog, I thought about moving to a “stand alone” platform, but I’m not great at CSS and I don’t have alot of time to dedicate to the more technical aspects of maintaining a site. I’d rather use the limited time I have concentrating on writing. The cost was an issue as well, not just for hosting but paying someone for a custom template, etc.
Darnell Clayton
April 22nd, 2007 1:51 am
Hey Darren,
I think it depends upon the person. Me personally, I am on a hosted domain service, although I have it set up with my own custom domain (via Blogger.com).
I actually paid to self host my blog, but then realized that I would rather spend the extra time that I had customizing the html of the blog (and writing on it) than mucking through the hosting of the site.
Although one could easily hire a coder for the job, to get a decent one can be fairly expensive, not to mention insuring that they would be responsive within 24 hours if an issue ever came up.
Also, if my traffic went up unexpectedly, (which happened once when my site was “digged”) then I would have to agree to a higher hosting rate or have my site offline.
I love the new Blogger (even more than Wordpress which is third to Vox IMHO) so having them deal with the issues of hosting was easier on me. That’s my viewpoint, how about everyone else’s?
mattsofi
April 22nd, 2007 1:54 am
The old theory of having a good domain name is still relevant today. So, for Search Engine, the first thing it get a clue of any site is by the domain name and the rest of the URL.
Speaking of that, hosted blog does not give that flexibilty. If the budget and expertise are the constraint, have your blog hosted but make sure to have your own domain name. Domain only cost you as little as USD6 dollar per annum. If could get free hosting with that.
Blogging platform is another choice you have to make. If you go with Blogger.com, you are stuck there. If you go with WordPress for example, you might have greater flexibility.
I go with Blogger when I started but now I am running on my own server with WordPress Mu as the back end. I can churn out as many blog as I like in few minutes. I have the flexibility and full control.
my 2 cents.
adam
April 22nd, 2007 2:10 am
Hi Darren,
When I first started blogging, I used a hosted blog platform. But I quickly became frustrated of it because I wanted more control.
Having a stand alone platform and site is important to me because I want complete control over my domain, host, design, and blogging app.
For new bloggers, I would suggest a hosted platform with a free account. No sense in wasting money on domains and hosting if the new blogger isn’t going to stick with it.
Cigar Jack
April 22nd, 2007 2:15 am
I started at typepad and quickly realized it wasn’t enough. I’m paying about $60/year for hosting now. Most hosting services have a point and click install of WordPress or other blogging software. Also I now have the availability to add other features to my site as I wish. Also for just a few extra bucks I can add a second domain and another blog if I find a new niche I enjoy.
Ashish Mohta
April 22nd, 2007 2:18 am
A) I am using Stand alone for one big reason, i dont like to be controled by anybody anywhere. This give me more option to learn new things and see more on how it works. Since 4 mnths i have understood more about site , hosting seo and others.
B) No
C)
Hosted: You need to worry about backups, they are more stable, no money to pay for hosting, vbery handy when your site is under digg affect or increases traffic day by day, no ned of change of plan, secured.
Stabndalone: Reverse of what I said in Hosted, but there is more option of personalization, more control on what you want to use.
D) I would recommend anybody to experiment first with hosted to understand how it goes.Then of he is not comfi, he can go for standalone.
shah
April 22nd, 2007 2:26 am
i don’t what the best advice for new user. it’s depend to yourself.
I’m using blospot services less than a week. After i knows about wordpress.org, i buy my own domain and web host.
And i satisfied with wordpress script because it’s user friendly. I think new blogger should not afraid to try host a blog. It not too hard. Go and try yourself. you will like it because it’s simplicity and give you more power what you want to do.
Travis
April 22nd, 2007 2:28 am
Stand alone. All the way.
One minor reason is it forces me to learn to setup my site. My site was “built” by me, meaning that I had to put the files for WordPress in place, set up the SQL databases, install the blog and all the plug-ins and widgets I use. I like the fact that I can look at my site and say, “I did that.” Of course most of the bits were actually designed by other folks, but the set up and design was all me.
Another minor reason is by setting up my site I am able to choose the bulk of basic functionality. I can specify which plug-ins to use, and don’t have to have anything in place I don’t use. That cuts down on clutter.
The major reason though is the domain is 100% mine. No trailing .blogspot.com or whatever. I have nothing against the content of bloggers who use hosted services per se, but I do have a personal reaction to those domains that I can’t help bu project onto others. Having a stand alone domain give the impression of independence. I like that in a blogger.
Lastly, stand alone means I choose what advertisers are on my site and any profits come to me.
The one con is that I do have to do the set up myself, which means the things I haven’t yet gotten my head around are unavailable to me. I could pay someone to build out the site for me, of course. But, that’s just not my style, nor really in my blogging budget.
