Choosing the right blogging software
Here is a nice guide on how to choose the right blogging software. It's an article I found at articlecity.info and has many good tips. It says that there's Free Open Source Software, Developer Hosted Software and Proprietary Licensed Software. They all serve well the same role, to simplify the task of making and maintaining weblogs. Every category offers free versions and purchased. There are also hosted versions and versions that a blogger uploads to their own hosting provider. All blogger software, whether developer hosted or self hosted, allows the same most common functions of writing, editing, and publishing of posts to the blog.
Selecting the right blogging software will depend upon how much the user would like to manage their content, how tech savvy they're, and how they prefer to manage the functionality, style, look and customization of their blog.
Developer hosted blog software is better for the blogger that needs simplicity and turnkey use. This type of blogger software is best for beginners but is less flexible and customizable than the software you download and install on your own domain and hosting provider. These are usually the easiest and least expensive for the casual blogger that prefers to keep their blog simple.
For the tech savvy blogger who needs more control over the functionality, design, content and customised features from their blog, installing blog software on their own hosting provider with their own domain is the best way to go. The installation of blogging software on your own hosting server isn't all that hard. Even so, besides installation of the software and the ability to update the software as new versions are published, the user must create a database, such as MySQL, to manage the data created by the blog. Additionally, if a blogger prefer to customise the feel and functionality of their blog, a knowledge of CSS, PHP, HTML, installation of files on the hosting server, and advanced knowledge of computer administration is best.
Self-hosted blog software can be customized in many different ways. Rewriting, editing or installing PHP, Scripts, HTML and CSS are a few ways to customize a blog. A simpler way of customizing blogs is by downloading and installing pre-made themes, scripts, widgets and plugins.
There is an abundance of different blog themes you are able to download free of charge online. Basically, a theme is the template for the blog software that defines the colors, columns and content to be included. Some are enhanced with coding that allows the blogger to insert Google Adsense ads and other money making affiliate programs. There are some very good free themes available on the internet and or you can also pay to have an original theme designed for your specific needs. Although a pre-made theme is free and readily available, a good custom made blog will leave a lasting impression on your blog visitors, and be designed specifically for your business or niche.
There are also dozens of plugins and widgets that can be added to the blogger software. Plugins and widgets are aptly named because they connect to your blog software and provide enhanced functionality. They are used for design elements, gadgets, videos and images, and different content for the blog. Some popular plugins are ones that reduce spam in the blog comments, categorize and tag blog posts, generate site maps, contact forms, and different money making plugins such as Google Adsense ads and other affiliate programs for your blog.
Choosing the right blogging software is a matter of personal quality, ease of use, function and price. Regardless which blogging software you choose you will find that blogging is fun and can be profitable as well!