Blogging For Illustrators Part 2: Which Blogging Platform Should An Illustrator Use?

In last weeks post ‘Blogging For Illustrators Part 1: Why Should An Illustrator Blog?’ I discussed the benefits to an Illustrator of having a blog.

In part 2, I’ll be presenting the three main blogging platforms available including the pros and cons of each. Let’s start with…

Blogger

Launched in 1999 by Pyra Labs and subsequently bought by Google in 2003, Blogger was the pioneer in bringing the concept of blogs to the mainstream.

As Blogger is free, it’s usually the most popular choice for Illustrators new to blogging - allowing you to set up your blog using it’s drag and drop template system in a matter of minutes.

Blogger is a hosted solution, meaning that your blog is hosted on Blogger’s own servers rather than you having to purchase a separate hosting account from another provider.

Whilst blogger is great for hobby blogs and personal blogs, it’s a less ideal professional blog platform because you have far less control over it and what you can do with it.

Pros

• Completely free
• Allows you to host your blog through Blogger using your own domain name
• Easy to set up
• Fully integrated with other Google services
• Available in multiple languages

Cons

• Limited in design options and customisation (for non-techy types)
• The service is occasionally blocked in some countries
• Open to spammers
• Not always easy to leave comments unless you have a Google account

Typepad

Launched in 2003 by Six Apart Ltd and based on their Moveable Type platform, Typepad is a paid for service available at 3 different subscription levels ranging from $4.95 per month for the basic level, up to $14.95 per month for the Pro level.

Like Blogger, Typepad is a hosted solution and at the mid range subscription level ($8.95 per month), allows you to map your own domain name to your blog giving you a more professional-looking url to direct people to (e.g. www.YourIllustration.com rather than YourIllustration.typepad.com).

Pros

• Allows more control over the design of your blog than Blogger
• Allows you to host your blog through Typepad using your own domain name
• Ability to add static pages to turn your blog into a full website

Cons

• Although far more easily customised than Blogger, Typepad is still limited to fairly basic design options unless you are more technically-inclined
• Only available in English

WordPress

WordPress is the most recent addition to the world of blogging platforms and is fast becoming the first choice for bloggers wanting full control over the design and functionality of their blog.

WordPress offers both a free hosted service like Blogger (WordPress.com) and a self-hosting option where you purchase your own hosting & domain name (WordPress.org).

WordPress.com

This is similar to Blogger in that it’s also hosted on WordPress’s own servers and is completely free; it is however, much more customisable and flexible than blogger as you can upload an extensive number of free themes which change the look & feel of your site within a couple of clicks. It is a good option for a professional Illustration business blog if you’re looking for a low cost (free) solution.

Pros

• Completely free
• Allows more control over the design with dozens of free themes available online
• Available in multiple languages
• Ability to add static pages to turn your blog into a full website

Cons

• A basic level of CSS knowledge is required to fully customise the themes (however, comprehensive tutorials are provided by WordPress)

WordPress.org

This is possibly the most popular blogging platform out there and is used by many of the biggest blogs around. The reason?

It’s self-hosted (you have to install the free WordPress application on your own hosting service/servers - but this can be as simple as a 1-click action if you choose the right hosting service) which means you host it on whichever domain you want and it’s completely customisable, adaptable, extend-able and flexible with the use of free (and premium) themes to get the exact look, feel and layout you want.

This is the reason why my wife and I run all of our business websites, including this blog and my Illustration portfolio site on the WordPress.org platform.

Pros

• Offers complete control & customisation
• Allows full control over the design of your blog through free and premium themes
• Ability to add static pages to turn your blog into a full website
• Additional free plugins are available for download and easy installation to your blog/site to add extra functionality

Cons

• A basic level of CSS knowledge is required to fully customise the themes (however, comprehensive tutorials are provided by WordPress)

The answer to the question ‘Which Blogging Platform Should An Illustrator Use?’ really comes down to your budget constraints, how much control you want over the design and level of professionalism that you want to portray, but hopefully this post will have given you more information about the options available to you as an aspiring or experienced illustrator.

For anyone interested in setting up their own WordPress blog or website, there are FREE tutorials available on the Zero2Illo resources page which will guide you through the entire WordPress set-up process from purchasing your domain name and hosting to creating a blog or full blown website with an integrated blog.

Next Thursday, I’ll be posting the third and final part of the Blogging For Illustrators series: How To Market Your Blog.