Blog-hosting service to use or own host?

One of the first choices for blog entry is the choice of hosting.

Choosing a blog hosting service such as WordPress.com or Blog.de, or hosting one’s own blogging software better.
Both options have advantages and disadvantages. And this is precisely one of these articles and provides recommendations.

Hosting services themselves or hosted?

Blog for a newcomer it is a hard decision at the beginning whether he would prefer to use a blog hoster or install his own blog.
Because if you want to start with a blog, you do not first, what are the advantages and disadvantages of these two variants.
It has the Hoster-choice major impact on the future. The following are the advantages and disadvantages of the two variants.

Advantages and disadvantages of blog hosting services

There are many blog hosts, which generally are also free. Blog.de , Google’s Blogger.comand  are as safe with the best known.
But there are a variety of other vendors .
Advantages of blog hosting services

• These are usually free. You have no setup fees, or monthly fees to pay.
• Easy setup. Maximum of a handful of steps are required to register with such a blog hoster. And now you can get started blogging.
• The blogger must take care of any technical things. The software will be updated automatically and most are also backups made.
• A good linking new blogs usually takes place in that new blogs are presented within the blog service.

Disadvantages of blog hosting services

• Special features provide some blog hoster only at an extra charge.
• You do not get top-level domain, but only a subdomain, such as testblog.wordpress.com.Some blog hosts lead but the use of a top level domains.
• They have little opportunity to customize your blog. Plugins can be installed and also not otherwise have few opportunities to make the layout yourself.
• If the provider is bankrupt, then it could well be that the blog is gone. Even a move to another provider is sometimes very difficult or not possible.
• Banners, adsense banners, etc. are usually not allowed.

Advantages and disadvantages of self-hosted blog software

To install a blog yourself on your own web space and maintain there also has advantages and disadvantages, which I list below.
Advantages of self-hosted blogs

• You can call to register your own Top Level Domain, eg www.gazzan.net blog. This has of course more professional than a subdomain.
• It has a free hand and can customize the blog as much as you want. But you can also leave the default and thus has relatively little maintenance.
• There are many more templates and plugins that you can expand a self-hosted blog.
• Hosting costs are no longer really a lot. For a few euros a month, you get even relatively good web hosting packages including a domain.
• You can install as well as so much advertising, AdSense banners and Co., as one would like.
• You also need much less care, not with their own content to offend the blog hoster. There are more substantive freedoms.
• A move to another provider is much simpler.

Disadvantages of self-hosted blogs

• Of course, such a self-hosted blog makes more work. You must install the blog to fix problems themselves and perform updates. But that is as easy with the current version of WordPress.
• More freedom means more responsibility and more expenses. That should not be underestimated. I do not spend enough time with technical and organizational matters.
• In case of problems you can not even quickly contact support.
• Spoiled for choice in hosting. There are hundreds of hosting providers in world alone.Because the right is not so easy to find. I have very good experiences with 1and1,Netfirms ,FatCow and GoDaddy  .Of mass hosting with cheap prices, I suggest, however decreasing. Since you have not long doing it.

Who needs what?

Blog-hosting services are suitable for …
bloggers who want to get started quickly, do not want to deal with technical matters and who want more fun and less blogging from professional considerations, for your own blog hoster is on anyway.
The disadvantages of this service you should not ignore, but for many there mentioned points also play a subordinate role.
Self-hosted blogs are for …
bloggers who want to professionally go about blogging and want to have complete freedom.
If you want to create a very unique blog, wants to use all sources of income and want to have full control of his blog should install itself on your own hosting package. A little technical knowledge is a prerequisite for it.
Modern blogging software is also user friendly and has become such as WordPress now allows the update of the software with just one click. So one has to be a Web professional more to administer a self-hosted blog.
Known Blog software solutions are as WordPress , Movable Type and Serendipity.
These software solutions can be downloaded and used free of charge.
What do you prefer?
In my recent blog poll, is exactly that question. Do you prefer your blog hoster or install their own blogging software rather on a separate server or hosting package?
Right in the sidebar you can find the survey form. I would be delighted if as many participate in the survey.