I was browsing Yahoo news earlier when I saw a feature article about a British couple who’ve been living in cheap motels for — get this — 22 years. That’s two decades right there. Loony, you say? Perhaps. But as they point out, they don’t have to do the laundry or cook meals or yes, pay utility bills. I’m sure a lot of people would prefer the same setting. Funny thing is, while I was reading it, I was quite forcefully reminded of how much the situation of this couple resembles that of bloggers.

How? Well, there are many bloggers who are content in using free blog domains such as blogspot, LiveJournal, and WordPress.com among many others. This article will discuss the pros and cons of using free blog domains.

Pros:

1. You Don’t Need to Build Your Blog from Scratch

How true. For the non-tech-savvy, having to customize a WordPress template for example, or even just to install the CMS into their servers takes some time getting used to. For many, being able to set up a blog in one click is a great way to get started in blogging. There are no user manuals to study, no need to buy a host, no need for installations, everything’s spiffy and great.

2. There is no Need for Maintenance

Aside from changing your theme every once in a while (with one click of the mouse, mind you), there are no bugs to be fixed and no themes to be tweaked. You don’t need worry about the technical state of your blog at all.

3. You Don’t Need to Pay for Your Domain

Just like the old British couple who don’t have to pay their utility bills, you don’t need to worry about paying for a host. It’s free and even if you run out of interest in maintaining your blog after some time, it’ll be up and running for a long time to come.

I’m sure there are a lot more Pros for using a public domain, however, let’s move on to the opposite side of the coin.

Cons:

1. The Splog Attack

In an effort to rid their services of splogs (spam blogs), Blogger might accidentally mark your blog as one and put your blog on hold. I had several niche blogs not so long ago, which were marked as splogs. You could contact Blogger to lift their temporary hold on your blog. As for me, I preferred not to because it would just happen again in the future. There are many, however, who didn’t even get a chance to appeal their cases and their blogs just went kaput.

2. Limitations in Customization

When you don’t invest even a cent in your blog, the customizability is limited — from widgets to monetization.

There are only two cons to using free blog domains in this list, but the final one speaks in volumes. In the end, if you want full control of your blog, it’s always best to have your own domain. But until that time, enjoy using a free service.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 at 1:46 pm and is filed under Wordpress. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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