I am often asked to give my opinion on which blogging platform is the best. The truth is, I use both WordPress and Typepad, and believe they both have some good and bad points.
Typepad is user friendly and is hosted by Six Apart. In the three years I have been with them, their service has always been available, unlike some other companies with servers that go down regularly. Typepad’s customer service is also outstanding. You can start for as little as $4.95 per month, but I have the Pro plan, which gives me unlimited blogs and all of the features. This runs $14.95 per month, or $149 per year.
Hosted WordPress, available for no charge at WordPress.org, offers thousands of themes to choose from. However, you must upload the them you choose to your hosting company, and then do all of the technical part and plug-ins yourself, or hire someone to do it.
Both Typepad and WordPress blogs do well with the search engines, so I have done well with both.
What is your opinion on this? It reminds me of the time when we used to argue over which car manufacturer was best – Chevy or Ford. Back then I had a distinct opinion, but I was much younger in those days
I will not try to answer which platform is best, although I try to highlight the differences in my blog. I guess it comes down to personal preference and usability. Some would prefer WordPress’ functionality, despite some shortcomings vis-a-vis TypePad, some will prefer TypePad over WordPress, even though TypePad cannot do all the things WordPress can do. I have blogs on both systems, and I cannot decide which is “best”. That’s impossible. If money is the issue, then a free blog on wordpress.com linked to a domain, costing as little as $10/yr for domain-linking and $10/yr for the domain can be a great start-up. On the other hand, on TypePad I find that you get what you pay for, and in terms of user-friendlyness, I find TypePad much better.
I can see one advantage of WordPress, and that is that you can self-host it, and the software is free. This gives both more flexibility and more responsibility to the site owner. Definitely not a choice for everyone!
WordPress also offers the option of installing a blog community using WordPressMU. Again, not for everyone, but a cool option for those who need it!
Connie,
I liked your quick and to the point comparison. I use typepad but everyone, including you, tell me I should use WordPress. Why?
They say it’s easier, yet you need a geek to set it up? I don’t understand.
I love your information – keep it coming – you are the dedicate internet marketing school teacher we all need.
Sam Manfer