Choosing Blog Software

If you are reading this, then you know that I've selected blogger (http://www.blogger.com/) as my blog software, which gives me the blog name of JimBrownITLeader.blogspot.com.  (Note, to edit my blog, I go to blogger, but to read the blog, people go to blogspot.

There are several popular blogging software packages, and you can easily search for review articles that compare the features.  Most are free, although most also have additional services available for an upgrade fee.

In the end, I chose blogger because of some particular features that are important to me:

• I tend to use tables in much of my writing.  I found that blogger would let me control table appearances more easily, and also cut-and-paste table from Excel easily.  By using cut-and-paste, I can compose in a software tool that I am more used to, including spell-checker, and then transfer to the blog.  This also gives you a local copy of your material.
• I found more control over text formatting.  The first blog software I tried automatically inserted a blank line between paragraphs.  I manually inserted blank lines between these paragraphs.  Blank lines aren't necessarily good or bad, but I felt I wanted to control them rather than have the software always insert them.
• I found the printing easier to use in blogger.

Since most of the blog software is free, the ultimate test is to try each one.  Open a blog, and see how well it matches to your own writing style.  If you find yourself fighting against the software instead of using it, then perhaps you will want to move on to a different software package.  Make your decision BEFORE you add three thousand postings.  Some packages allow you to export and import your blog, but it might not work the way you expect.  Make your decision BEFORE you publicize your blog to all of your friends and family.  Once they get the old blog name in their favorites list, it will be harder to switch them over to you new blog host.