by Janis Smyth of Jan’s Sushi Bar

So you want to blog.  Good for you!  Blogs are fantastic things; they’re a wonderful and enriching experience for those who write them and can be entertaining, funny, silly, informative, thought-provoking or touching for those who read them – often all at once.

Starting a blog isn’t hard, either.  There are services out there that allow you to blog for free; Google’s “Blogger” service is the most well-known.  In fact, out of the 38 sites listed on the MidLifeBloggers.com blogroll, the vast majority are hosted by “Blogger.”  WordPress.com will also host a blog for free, and is probably the second most popular free blogging service.

The biggest advantage to a free, or network, blog is that it is, well, FREE.  Suppose you were to start a blog and then decide,  “Ya know, this just ain’t for me…I think I’ll start collecting Bazooka Joe bubble gum wrappers instead.”  You’re not out any money.  And if you love it?  Good heavens – how many other absolutely obsessive hobbies can you think of that will keep you completely and endlessly engaged and cost you NO money?  The second biggest advantage to a free network blog is that no matter how much traffic your site generates, you won’t be charged any money or told you will have to change webhosts because your current host can’t handle the traffic.  And let us be honest, shall we?  For most of us, that is like the Holy Grail of Blogging – comments numbering in the triple digits and more than 12 cents a month from our affiliate ads.  There are other advantages as well, but those are the two most notable.

However, if there are two major advantages to free blogging, there are two major drawbacks to go along with it: reduced functionality and lack of artistic control over your own blog.  The second drawback is probably the first one that will begin to irritate a blogger as they begin to outgrow the free blogging network.  Let’s face it – if you have a Blogger blog, in all probability your blog looks exactly like thousands of other blogs out there, and while looks aren’t everything, you only get one chance to make a first impression.  If your blog looks just like Joe Blow’s blog, your opportunity to engage your audience just slipped a little bit.  Besides, human beings are individuals, not sheep, no matter what the Wal*Mart board of directors think!  We want to stand up and be noticed for who we are!  I am me and no one else can ever be just like me!

What was I saying?  Oh, yes…reduced functionality.  Chances are, if you’re writing a blog, you’re reading quite a few of them as well.  Nothing like checking out the competition, after all!  And the more you read, the more likely you’re going to run across blogs that do things yours just won’t. For example, Blogger doesn’t allow you to categorize your posts – they just get listed and archived.  Some free blogging services dictate what kinds of ads can be shown on your blog, if they allow them at all.  Others put ads on your blog whether you want them or not.  And all free blogging services have terms of agreements, dictating (to a point) what can and cannot be published on YOUR blog, which could present a problem if you have any sort of business aspirations for it. Then again, what the visitor to your site can see is only the beginning – a blog that you pay to host is more likely to allow administrative control far beyond a free, network blog.  Have you worked and struggled all these years to gain control over your life, only to by stymied by something like a blog?  Of course not!

If you have a free, network-hosted blog and are happy with it – it fulfils your needs (and it is certainly is in the right price range) – then all is well and good.  But what if you’ve started with a free blog, don’t mind spending a few bucks and want to upgrade?  Can it be done?  Certainly,  and in most cases without losing your existing posts or data.

Next  – choosing the right blogging software.

This is a series of posts on how to choose, upgrade and maximize your blog. Janis Smyth is a professional web developer who is sharing her knowledge and experience with our readers.