Information You Need To Know Before Starting A Blog

Posted: Apr 26, 2010 |Comments: 0 |

Starting your own blog on the Internet is an exciting venture and teaches you many interesting things about the Internet. Once you have decided on the idea that you want to start your own blog you are faced with two of the most important questions. One, what software or blogging platform do I use and two, should I get my own web hosting account? Both of these services come in both free and paid versions and is outlined below.

Free Blogging Platforms

A free blogging platform in most cases also provides you with free hosting on their own site. The most popular free blogging platforms are Blogger and Wordpress. In addition to the free service they also provide free templates and plugins for members to use.  Given that everything is free, you should also be aware of the disadvantages that such blogging platforms can give you.

One of the main disadvantages is the control over your blog. You would not have the flexibility to have your blog under your own domain name (unless you pay for hosting with a separate company). This means your blog will always be a part of their domain. This would affect you if you are trying to build a name for yourself. In addition, these sites control the entire site including your blog and may choose to ban you unexpectedly or change their terms of use.

However as it is free, it would be a great place to start out if you are a complete newcomer and wanted to test out what it is like to blog. As your blog grows and you wish to expand, then it would be wise to consider a paid option.

Paid Blogging Platforms

Paid blogging platforms have some premium features over the free blogging platforms. Some of these features are: more designs and templates to use (this allows you blog to look more unique), give you unlimited number of blogs (if you want to diversify your blogging skills), premium customer support (for priority service and reliability), and flexibility to control the entire blog yourself and allow you to have extra authors for your blog.

Free Web Hosting

There are web hosting services that exist on the Internet that are free to use. As with anything that comes free there are restrictions. Some restrictions include limited bandwidth, limited web space, limited number of email accounts and limited support. In addition to these restricted features, some free web hosting services do not allow the usage of your own domain. This can be inconvenient for you if you want to use your own domain name or planning to brand your services in any way. Not only that, but most free web hosting services also place their ads on your website. These ads may cause you website to appear unprofessional and in some cases depending where they place the ads can be an inconvenience to the functionality of your website.

Paid Web Hosting

Paid web hosting services have plans that are usually charged on a per month basis. Packages can starts anywhere from $5/month. This price usually varies depending on the term of the contract. The longer you sig up for the less per month it would cost you. Most web hosting companies have plans to suit all needs. Basic plans in most cases are usually sufficient enough when you are first starting out with your blog.

Overall, there are many ways you can go about starting your own blog. Each option will depend on your budget and your expectations. If blogging is a hobby and you are starting out for fun then the free options give you a great starting point, where you can always upgrade later. If you are planning to be a serious blogger and making some money online then make sure you make you r blog more professional by opting for the paid service. The most popular combination for most people is to use a free blogging platform and pay for a reliable web hosting plan. This way you can host your blog on your own domain and develop some recognition and credibility.

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    Source:  http://www.articlesbase.com/blogging-articles/information-you-need-to-know-before-starting-a-blog-2238026.html

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