Luis Rull
April 22nd, 2007 2:48 am
How knowledgeable are you in hosting, fixing cms, html and css? You answer that question and you have half of the road traveled.
You must add the time (how much you time cost?) you spend fixing things to the hosting cost. Or add the fee of a company to it for you.
To some people that cost is affordable, because they make a profit by showing waht they do (In terms of influence, feedback, advertising, seo, …). Make your numbers and include the satisfaction of having a home desing for you with your needs and peculiarities.
We always talk to our costumers in that terms. Some buy our products and services and some don’t. For those who doesn’t, we wait until it does…;)
Jaffer Maniar
April 22nd, 2007 2:57 am
Blogging Platform I use
* Blogger
Why? :
* It was the first service I signed up for when I thought of moving to a blog.
* It allowed me to host my blog on a free webhosting service back then.
* My second option was wordpress but I shyed away from it because it requred installation onto the server - and free hosting would’t allow that.
* I didn’t regret my decision !
Pros:
* It’s highly customizable and I can have a complete control of how my blog looks and performs.
* I can edit any of the HTML code in the template unlike other hosted platforms
* It’s also one of the few hosted platforms to allow users to manage their blog on a different domain.
* When I moved to a paid domain, etiting my ftp configutation was a snap and my blog was resurrected within seconds on the new domain.
Cons:
* Customizing the look and feel can be a pain for users not familiar with CSS and HTML
* Invalid HTML code formatting. Some features depend on Javascript
* FTP hosting does not come with cool formatting options such as layout and layers.
* Poor archiving - they only recently introduced “Labels” but its not as good as a tag-cloud
* Need better code to display only partial posts on the first page. The present code simply uses hidden tag. Confuses people when they don’t find what the search engine displays !
I would still recommend Blogger to a very new user. Its easy to sign-up.
And as they progress, can customise their blog the way they like.
egon
April 22nd, 2007 3:12 am
stand-alone, no question. I need to have complete control over it, otherwise it would drive me nuts. I guess it depends on your intentions, butI highly recommend stand-alone
Justyn
April 22nd, 2007 3:15 am
One day, about a month or so into my first blog, I switched to a stand-alone WordPress platform. I wanted to make some changes to my site that I couldn’t make on blogger.com (though it is pretty flexible if you care to be daring).
There are days when I miss blogger.com. The instant Google listings were nice, and I have a feeling that the plug-ins for blogger will surpass WordPress in the not to distant future.
The TriniGourmet
April 22nd, 2007 3:25 am
I echo all of the above re: my reasons for starting and maintaining my blog on a stand-alone platform. The benefits of a hosted blog (I use them for my own personal blogging) are extremely few as far as I can tell.
Matt Jones
April 22nd, 2007 4:02 am
I would recommened doing what I did to a new blogger (lol). I started on blogger with a ‘make money online’ blog (which I am still maintaining). It was the perfect learning experience. About 5 weeks ago I started my first hosted site, which uses wordpress. Because I used blogger I fully appreciate Wordpress’ flexibility and I think its great! :D
Ben Evert
April 22nd, 2007 4:02 am
I use both a stand alone (Wordpress) and hosted platform (Blogger). The stand alone definitely gives you more control over how your blog looks but does involve more time. Ie. coding things they way you want, file transfers etc.
Personally, I like both. If you are a beginner and don’t want to spend any money, then the hosted platform is the way to go.
In my opinion, I don’t think it really matters too much if your blog is hosted or not. If you have good content people will find you. It’s like the best eating place in town, people will find it and people will find you. The battle between standalone and hosted is just similar to people who fight over light beer or real beer. Guess what, it’s still beer. Guess what, it’s still a blog.
‘Nuff said.
Xigre
April 22nd, 2007 4:02 am
Standalone platform is better as you have complete control over it. Maybe it requires some php or sql knowledge to set it up, but you can hire some to do it for you and then change password if you are afraid for security. But why to be lemited on WordPress.org, Drupal or Movable Type? There are other free blogging tools like Nucleus and many others.
kat
April 22nd, 2007 4:31 am
I really think new bloggers who are truly serious about blogging, should get their own domain and hosting, and their own stand alone blogging platform.
While sites like blogger and LJ are good, they are not taken as seriously by people, advertisers etc.
The free sites are also under much stricter rules as to what they can place on their sites, if they can even have ads. Wordpress shut down the blogs of many users who started placing any kinds of ads on their sites, not just paid posts, so if people are serious, want to be successful, taken serious, have freedom of control, and maybe make money, then they should get their own sites.
vurdlak
April 22nd, 2007 4:32 am
I use blogger, cause of its free bandwith. I want to jump over to dedicated server (since I have over 3 million impressions monthly), but it costs arround 1,000$ which is ok now, but wasn’t cool when I started with my blog.
