Blogging Platforms

Becoming a published writer is a high and lofty goal. Many people who are genuinely good at entertaining, informing and moving others with the written word are denied the honor of ever having their work come before more than a few family and friends. This is because getting a work published is somewhat of a competition. Work must not simply be good, it must be marketable. If something does not appear to have the potential to generate income for a publishing house, it is destined for the wayside. This system weeds out poor quality writing, and ensures a minimum standard for what gets published, but it also eliminates possible diamonds in the rough.

The invention of the internet and blogging in particular has at least partially changed all this. Now, anyone can write and be read by potentially thousands of people. If the goal of a writer is to simply be read, a blog can provide this medium. There is not usually monetary compensation for writing on a blog, but if the object is exposure to readers, a blog can certainly provide this.

For writers with plenty of writing experience but little website design experience, there are several main blogging platforms.

Perhaps the most well known is Blogger. Now owned by Google, Blogger is one of the oldest blogging platforms, and was developed in 1999 by Pyra labs. Blogger is free, and features many customizable templates, so that users can create a unique look. Even with limited web design experience, users can create a decent looking website. Users with knowledge of CSS and HTML are able to put their skills to work to further customize the feel and look of their site.

Wordpress is another well known blogging venue. Wordpress includes several of Blogger’s advanced features. Wordpress’s template processor or “widget” system allows users to fine-tune the details of their site with little technical knowledge. It also allows for permalink structure of webpages. This is one factor that makes a webpage potentially more competitive in search engines, and is a positive factor for webmasters interested in marketing a product or building traffic. One potential drawback to Wordpress is that, while the site itself is free, incorporating pictures or video requires a monetary subscription.

Atomword is one of the newest blogging platforms. Owned by WebsiteBusiness.com, Atomword allows users to customize virtually every aspect of their site with little to no web design experience. Although currently only available to paying clients of WebsiteBusiness.com, Atomword will be made available for free to the public as of July 2011. Because of its new-kid-on-the-block status, Atomword will be offering many powerful features in order to be competitive with Wordpress and Blogger.