Play the "find what's right; find what's wrong" game in the above vlog! Also, take note of the tips offered throughout the vlog.
Choosing Your Blog Template
HOSTED BLOGS
- “host” your blog on a platform’s domains so you do not have to organize or pay for this yourself
- Easy set-up and you get a URL that is a combination of their URL and the name of the blog
eg. www.yourblogname.blogger.com
- PROS:
o Cheap or free to run
o Relatively easy to set up
o Simple to run: user friendly “posting as simple as filling in a few fields and hitting publish”
o Updated automatically: don’t have to upload new software onto a server if platform is improved
o Indexed in search engines quickly
o Most hosted platforms allow you to map a custom domain URL for free . Some even allow
you to register for a domain through the platform for a fee
- CONS:
o Less configurable: limited in terms of features and ability to design/ customize
o Less control IF you choose to use a default domain: the blogger own content but URL is not yours so you’re at the mercy of the platforms for whether your blog is working or not
o Upgrading to Standalone can be tricky
- Popular hosted blog: PostSecret is a Blogspot (blogger.com) blog
STAND ALONE (Installable) Blog:
- Hosted on your own domain (URL) so you need to find a web host compatible with the platform content being used eg. Host BigDaddy
- Most Popular: WordPress.org, Movable Type
- Most Popular: WordPress.org, Movable Type
- Pros:
o Full control of design: very adaptable
o Adaptability: developers can create plugins that extend the ability of installation
o Free platforms: pay for your domain, but hosting system are usually open source and free to run
- Cons:
o Complicated set up
o Cost: ongoing cost of having own domain name and hosting fees
o Updates: blog platforms go through different versions and updating can be complicated
o Hosting issues: stand alone hosts can go down too
PLATFORM | PRICE | THEMES | PLUGINS | WHUFFIE |
HOSTED | ||||
FREE Charges for uploading video and audio 3 gb Storage | Customizable Widgits Paid Premium themes Cannot run a custom theme | Includes numerous popular plugins Cannot upload other plugins | Freshly Pressed | |
FREE 1 GB storage | Highly customizable template designer Many Premium WordPress themes free with Blogger | Third-party applications can be integrated | ||
PAID But 3GB to 100GB depending on price point | Paid versions customizable Free version allows you to customize banner and colour scheme | Widget gallery including Linkedin compatibility | Built-in features to help promote your blog Support with optimizing your blog for earch engines | |
FREE | Full theme source code control | Third-party applications can be integrated | Staff recommend a favourite blog and feature it weekly on staff blog | |
INSTALLED | ||||
Free Install but have to pay for a domain and web hosting | Can upload themes Complete Control to change coding | Can upload plugins |
PLATFORM | CUSTOM DOMAIN | MONETIZE | EXTRAS |
HOSTED | |||
WordPress.com | Registration and hosting of new domain: $17 USD/ domain/ blog/ year Mapping of an existing Domain: $12 USD | Can’t place ads on blog for your own monetary gain (exception is Ad Control for high traffic blogs) BUT Wordpress places ads on your blog for their gain | Community-driven |
Blogger | $10 to register and host You can buy a domain from a registrar and host it for free on Blogger | AdSense for Feeds | Owned by Google so Blogger Blogs indexed rapidly Very user-friendly Google has one of the most secure platforms in the world Use existing Google account |
TypePad | Can map existing domain with paid version | *only with paid version | |
Tumblr | Buy domain from a registrar and hosting is free | No designated widget or plugin but you can add your own | Design and submit custom themes Relatively new so still in developmental stages Tricky to comment on posts |
INSTALLED | |||
WordPress.org | Included | Yes | No automatic spam control or backup |
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