I can’t think of a more common question or concern among both novice and experienced bloggers alike: which blogging platform should I pick? Aside from learning how to blog, it’s an almost universal concern.

And there is no definitive answer. All bloggers SHOULD own their domain names, but platform choice is mainly dependent on the individual blogger’s needs and possibly, finances. That said, 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 gives you access to their network connection, hardware, and software, and you create a blogging account for use on their service. With a hosted blog, you have access to an admin panel for your blog, and that’s it.

Common hosted platforms include packages like Blogger, TypePad, WordPress.com and LiveJournal.

Advantages of Hosted Platforms

• Economical: many are free; others (like TypePad) are offered with multiple price points
• Quick to setup: just sign up for an account and then quickly  learn how to create blog posts
• Automatic updates: you don’t need to concern yourself with keeping hosted software up-to-date and patched.

Disadvantages of Hosted Platforms

• Rigid: there are fewer customization options with hosted platforms.
• Not as many design options: you typically only get to choose from a limited number of standard designs, and you often can’t make updates to them
• Generic URL: some hosted platforms don’t offer the choice to use your own URL
• Lack of 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 host, and the blogging software you install on the data center’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 complete control over design and layout
• Great software: the best software exists 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: should you ever want or need to move to a different platform or another server, migrating 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 and domain names will cost you money
• Hosting issues: unless you choose a good host, you might have to suffer from down-time or poor support. ( i personally recommend Hostgator as a web host, I use them.)
• Upgrades: you will need to keep your software patched

The majority of my blogs are self-hosted, and it’s what I generally advise anyone looking to create a professional presence. There are too many advantages to turn down, and you usually have the option to host many blogs and domains on one account, driving the cost per blog down to a small amount.