However I’m willing to pay similar sum to somebody who can now help me move my blogger blog to wordpress and migrate it to dedicated server. I don’t know how to keep my blogger template and export all the posts with correct links and images….
if someone knows how to do it, I’d be glad to pay additional 1,000$ for this info. thnks
vurdlak
Paolo Amoroso
April 22nd, 2007 4:36 am
I use a hosted blogging platform, i.e. Blogger, and I am satisfied with this choice. The main reason is simplicity, both of use and maintenance.
Although I do have a technical background, I am no longer a young geek and I no longer have time for extensive customization and maintenance. Life is short.
I recommend a hosted platform to those who do not plan to become probloggers, or have limited time.
Nick
April 22nd, 2007 4:44 am
I have used both hosted and standalone platforms. I’ve used hosted ones at blogspot for very short-term projects where the blog won’t have more than two dozen posts. And I have my own standalone blogs - two which I killed once I realized the ideas did not have the right content generating ability, one which I just started in March which I think has legs if not readers.
For a new blogger, I’d tell them to use blogger or wordpress.com and set up a project where they believe that they can do 15 posts on a topic in 30 days. If they enjoy the experience, then I’d discuss where they want to go with their blogging, including potentially moving to their own standalone domain and blogging software.
Tom
April 22nd, 2007 5:42 am
I have always used stand alone blogging platforms with my blogs simply because I like the control you have with your blogs hosted on your own servers. I have experimented with Blogger and WordPress.com, but it always felt like I was limited in what I wanted to do with my blog. By hosting your own blogs, you not only have the power to change whatever you wish on your site, but you also have the power to add other features to your blog. If you are using Blogger or WordPress.com, you really have no option to add something like a forum to your site, or any other type of script that you may want to add. With those sites, you have to rely solely on widgets and code snippets to add to your site, and its often the case that if the main site of these widgets goes down, then your blog is left without that widget until the main site comes back online. In my opinion there are two main advantages to using Blogger or WordPress.com. First, is the monetary advantage. You are not paying anything for domain renewals or hosting by using these sites, and that can make a big difference for someone who just wants to try out blogging and just get started. The second advantage is for people who may not have the greatest technical abilities when it comes to the web. I come from a background as a webmaster, so I personally have a good knowledge of HTML, PHP, etc., but for someone who looks at code and gets a headache, Blogger and WordPress.com are good options because with a couple of clicks you can be up and running without any technical knowledge whatsoever.
The one argument that I don’t buy whatsoever is that standalone blogs are more “professional” than hosted blogs. Blogger and WordPress.com get bad raps because of all the spam blogs that are hosted there, but in the end it is all about the content in my opinion. If you write quality content and have a Blogger blog, people are still going to read your blog. For any new bloggers out there, I think it is really up to them whether they want to use Blogger or WordPress.com or get their own hosting and domain. Neither choice is going to permanently alter their blog, and both offer the opportunity to switch at a later date if the blogger wishes to do so. The bottom line is just write quality content and the readers will eventually come - how you host your blog is not that big of a factor.
Pamela
April 22nd, 2007 6:03 am
I have been with blogger and went over to wordpress. I liked the former being able to make changes but when I went to their new system I was not able to access my site, so I went with wordpress. They are not bad, but bland looking pages. You cannot change background color etc. You cannot open a complete new blog without having a new e-mail address and you cannot change your URL title.
Like many have said you have more control over your own stand alone platform and I am thinking that this is they way I will go before too long.
Jenny
April 22nd, 2007 6:21 am
I use the standalone wordpress platform and I love it. You can’t get pings/trackbacks from Blogger or on blogger. Makes me kinda sad really. :) But I don’t think I woulda used anything else when starting out in blogging.
widgetologist
April 22nd, 2007 6:34 am
I’m using Blogger and am quite happy with it for now, having your own domain name always gives a site a bit more look of credibility though.
Nocturnal
April 22nd, 2007 6:52 am
Personally I like hosted blogs. I started out with a hosting account and learned how simple it was to setup a blog like WP.
Sandra
April 22nd, 2007 6:57 am
Years ago I started with blogspot, but would never go with a subdomain type hosted solution again. Having your own domain name and hosting offers much more control of the design, links, knowing stats and SEO.
I prefer Wordpress for the flexibility and control. It’s extremely search engine friendly and now easier than ever to use. For people who are not technically inclined or just don’t want to mess with it, Typepad is a great choice even for beginners. At the Plus level you can use your own domain so there’s more control.
Mike Maddaloni
April 22nd, 2007 7:47 am
In response…
* I host my own - I am an Internet consultant and want control of the application, as well as to understand the difference betwen the two so I can better serve my clients.
* I had created a test blog with Blogger, so going with hosted was the wise choice for me.
* I believe hosting your own is the best way to go, and if you are not technical yourself, partner with someone who is!
