Choosing the right blogging software

Blogging Software

Blogging opened a new world to internet users allowing them to easily publish stories, commentaries, reviews, photographs, videos, music and audio, and other media to the web. The software used for blogs has evolved and become quite sophisticated over the years. Because of the ease of use, blogger software has gained popularity over the years for online publishing.

There are many different types of software a blogger can use to post information on the internet. There is Free Open Source Software, Developer Hosted Software and Proprietary Licensed Software. They all serve the same purpose, to simplify the task of creating and maintaining blogs. Each category offers free versions and versions which are purchased. There are also versions, which are hosted on the developer’s site, and versions that a blogger uploads to their own hosting provider. All blogger software, whether developer hosted or self hosted, allows the same basic functions of writing, editing, and publishing of entries to the blog.

Choosing the right blogging software will depend on how much the user wants to manage their content, how tech savvy they are, and how they want to manage the functionality, style, look and customization of their blog.

Developer hosted blog software is best for the blogger that wants simplicity and turnkey use. There is no software to install or manually update, no database to install or manage, no programming or scripts to install, and are available in both free and paid versions. Developer hosted blogging software have different styles (called Themes) and added features to customize the blog. 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 customized features of their blog, installing blog software on their own hosting provider with their own domain name is the best way to go. The installation of blogging software on your own hosting server is not all that difficult. However, in addition to 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. Most hosting providers include this in the hosting package, but it is important to make sure that the type of database required by the blog software is available before selecting a hosting service. In addition, if a blogger wants to customize the look 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. Because blogging is so popular, some hosting providers include the option to install different blogger software right from the Cpanel.

Self-hosted blog software can be customized in several 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. They must be compatible with the type of blogger software you have installed, but they make customizing the look, feel and functionality of the blog a simple process.

There is an abundance of different blog themes you can download for free on the internet. 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 tons of plugins and widgets that can be added to the blogger software. Plugins and widgets are aptly named because they plugin to your blog software and provide enhanced functionality. They are used for design elements, gadgets, videos and images, and different content for the blog. They have to be compatible with the type of blogger software being used, but they save the blogger from having to go inside the code of the blogger software to make specific customized changes. Many pre-made themes come with a variety of plugins ready to activate. 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 choice, ease of use, function and cost. No matter which blogging software you choose you will find that blogging is fun and can be profitable too!