Are you thinking about blogging or about switching to a different blogging platform?
Research
First of all, do some research. You’ll find lots of opinions and comparison charts online. (For instance, here’s a link to compare Blogspot features with WordPress and with a hosted blog.)
I’ve also added links at the end of this post to a variety of Campus Crusade for Christ staff blogs, listed by blogging platforms, so you can see the different looks you could achieve. Also notice the features in the sidebars. Blogger and WordPress, for example, may differ in some of these additions you can make to your blog.
WordPress.com and WordPress.org
WordPress is one of the most popular platforms, especially for serious bloggers. It’s also easy to make your blog function like a web site.
If you think WordPress might be too much work to learn, do a search on tutorial videos and you’ll be able to see how to post . A few of the videos would be enough to show you if WordPress.com looks user-friendly enough for you. (WordPress.org is different. It’s “hosted;” that is, you basically pay to have a specific URL and can purchase more themes and use WP Plug-ins; this is a very simplified explanation.)
Blogger / Blogspot
Apparently, Blogspot, or Blogger, is easy to use. If you want to just have a family blog or a blog on crafts or cooking, this would be one of the easiest to get up and running quickly.
“Mommy blogs” are #1 for popularity. Think about ministry, though; start interacting with your readers and build some relationships! You should find many others moms in the blogosphere who need a friend who could lead them to Jesus.
You aren’t limited to Mommy blogs, though. See my list below for some other types of blogs from Campus Crusade bloggers who use BlogSpot.
Tumblr
I understand that Tumblr would be a very easy blogging platform as well, but also read that many people are unable to post comments on it. So, you may want to see if this is true, otherwise your donor team, family, and friends may have trouble interacting with you on your blog.
Others
Ask your friends or research about: LiveJournal, Xanga, Wix, and Webs.
Switching Platforms
I continually pray about my blogging activity. I started in 2003 on xanga.com. In November 2005, I was praying about switching to wordpress.com. As soon as I made the switch, I received a comment from the UK saying that my post is exactly what she needed to read that day. So, God blessed me with an immediate confirmation of my decision to switch! (I’ve also moved some of my wordpress.com content to wordpress.org this past year.)
CCC Blogs using:
Blogger / Blogspot
- Beck Bulletin
- cafe con soja
- Celebrity Gospel
- Crocker Chronicle
- Infinite Queso
- Live with Flair
- Moments with Michelle
- Pursuing Heart
WordPress.com
WordPress.org
- Brian Virtue
- Heard It on the Street
- Judy Douglass’ blog, Kindling
- Keith & Kay Seabourn
Others
Recommended:
- How to Start a Blog from WikiHow
- iMac Users: apparently, you’ll want to decide between Blogspot and TypePad. Check out this chart for comparisons.
eQuipping for eMinistry 
Hi, Sus! Thx for all you’re doing! I have a blog on blogspot, but I don’t always find it super user-friendly. How is wordpress, and do you think it better than blogspot? Why should I consider moving my blog, or shouldn’t I? Thx for any input!
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Hi, Sarah,
Thanks so much for the encouragement!
Check the link I mention in my post to compare blogspot with wordpress. If you have questions about the features, feel free to write back. I don’t think the negatives mentioned would be an issue for you at all. However, wordpress does not support outside widgets with flash and javascript because one slip-up could take down all 250,000+ blogs. For example, that means if Google Friends is important to you (since it’s not supported in WordPress) you can still have similar networking through WP, but not using Google Friends.
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