* I would recommend new bloggers to think of their goals for blogging and if they can write at whatever frequency they determine is best for them, and if they are not sure, use a hosted blog and FeedBurner, then switch to hosting your own if it takes off!
mp/m
iVi
April 22nd, 2007 8:28 am
i have been torn on this issue. i am pretty proficient with coding and i have my own websites on my own server that i enjoy maintaining. my blog, however, is on wordpress.com. i have been agonizing over whether to move it to my own domain and host, because it really doesn’t cost very much, and i know i am going to stick with it since my current job pays me simply to blog news.
i have made the decision to stick with a hosted blog on worpress.com for a few reasons.
1. the digg effect - i know wordpress is set up to take big spikes in traffic without decreasing access to my blog
2. backup, stability, spam - wordpress handles all of this and i don’t have to think about it.
3. traffic - i actually get plenty of traffic from people surfing wordpress, so why would i want to give that up?
4. more than anything, i don’t want to spend extra time worrying about my hosting and coding. i already spend so much time on content and presentation. i am about to take the next step and upgrade my wordpress features so that i can have complete control over the CSS. that way i can make my blog look exactly how i would if it were on my own server.
the cons :
thus far, the ONLY drawback of having my blog on wordpress is that i cannot have a flashplayer in my widgets. this would be nice since the blog is entirely about music. but i am able to display pictures, slideshows, flickr, audio with a play button and videos from youtube, google and a few others, in my blog posts. just not in the widgets for some reason.
i realize that i am viewed as less independent or less serious because i am not on my own domain, but i can live with that. i think my content will prove my worth regardless of my domain address.
ultimately :
i am still debating whether this is the right choice for me, but for now, i would much rather focus on content than all the work required behind the scenes. especially the problems associated with high bandwith and huge spikes in traffic.
Thanks for creating such a great blog, Darren! You have been a great source of information for me as i figure out this blogging culture.
jhay
April 22nd, 2007 9:03 am
Standalone blogs are the way to go. Freedom to do anything (legal or extralegal) with it. Sure you could come close to this with hosted blogs, but sooner or later you’ll need to get a standalone for your growing needs and plans.
Blog Bloke
April 22nd, 2007 9:21 am
Because the New Blogger is so powerful and has caught up and even surpassed Wordpress in some ways the question is becoming moot. If you don’t want the hassle of hosting it yourself then the New Blogger is the way to go. Blogger also lends itself very well to hacking the code and is just as easy (if not easier) to set up with it’s widgets (Wordpress calls it plugins).
For myself I would rather not have the hassle of hosting my own server, and since New Blogger is completely free and even supports custom domains the choice became obvious. We had a similar discussion on my blog for those who are interested. And of course, the preferential treatment you get from Google isn’t bad either. ;-)
Having said that, the bottom line is you really can’t go wrong with either Blogger or Wordpress and my advice is for users that already have a blog to stick with what you’ve got, because the differences between them are so minor that it’s not worth switching and losing all of your backlinks and pagerank.
Cheers!
Richie
April 22nd, 2007 10:32 am
Standalone blogs,of course!
James
April 22nd, 2007 10:34 am
Having had a Blogger blog stopped temporarily till it was ok’d as not spam, I do not think you can argue about having your own domain and hosting. As long as you are using a hosted blog they can change the TOS whenever they want.
At the very least, you should have your own domain name.
terra
April 22nd, 2007 10:57 am
I absolutely love wordpress and all of the options it gives you. It’s extremely flexible as far as design (which my blog needs a bit of work on at the moment), but it’s definintely worth having your own host in the end. I guess I would say to make sure any blogger can prepare for any unpexpected surge in traffic… like being dugg or featured on slashdot.
If you are a new blogger… as everyone else… I recommend starting on blogger or something like that. It helps ease you into the process of blogging in a nice way.
Greg
April 22nd, 2007 11:02 am
Agree with much of the above:
- Hosted is easier and more appropriate for folks with less time or tech savvy.
- Standalone provides more control and more opportunities to learn about content management tools.
For bloggers who are interested in generating revenue or projecting a professional image, a good domain name is essential. It costs very little and is important to set up early. You don’t want to be switching to a new domain name after you’ve got good traction with your first one.
Go2linux
April 22nd, 2007 11:36 am
As I write about Linux How to, setting up server, etc I think I should run my on plattform, on a Linux server (off course) Then I like to have full control of my site, from the first day I started at my own domain, with Joomla platform later i switched to drupal, which is the one I use these days, and it is great!
But you are right about the hosting problems, one week ago I got so much traffic from Digg that my server went down, I had to move it to a better server.
Shawn
April 22nd, 2007 12:12 pm
Yeezum Crow! I got to this one late… # 37? Ouch.
I use both. I have a WordPress blog on my own site (actually, there are 2 there, but one is still under construction… in development… not open for business) http://www.laffing-horse.com. Love it!
I also have a LiveJournal Page… HA!
And a Blogger page… nice.
