There's lots of blog software available, so how do you find the best blog software for your purposes? This article will help you sort out some of the key choices to make in choosing blogging software so you can get started sharing your thoughts.

What Is a Blog?

A blog is a writing format used exclusively online. Formed from a shortening of the word weblog, the blog often takes the character of a kind of online log or journal. Blogs and their content vary with the blog owner. A blog can be political, personal, promote a hobby from cooking to raising Siberian Huskies, or be used as a marketing tool to promote a business. In other words, blogs can be for fun, for bringing together like-minded people, or for making money. In the latter case, a blog may actually be staffed by more than one person, each of whom contributes to the blog in various ways.

Blog posts may or may not be designed to elicit response from readers, may or may not include other media besides words, and may or may not be kept on a schedule. Some blogs are posted to daily, while others are reverted to when the mood strikes the writer.

The different plans for the blog and how it relates to other online activities of the blogger or bloggers will help determine some of the key blog choices like Blogger or WordPress.

Types of Blogging Software

One of the key distinctions in best blog software is the origins of the blogging software. It is possible to use a pre-made blogging software or to create one's own (or have it designed) if one's needs are very specific. Pre-made blogging software is likely to come with a greater or lesser number of add-ons, themes, and plug-ins to expand the use. In fact, some people choose their blogging software not only by its built-in features, but by the third-party additions that are available for it.

Another key distinction is whether the blog software is hosted or if the user obtains web hosting service for it. Hosted software may or may not permit the blogger to use his or her own URL, as opposed to being limited to a subdomain of the hosted platform's domain name. There may be other limitations, such as advertising, over which the blogger has no control and the need to pay for features that are free when one hosts a blog through a webhost of one's choice.

If one is going to choose to host one's own blog and use a premade platform, it's important to make a match between the blogging software and the host to be sure that the versions of the programming languages and any other requirements are met by the web host. The provider of the blogging software will often provide links to web hosts that have provided good experiences for its bloggers as well as the requirements so that you can choose your own webhost if you want. Check out some WordPress tips for more information about using WordPress software for blogging.

A consideration of which of these types of blogging set-up best serves your needs will help you find the best blog software for your purposes.