The Pros and Cons of Four Major Blogging Platforms

We’re all writers here, so it makes sense that we blog.

Should writers blog? I believe so. We derive passion from stringing words together, making stories and enlightening people to the human condition. But once you find your nook in the writing world, and decide to blog, how do you choose between the myriad of blogging platforms available?

Start here. I’m going to list pros and cons for four of the major blogging services. These won’t be full-fledged reviews so much as quick glances into how these tools could benefit writers. I’ll look at Blogger, Wordpress, Tumblr and Posterous.

Wordpress

When it comes to Wordpress, you have two choices: Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org. Blogging on the dot com platform, like most other platforms gets you up and running in minutes. If you use the dot org platform, you’ll need your own domain and hosting. I’ve used both types, and currently use Wordpress to power my own website and blog. No matter which way you decide, the user interfaces, pros and cons are nearly identical. The Wordpress site has a good article on the pros and cons beneath each of them.

Pros

• Wordpress is a proven technology, wildly popular and supported by a huge community.
• The interface is relatively easy to use for most beginners, and even easier for those with blogging experience.
• Plenty of posts about creative writing exist on Wordpress blogs, allowing you to engage in an already large writing community.
• Automattic, the company behind Wordpress continues to make improvements to the platform, allowing for greater flexibility and creativity for writers and bloggers of all kinds.

Cons

• Some consider Wordpress’ array of choices intimidating, and many who want to just write do not need all the options.
• If you use Wordpress.com, your blog will be subject to ads that you cannot control.
• Wordpress.com has many themes, but you do not have the array of choices you would with employing Wordpress.org and themes. You may not be able to find a theme that fits your style, and if you lack HTML and CSS knowledge, altering one will be difficult.

Blogger

Blogger fast became and remains a popular blogging platform. Google powers it and backs it, so you know the technology will be user-focused and advanced. I previously used it to power my online running journal.

Pros

• Backed by Google, so it integrates well with other Google blogging services like Feedburner, and various Google products.
• It’s among the most easy to use platforms out there, and many beginning bloggers prefer it.
• Blogger’s recently launched template designer allows users to edit and change their site designs without touching any HTML or CSS code.
• Like Wordpress, Blogger is popular, and has a large community of writers already there. One of my favorites is Erika Driefus’ Practicing Writer blog.

Cons

• Blogger is just blogger. If you have some experience blogging, the platform might seem worn. That reason drove me to leave Blogger behind for Tumblr. Granted, it’s my personal opinion, but you may find the same.
• To have access to some of the more advanced features available in Blogger, including the new Template Designer, you have to use Blogger in Draft, where new features are tested. There isn’t a huge difference between this and the regular Blogger, but it’s something you should know.

Posterous

Posterous has gained popularity recently, especially among tech-savvy people. The site boasts that you can not only blog, but post all your updates there, and do it easily. You do all this via email, or a web interface. I recently started a learning journal there, and love using it because of its simplicity.

Pros

• It really is easy to use. You can simply email posts to a Posterous email account, and the email gets converted into a post on your site. Images, video and other content attached to your email converts easily as well.
• Many tech experts lump Posterous into the micro-blogging platform, so if you gear your writing blog more toward short updates, this platform may work better for you.
• Posterous is also geared toward mobile blogging, thanks to its emphasis on posting via email, so if you need to post from anywhere, this platform will work very well.
• Posterous has a bookmarklet, which makes it easy to catalog content you find on the web. It’s a great feature for those writers looking to collect inspiration around the web.

Cons

• Posterous is still fairly new, launched in mid-2008, so the community – although strong – is still growing.
• Currently, Posterous lacks as many themes as some other blogging platforms. However, the site has added a handful of new themes lately. You also need to know HTML and CSS to alter your theme, but you do have free access to the code.
• Even though posting by email makes Posterous super easy, I find myself going into the web interface afterward to adjust formatting, which may annoy some users.

Tumblr

Tumblr, like Posterous, lands more squarely in the micro-blogging platform. Its has a passionate group of users, and is incredibly easy to use. As mentioned before, I now use it to power my running journal.

Pros

• Hello easy. I love using the web interface on Tumblr, but haven’t tried email posting yet. I also enjoy the dashboard at Tumblr, which makes it easy for you to read the Tumblr blogs you follow, placing an emphasis on engaging in the blogging community there.
• Tumblr has an extremely passionate community of bloggers, and some neat creative writing blogs live there.
• There are a lot of creative themes to choose from, some geared toward writing and content.
• Tumblr also has a bookmarklet, making it easy to catalog content and share. I also like the notion of reblogging.

Cons

• If you want comments on your blog, you need to set that up separately using Disqus.
• There’s not an easy way to back up your blog. You can download an app for Mac that will do it, but if you’re on a PC, that’s useless. However, staff has started work on a PC version.
• As far as I could tell, there’s no easy way to import content from other blogging platforms, which could be a problem for some writers.

Conclusion

As you can see, I haven’t touched on every blogging platform out there. I’ve only touched on ones I’ve used. Also, many of these pros and cons center around issues that would effect anyone, not just writers. The two most important factors for any writer who wants to blog:

1. Find the platform that YOU find easiest to use, and that differs for everyone. Once you do, you can concentrate on what matters: writing.
2. Use the platform that has the community you fit into best. Few remember that the reason blogging has become so popular is because it allows people to form communities and express themselves. Don’t lose sight of that.

Final Recommendations

I like Tumblr and Posterous for blogs with shorter bursts of content. I like Wordpress and Blogger for blogs that require more control, and longer form content.

But hey, that’s just me. What do you think? Have you used other blogging platforms and want to share your thoughts? Have something to add to this? Let us know in the comments below.