What Is the Right Blogging Software for My Needs?

These days there are two basic types of blogging packages: those that host your blog on their servers, and those that require you to host it on your own server. Services that will host your blog tend

to be more user-friendly but are generally less flexible. Today's three main hosted blogging services are Blogger, Typepad, and Wordpress. Blogger and Wordpress are both free solutions and offer an array of features, including robust text editors, syndication, and an area for reader comments. They also are easy to learn and allow you to get started within minutes. While not free, Typepad offers great tech support, and monthly and yearly subscriptions range in price depending on the features you select.

Self-hosted blogging platforms such as Movable Type and a separate version of Wordpress offer the ability to change even the smallest detail of your site. These platforms typically offer a framework for facilitating the content publishing process and leave the rest up to you. This means you'll need to know how to write some occasional code and that you'll also need the available server space and technical knowledge to install them properly.