Some questions I am often asked about blog platforms are:

• Which blog platform and software should I use?
• What is the pros and cons of using a free Blogger.com blog, a paid Typepad hosted blog platform, or Wordpress standalone blog software??
• Is it a good idea to use free blog platform and upgrade later?
• What skills do I need to run a blog software?

If you need a mild introduction to different types of blogging platforms, feel free to read my previous article about choosing a blog platform based on this factor alone.

In this post, I am going to explain in much details, taking into account other factors beyond types of blogging platforms. Although different platform could affect how you work, the resources you’ll need and more, it is not obvious from my previous post what you should consider in advance.

This post is written to close the gap.

Why you should not rush

Not all blog platforms are created the same.

Although you can use any platform to build your blog, you have to take some factors into consideration beforehand. Although it is possible to migrate to different platform at later date, the action is usually costly. Not only will it involve additional monetary cost but also lost of search engine traffic and other resources you have built over time.

There is no single platform that suits every situation, so take all the time you need, do your research because you want to find a blog platform that will stay with you for the life of the blog itself.

Questions to ask yourself before choosing a blog platform

Every business situation is different. I wish I can help you choose the right blog platform, but alas I couldn’t. What I can give is the general guidance on what to consider so hopefully you are set on the right track.

Here are a few things to consider:

1. Start with the end-goal in mind

What is the goal of your blog?

Is it a complement to your existing business website — to feature the frequently updated part of your site?

Do you want a build a niche website content with other features like Wiki and discussion board?

What do you want to achieve with the blog? Do you want to easily publish your writing on the Web, without the hassles of keeping your site up-to-date with the most recent version of blog software?

Jot the answers down and keep brainstorming about the ideal model of a blog that you think is the most suitable for you.

2. What is/are your expected outcome(s)?

How important is branding to you? How do you want to imply professionalism with the blog? Do your readers care about how you present yourself?

Hosting a blog on your own domain certainly looks more professional, but it doesn’t come without a cost in hiring people to update it or install new plug-in if necessary.

3. Your budget

Blog ownership should be less of a problem to prospective blogger. A blog could be free to $100 to start with, and then $5-$15 a month to subscribe, depends on the tools and services you engage your blog in.

The cost lies in the designer and maintenance fees. A professional business requires a unique blog that can represent your company profile to the world, not just another blog that uses the same design than hundreds of thousands of others.

Ask these questions:

• Do you want the blog to mimic the design of your company website?
• How important is the entire look and feel of your blog and site to your brand?

Expect a higher budget if you expect more.

4. Your resources

Do you have an IT department? Or, if you are working from home, do you have a friend that can help you maintain and update your blog software? Are you willing to invest some time to learn how to do it yourself? It is possible and not difficult, but your willingness to learn is required.

While a blog usually needs minimal maintenance once installed, sometimes there are critical security updates to the software that you need to close immediately.

Another option is to hire more knowledgeable people to do it for you.

5. Willingness to learn

As you answer those questions, it may become obvious which path you should take to build your blog. Feel free to experiment yourself. A blog is not a rocket science. It doesn’t need a few years of technical experience to setup and maintain.

Web applications are now easy to use and maintain, as long as you are willing to follow simple instructions. Sometimes learning these are important because often even if you have a technical person, you want to fix or do something quickly with your blog.

But, if you really are afraid or can’t find the time and resource to maintain it on your own, there are always hosted blogging platforms that will do it all for you for free or for a small fee.

Blogger.com, for example, allows you to transfer the blog to your own domain, without having to migrate the entire system. If you can live without the features available in MovableType or WordPress, you can quickly setup a blog this way.