And a Vox page… nice, but ssslllooowww.
There are a few others out there with my name on it, too.
Why? I test ‘em out to determine which is the best. I update them every once in a while and I point them to my primary site.
However, if the web police come and break down my door and force me to choose just one… WordPress… simple.
Array
April 22nd, 2007 12:33 pm
I have one stand alone blogs (WP, updated frequently) and two blogs at BSP (blogspot & atom5) which are seldom updated.
>Do you wish you’d made a different choice when you started?
I don’t know the answer really. My stand alone blog fixed all the SEO bugs of WP, but I couldn’t update it anymore! The default WP has problem with it title, and it’s famous duplicated content issue. You can fix it by yourself but you can never use it’s update unless you want to fix it again!
>What would you recommend to a new blogger?
Blog for blog. Forget all these issues and even if you host your blog at geocities or somewhere.com/~name, you can make it better with good content.
Jen / domestika
April 22nd, 2007 1:02 pm
It would be terrific to switch from free Blogger to self-hosted Wordpress, but there’s all the lost traffic to worry about, and the impossibility of porting over… this is an issue that I continue to struggle with, no decison yet…
Jonathan-C.
April 22nd, 2007 1:39 pm
Standalone platform all the way, i’ve installed wordpress and never looked back. Sure there some cons like hosting fees, but you have way more control over your site as opposed to haveing a blog on a free service like blogger. To me having my blog hosted on blogger doesn’t cut it, the web based interface, i just can’t stand. Though a lot of people are using free services, i wouldn’t. Of course you need to have some basic knowledge of html, css, php, but if it’s not the case, there’s probably a couple thousand blogs out there you can read that will give you free infos :)
Katje
April 22nd, 2007 1:48 pm
A word of advice I tell people when they are looking into buying a hosting package and a domain is be VERY careful. Some hosting companies will registar your “free” domain in their name as a method of locking you into a hosting package with them. If there is any problems with your domain you need to go through your hosting company to get it moved. Also if you are unhappy with your hosting company and you want to move your domain you can’t really as it’s not in your name.
That said, I am far more in favor of a stand alone blogging platform. I have WordPress on a subdomain and I love the freedom I get with it. I love having control over what plugins and designs I can have. On Blogger it is possible to have your own individual design, but I find with WordPress it is much easier.
engtech
April 22nd, 2007 1:56 pm
Start off with hosted (wordpress.com or blogger) but GET A DOMAIN NAME.
Once you’ve decided if blogging is something you want to go pro with, then move your domain where ever you want it to go.
cactos
April 22nd, 2007 2:54 pm
I have my own standalone blog.
I think standalone blog is cool and I can control it completely.
But it is very difficult to propaganda my blog.
michael
April 22nd, 2007 3:42 pm
Do you use a hosted or stand alone blog platform? Why?
Standalone, because it is more flexible. Also I can get an email box with my domain name. And a place to upload files.
Do you wish you’d made a different choice when you started?
I started with Google Blogger and realized that I cannot do much with it, so right away I dropped the idea and switched to Wordpress.
What are the Pros and Cons of the two options?
Hosted platform like Blogger is great because it takes minute to get beyond making a blog and start blogging, but it lacks flexibility.
What would you recommend to a new blogger?
For those who just want to try blogging without making a decision to do it longterm, stick with hosted platform. But for others, with some serious plans for their blogs, it is better to spend money buying a domain and hosting, and some time getting to know Wordpress or MovableType, or some other stand alone platform.
Blog Potato
April 22nd, 2007 4:01 pm
* Stand Alone.
* I went with Wordpress from the start and haven’t had any problems yet.
* Learning how to setup a blog on your own host can be tricky for a novice.
* I would recommend a Blogger account for a new blogger.
Golbguru
April 22nd, 2007 4:38 pm
I started with blogger…but it quickly ran out of all “newness” very soon. Plus, there were a lot of functionality issues.
Moved to a standalone platform (Wordpress) within a couple of months and it really made me happy. It does take more efforts to maintain standalone platforms, but it’s worth it. Especially, for less than what it cost for a day’s lunch…hosting is totally the way to go.
However, I can understand the “inertia” people have in switching to standalone platforms. It took me a full month and suggestions from a lot of heavy duty bloggers to finally take the step forward.
Candida
April 22nd, 2007 5:02 pm
I tried the Blogger route a couple of times. Whenever my blogs got to about 10 posts Google banned me from posting anymore because the blog looked like a spam blog.
After emailing them, and waiting told the blogs were OK, by the time I got the reply I had completely lost interest in the blogs.
Wordpress for me hosted on my own server. Wordpress seem to look more professional as well.
Rob O.
April 22nd, 2007 9:08 pm
2dolphins is Blogger-based but hosted on my own space with (obviously) my own domain name. Having never used any other blogging platform, I can’t draw a comparison, but I’ve often envious of the plug-ins that I read about for Wordpress.
