Blogging Platform Debate: TypePad, Blogger, Wordpress

Nearly every week someone asks us which blogging platform they should use. As most readers of this blog know, we prefer TypePad. OK, we're biased because all our blogs are on TypePad. Well, not all. We also have our main hub site on SquareSpace and we're having a website built on the Wordpress platform so we can get more familiar with it.

As a guest blogger, I've also used Movable Type, Blogger and Wordpress.  This week we were copied on an email to Tom Antion by one of his clients who we met at Tom's recent ButtCamp in Los Angeles:

Hi Tom, I’m near the end of my trial run on TypePad.com and so far I’m more impressed with Blogger and WordPress as blog sites.

Patsi and Denise offered a lot of value on Blogs at your event in LA and I know The Blog Squad likes TypePad best, but I don’t...yet.

Can you see any reason for me to extend my subscription with TypePad? If not, I’ll let it lapse and build on my other two blogs.

Since we were cc'd, I responded:

Thanks for copying us on your note to Tom.

The Blog Squad recommends TypePad for very specific reasons and for specific types of bloggers.  Here's a post that explains our position.

We also stress that it depends on the purpose of your blog.

We advise you to stay away from Blogger if the purpose is for business and to promote yourself, your brand, your products & services.

For a professional solution we recommend TypePad and Wordpress.org.  If you're technically inclined or want to pay someone to set up and manage the functions of the blog, then WP is a perfectly good choice.  There is no support however.

You have to choose what you're most comfortable with and what works best for your level of expertise and for the defined purpose of your blog.

Hope that helps,

Denise aka The Blog Squad

The same day we got an email reporting this about Blogger (and this was not the first time someone complained to us about this issue) -- one of the reasons why we don't recommend it for professional business blogs:

I checked out the website of a prospect (www.nbxbikes.com) and went on their blog.  No biggie. Then, I noticed at the top it had a spot for "next blog". Being completely new to this I clicked, saw someone selling handbags, then the next, and THEN on about the 5th I saw full frontal pictures of some guy from Spain or wherever!!!!  Not something I'd want my customers (kids) seeing, so when I was done with my sales schpeil, I related this to the store owner, so he could at least be aware of a potential hornet's nest.  He appreciated the heads-up.

I know, we've covered this before, but since it regularly comes up, I felt it worth revisiting. Comments welcome. We know  people feel strongly about their chosen platform.