Why Pay For a Blog Platform?


An interesting auxiliary thread has developed over the past few days. It has to do with blog platforms.

So, it’s not really a new discussion but it seems to be cropping up again a bit. It has to do with paid blog platforms versus free blog platforms.

Before I go any farther, let me say that although I’m a WordPress fan and advocate, I completely recognize that platforms should not be the focus. It should be the content. And platforms should essentially be transparent to the blogger. Get out of the way and let the blogger blog. Realistically, some people need more than a blogging platform and need a full featured content management system. I get it.

However, for new bloggers with so many quality, free options available, it boggles my mind that anyone would pay for a blog?

It seems even at home plate, at Lijit, there seems to be a tendency to use Typepad (which boggles my mind) and in corporate settings, Expression Engine seems to have legs.

I asked this question on Twitter:

Here’s a question for everyone: why on earth would you choose Typepad for your blog platform when starting out? Who pays for blog platforms?

Responses were varied an interesting:

I certainly don’t want to get into a platform war. Whatever makes your job as a blogger easier. But with so many really great free options out there, who pays for a blog platform and why?