There are many more Blogger-based blog authors who’ve commented on this post than I would’ve expected. That certainly makes me feel less like I made the wrong platform choice…
tish robinson
April 23rd, 2007 12:36 am
Darren — My blog is about 8 months old and I’m ready for more features that wordpress.com does not offer. So I’m in the process of moving my blog to wordpress.org on Bluehost. Not an easy task for someone with limited HTML and “backroom” knowledge. One of the upsides will be a better URL — TravelswithTish.com. Plus I can put in ads, a forum, and a more flexible and subject-appropriate theme. I’m excited to get it set up but am struggling with understanding the files. So it’s not for everyone and certainly not for the persistent. But I think the prize is worth it.
tish robinson
April 23rd, 2007 12:38 am
Darren — My blog is about 8 months old and I’m ready for more features that wordpress.com does not offer. So I’m in the process of moving my blog to wordpress.org on Bluehost. Not an easy task for someone with limited HTML and “backroom” knowledge. One of the upsides will be a better URL — TravelswithTish.com. Plus I can put in ads, a forum, and a more flexible and subject-appropriate theme. I’m excited to get it set up but am struggling with understanding the files. So it’s not for everyone and certainly not for those who are not persistent. But I think the prize is worth it.
Mark Boudreau
April 23rd, 2007 1:03 am
I am currently in the process of moving from Typepad to a WordPress-based platform. I loved Typepad because it is like the Mac. Drag and Drop with no worries about coding unless you wanted to get involved in CSS and stuff like that (which you can).
The reason I am moving to WordPress is that I want to bring The Rock and Roll Report to a whole new level of presentation and content after using it for years as just a creative outlet for myself. I am lucky to be working with a web developer who can create the things I envision for the site on WordPress. The flexibility and power of the platform, the open source factor and the sheer number of developers working on and with WordPress made the decision a no-brainer.
I do not have as much time as I would like to to learn the intricasies of WordPress but I would HIGHLY recommend working with a web developer who does if you are confused about things like web standards, SEO and tracking your stats, all issues that you must understand to get the most out of your blog. If you are more of a content/creative type person, the money spent is well worth it, especially at the beginning.
Typepad is a great product with a lot of benefits but WordPress, in the right hands is the way to go from what I can see.
Jennie Rosenbaum
April 23rd, 2007 1:29 am
I have the hosting space and abilities to host my own wordpress blog, but I use wordpress.com for several reasons:
I can get a URL that seamlessly works with all my posts and pages with no work
I can host as many images as I want
I can take charge of my CSS if I want to (but don’t have to)
it doesn’t have obvious branding (like the blogger navigation bar)
it has an excellent RSS and commenting system
but most importantly: It gives me access to an enormous network.
wordpress.com is made up of millions of users who like to surf other wordpress blogs. the tags are all connected providing constant traffic and if I get a great traffic spike my blog is very well publicized by wordpress on several pages including the home page and member’s dashboards. the networking capabilities of wordpress.com have shot my traffic up substantially and provided me with excellent comments as well. this is well worth it in my books!
a note to n00bs, it’s really easy to set up and get going. it can be as simple as you need to and has features that you can grow into as you progress as a blogger. it also imports your comments and posts from blogger (where I started) and other major blogging services.
mike
April 23rd, 2007 2:45 am
Wordpress’s software is killer. if you can spare the money (essentially the equivalent of a couple of cups of coffee a month) for your own hosting package and the URL, it’s worth it. the pro of having your blog’s name be the URL is huge when starting out and getting people to remember who you are. i started a blog for my company’s web series about life in baghdad called Hometown Baghdad using wordpress’s software on a 1and1 host package. it has been fantastic - letting me add lots of plugins that facilitate a vigorous dialogue in the comments. using advice from problogger and bokardo.com, i have been create a nice launch pad for our web video series (which is getting a ton of press internationally! and is beginning to get noticed in the US) that i have complete control over.
Nicolas
April 23rd, 2007 3:25 am
I recommend Wordpress, it has a lot of plugins and it’s very easy to change /modify the templates.
I have my own hosting and I’m offering hosting for free to everyone who want to rotate Adsense ads.
[ES] Tambien ofrezco dominios .com.ar para bloggers de Argentina.
Darren Coxall
April 23rd, 2007 4:01 am
It all depends on your experiance with the web. Those who don’t really know any programming or mark-up will most probably benefit from using a hosted service but those of us who do understand the web should deffinately host our own. It gives much more flexibility and options.
Brad
April 23rd, 2007 6:09 am
I use Typepad with my own domain name. Right now, I don’t have the time or technical expertise for a stand-alone blog platform. Typepad is perfect because it’s easy to maintain and I just have to worry about writing quality content.
