There is no more common question or concern among both new and veteran bloggers alike: what blog platform should I pick? Aside from learning how to blog, it’s an almost universal concern.

And there is no definitive answer. All bloggers NEED to own their URLs, but choice of the platform is mainly dependent on the indivudal blogger’s needs. With that stated, I’ve compiled a list of pros and cons of the two main platform categorizations below.

Hosted Platforms

Hosted platforms refer to services whereby a service provider grants you access to their software, network connection, and hardware, and you create a blogging account for use on their platform. With a hosted blog, you have access to an administrative panel for your blog, and nothing else.

Typical hosted platforms include packages like Blogger, TypePad, and LiveJournal.

Advantages of Hosted Platforms

• Economical: many are free; some (like TypePad) are offered with multiple price points
• Simple to get started: just create an account and then quickly  learn how to create blog posts
• Automatic updates: you don’t need to concern yourself with keeping hosted software patched and upt-do-date.

Disadvantages of Hosted Platforms

• Rigid: there are fewer configuration choices with hosted platforms.
• Not as many design choices: you usually only get to select from a limited number of average designs, and you often can’t make improvements to them
• Generic URL: some hosted platforms don’t offer the choice to use your own URL
• Less control: you are at the mercy of the platform
• Migration issues: moving from some free hosted platforms results in a lot of effort and often the temporary loss of search engine rankings

Self-hosted Platforms

Self-hosted platforms consist of a web hosting account you establish with a data center, and the blogging software you install on the host’s server. With a self-hosted blog, you have access to an administrative panel for your blog, but you also have access to a server account and the blog software where you can do almost anything.

Common self-hosted software includes WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.

Advantages of Self-hosted Platforms

• Design flexibility: you have full control over layout and design
• Great software: killer software is available on self-hosted platforms
• Custom URL: custom URL’s are ubiquitous on self-hosted platforms
• Adaptability: as your needs change, so can your blog
• Easy migration: if you ever want or need to move to another platform or another server, moving is a snap

Disadvantages of Self-hosted Platforms

• Difficult setup: setup can sometimes be difficult, but this can be overcome with a good blogs how to
• Cost: while the blogging software is free, the hosting platform will cost you money
• Hosting issues: unless you choose a good host, you might have to suffer from down-time or poor support
• Upgrades: you will need to keep your software patched

Most of of my blogs are self-hosted, and that’s what I usually advise anyone looking to create a professional presence. There are just too many advanatges to turn down, and you usually have the choice to host many domains and blogs on one account, driving the cost per blog down to a negligible amount.