Beginner’s Blogging Guide- 2: Choosing Blog Platform

Choosing Platform for blogging like selecting a notebook or Diary. You can write in both cases but they do differ slightly in features. As I said in Beginner’s Blogging guide – 1, I am going to consider whether Blogger or WordPress.com? It all depends upon your requirements, Choose which system you feel most comfortable and what fits your needs or objectives. Well, I will make comparison easier for you by enlisting its features.

Blogger.com (aka Blogspot)

Who’s who: Blogger is a free service created by Pyra Labs in 1999 but was acquired by Google in 2003.

Features:

• Address:  The one you want, provided they have not chosen before. Put the suffix blogspot.com. For example: http://blogsolute.blogspot.com. You can also buy a domain name and address to the blog you’ve created on Blogger.
• Ability to store files: Only images and nothing else.
• Storage limit: 1GB of images (actually, the images are uploaded to Picasa free account, you get when you open an account with a Google service).
• Customizability: On their own in a matter of appearance is very limited. Just offers a few templates. However, there are many non-Blogger sites where you can get a template of your blog will look you seek. And although in some difficulty, you can always create your own. 

WordPress.com

Who’s who- WordPress.com is a free service created by the company Automattic Free CMS and uses the same name, which was also developed by them, although with some limitations.

Features:

• Address: The one you want, provided they have not chosen before. Put the suffix wordpress.com. For example: http://blogsolute.wordpress.com. You can also buy a domain name and address to your blog.
• Ability to store files: Yes, but only in pictures (jpg, jpeg, png and gif), documents (pdf, doc, odt) and presentations (ppt).
• Storage limit: 3GB in files of the formats mentioned.
• Customizability: Today, you can choose from 70 themes or templates provided by the system. However, you can not add any own (or other).

What to choose?

My suggestion is that Try both. Not to write in both, but you open an account on both and see for yourself so that you get whole idea about each. Its always better to tr and experience before starting your work.

However, there are some aspects I think is important to highlight each service in order to make the best decision.

• WordPress.com does not allow Javascript: This is one of the programming languages used on the web and means that there are many functions of external sites that you could not use, including putting Adsense contextual ads.
• Customizing a blog on Blogger may require a fairly steep learning curve: Blogger does not have the limits of WordPress.com, but get to change aspects of a template is the closest thing to enter a maze.
• Blogger allows you to use a greater number of widgets: Widgets are those little additions (sometimes up to nearly complete applications) that have been put on the sides of the blog and show you from last posts published to a virtual pet. Blogger, apart from having a good variety of widgets to enable JavaScript can be inserted other external services.
• The customization is very limited WordPess.com: 70 templates are considered sufficient to choose, but it is possible to integrate many third-party services (although the most popular). However, as far as appearance is concerned, many templates can upload an own header image, which will help you differentiate yourself if you choose a popular template.
• WordPress.com keeps expanding its functions: Although these are limited, one must admit that Automattic is more concerned with their services than that of Google’s own. Although Blogger has the ability to use Blogger in draft (a mode in which functions can be tested under development), the truth is that developments takes long to appear.

Conclusion

It’s your decision and, as I said, you can open your account within two to go exploring. If you then want to change you, you do not lose anything by publishing, migrating your posts from one service to another (both have that feature). Now, by offering some type of solution to the dilemma of choosing between the two, I personally raise these questions:

• Want to monetize your site directly? or Make Money from blog? The easiest and where everyone starts is Adsense. Then, use Blogger. But remember that may be easy to make money with a blog but it needs much effort and time. It is not open and count the notes.
• Want to upload your content regardless of the direct monetization? Use WordPress.com. It seems much clearer and less confusing. Though you can not insert contextual advertising, remember that a blog can serve to position in the market and publicize your services.

Are you on blogger or WordPress.com? Leave a comment or recommendation in the comments.