Perhaps when my blog readership grows and I’m looking for more flexibility, I might swtich to a stand alone platform. But right now I’m happy where I’m at.
Shaun Carter
April 23rd, 2007 6:23 am
I have never utilized stand-alone blogging except for MySpace, which I do not use for the blogging feature. I have been very happy running my WordPress blogs through Dreamhost’s one-click install system. It really makes it a no-brainer and even a child could create a blog using that system.
For someone with a little bit of tech knowledge, host a blog yourself. For the complete newbie… try standalone to get your feet wet first.
Links for 2007-04-22
April 23rd, 2007 7:17 am
[…] Hosted or Standalone Blogging Platforms - Which is Best? […]
Martin
April 23rd, 2007 8:05 am
I use blogger for my student finance advice blog, can’t compain really, had a stint with wordpress but just preferred the simplicity of blogger
Elaine Vigneault
April 23rd, 2007 11:20 am
I have both and here’s why.
New blogs should start out hosted, somewhere like Blogger or Wordpress.com that allows you to set up your own domain name. A hosted blog gets free traffic and usually gets indexed by search engines. This way, you can test the waters without investing too much money, effort, or time to learn about blogging. Your efforts can be spent finding the “voice” of the blog and gauging readership interest. Later, the blog can be moved to it’s own free standing platform where the blogger has much more control. Ultimately, though, a successful blog should not be hosted. A freestanding blog just gives you so much more freedom and opportunity for the future.
Andrew
April 23rd, 2007 2:01 pm
I started with Blogger, experimented with lots of other hosted platforms, went to standalone WordPress, am now mainly at WordPress.com. I use the paid extras of domain mapping (changingway.org > changingway.wordpress.com) and custom CSS.
Having said that, WordPress.com probably isn’t a good long-term home for a problogger. You pretty much can’t carry ads.
Andrea >> Become a Consultant
April 23rd, 2007 3:03 pm
I use a custom-built application. It’s flexible and portable.
Girish Chandra
April 23rd, 2007 7:18 pm
In my point of view, new bloggers should try either blogspot.com or wordpress.com
There are numerous blogging platforms, journals to launch your blog. But, For the newbies i think blogspot is a heaven b’coz
1. Blogspot and wordpress both are easy to use or we can say user friendly, one can start as a fresher just by registering on these sites and booking their domain name its As Easy As Apple Pie.
2. There is no need of having knowldge of html and other computer languages as one can easily make changes in their blog by following the instuction on blogspot.
3. There is no tension of hosting and other problems as your blog is hosted by blogger.com or powered by blogger.
Cheers!!
Thejesh GN
April 23rd, 2007 11:26 pm
I have a standalone blog running wordpress. And then a hosted blog on blogger. I use custom domain on blogger. Hence its cool.
Steve Nguyen
April 23rd, 2007 11:59 pm
My first website was a standalone. It was made using Apple iWeb and I hosted it with GoDaddy. Soon after, I found the iWeb design and features to be severly lacking and slow so I made the jump to the CMS, Joomla. This was much better but after about a year, it became drudgery to manage the site using the Joomla backend.
Throughout this period I set up blogs (hosted) on Blogger and on Vox. I didn’t like the look and feel of a hosted blog because, let’s face it, you get what you pay for. I found that if I wanted to be taken seriously and have a “brand” that it could not be hosted on a free service like Blogger or Vox.
So I deleted my Blogger and Vox account, bought a new domain name (because I wanted a fresh start) and made the switch to Wordpress. I can’t say enough GREAT things about Wordpress. I hear people rave about it but until I started using it, I now know why it’s so nice. Powerful, yet deceptively simple.
I am much, much happier now with my standalone site now running Wordpress. :)
Chris Lodge
April 24th, 2007 1:26 am
I went with Wordpress self-hosted straightaway with my first blog, and it’s not hard to get started with at all.
I think it’s way out in front of the other blogging packages, not least because it’s free, but mainly because of its almost unlimited flexibility.
Blogger serves a purpose, but really it’s just horrible to use and interact with-it’s whole commenting system sucks.
C
April 24th, 2007 1:39 am
Do you use a hosted or stand alone blog platform? Why?
Stand Alone - Flexibility - I like my domain name! - Ability to easily add in plugsins and themes to make the site pop.
Do you wish you’d made a different choice when you started?
Nope, I choose standalone for a reason. I wanted to control everything about the site and that was the best way to do that.
What are the Pros and Cons of the two options?
I like the idea of Hosting for a beginning blogger or someone without the time or know how to have their own site.
However, for future portability, flexibility and long term Standalone is the best.
What would you recommend to a new blogger?
If you can at all afford the $30 or $40 dollars a year + the domain name which can be had for as little as $9 at godaddy.com then go ahead with stand alone. If you can’t afford it or want to test the blogging world go with wordpress.org or blogger.com.
C
Gayla McCord
April 24th, 2007 2:35 am
I use both Blogger and Wordpress.
Blogger for the topics that I’m passionate about and that are more a labor of love.
Wordpress for the blogs that earn my living.
I see clearly where the difference is between the two each month when the money starts coming in.
Amanda
April 24th, 2007 3:34 am
I use a standalone since I’ve owned webhosting companies and domains for many many years I cannot go back to being hosted under anyone
Chris @ Martial Development
April 24th, 2007 5:45 am
There is a big downside to a self-administered blogging platform that nobody seems to emphasize. If you set one up, you are assuming responsibility for monitoring bugs and applying security patches on a semi-regular basis.
In the year I have been using Wordpress, at least five different updates have been released! Installing these, and responding to subsequent problems with incompatible themes/plugins/etc has been a real drain on my limited blogging resources.
If I had chosen a hosted service, someone else would be handling this problem for me.
Paula Neal Mooney
April 24th, 2007 6:27 am
I started with Blogger and am keeping it for the great Google juice, the age of my URL, excellent search-engine and Technorati rankings…
Mitchell
April 24th, 2007 6:42 am
I just started using Wordpress as my platform for my 2nd blog, I will like to know the highest pr for a Wordpress site?
Stephen Pitts
April 24th, 2007 8:43 am
Do you use a hosted or stand alone blog platform? Why?
I use a stand alone (WordPress) because it gives me the versatility that a platform does not.
Do you wish you’d made a different choice when you started?
Yes! I started on the Blogger platform and found it extremely difficult to get my readers to switch after I found that the platform did not meet my needs.
What are the Pros and Cons of the two options?
Preset hosted, like blogger, are easy to set up, but hard to develop into a unique experience.
Stand alone is more difficult to set up, but easier to accomplish what you have set out to do. The difficult thing is the management and maintenance of you blog.
What would you recommend to a new blogger?
Prepare. Lay out your goals and really look at what each has to offer. After you know what your goals are, you can see which will best suit your needs. Blogging for business entails a commitment that needs to be addressed. Will Blogger be able to provide for long-term use and growth, or will I have to set up my own platform?
Jeff Mills
April 24th, 2007 12:31 pm
It depends on the purpose of your blog.
Is it for personal journal, nothing more? Then host it on blogger or wordpress servers, no need to pay for it.
but if it is a marketing or money making blog, you’ll need to use your own domain and host.
Wordpress terms and conditions won’t allow their free hosted versions to be of a commercial nature and will turn off sites, that are focused on money making options.
Bottom line, it comes down to your purpose of blogging. As I have read everyone’s comments, it seems most go for self hosted sites, cause of the freedom, customizations, flexibility, and non-regulation on what goes on there.
Jeff Mills
http://www.jeffmills.com
Vix
April 25th, 2007 9:17 pm
I am currently using both a hosted and stand alone blog platform: Livejournal for my fandom pursuits and Wordpress on a virtual private server for my domain and other projects.
A lot of people have mentioned that the skills needed to run your own website is a barrier to going it alone.
One thing that helped me before making the plunge to my own self-hosted domain was to be hosted on someone else’s server. This gave me time to learn more about setting up blog platform, understanding about FTP and other things.
If you have a friend who can has extra space to spare, why not have that kind of hosting.
New bloggers, don’t hesitate to use a hosted service because you can then concentrate on what is important - getting your writing out there. But also take the time to learn more about what you need to manage a blog by yourself because the time will come when you will want more freedom.
* What would you recommend to a new blogger?
Linkfest - April 25, 2007
April 26th, 2007 11:00 am
[…] in the next couple of weeks. Darren at Problogger.net posted an “open mic” about hosted versus stand alone blogging. Problogger is a great resource for bloggers of all kinds, but he has some particularly awesome […]
Numeric Life
April 27th, 2007 8:51 am
The answer for me is very simple - from the ROI perspective, any stand-alone service is NOT worth the time and money for 99.9999% of bloggers. Content is the King, Queen and Soul of the bloggering. Why don’t spend all your energy on blog contents ? Do you know any A-list blogger being famous for their web template ? Hosted service like Blogger provide enough flexibility to make most bloggers unique in terms of web page design. In term of service, do you trust Google’s engineers ? or small vendors ( yourself included )? Enough said. Thanks.
Jim Lane
May 28th, 2007 7:45 pm
I would suggest than anyone new to blogging start with a hosted service and then, once they have spent a year or so learning what is going on (and continuing to blog) think about a stand alone service.
I started with Live Journal and moved to VOX because it is far more flexible, allows more things to be done and is continually improving what it offers. I do have a blogger account, but have not implemented it.
What I would like in a hosted blog is the ability to have multiple authors writing articles with me having control of who can post articles.
Rick
June 6th, 2007 3:26 am
Stand alone, your own domain. WordPress. ‘Nuff said.
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