After researching, dabbling, reading, and enjoying many of the blogging community the Internet offers, I have rested my decision into simply hosting my own blog. Although I do enjoy the benefits of using social medias sites (I use facebook and myspace both on the rare side, but find some of the features and ability to stay in touch with friends/family useful), using multiple blogging communities seems to me tedious. Then again, it depends entirely on what use you have developed for your blogs.

Personally, I intend my blog to be a home from my thoughts (which a pen and paper accounts just as well for), but furthermore, I entertain myself with the thought that my thoughts, ideas, passions, etc... are dangling out there, in a vast community where it is within the reach of infinite individuals to read, be inspired, or provoke their thoughts in some way. Now, that is something I cannot do by pen and paper.

The benefits of choosing to host your own blog are numerous. First, you are able to choose your domain name, and this feature as a few benefits of its own. having a domain name, is much easier to explain how to navigate to your blog than it is if you are part of blogging community. (Ex. just go to www.____.com and there you have it, as opposed to go to www.some_blog_community.com and click "search" the "by user" then type in "blog_user_name" and then you can see my blog)
This is especially helpful when dealing with an elder generation that may still have difficulties traveling among the web and in this way I can share my daily experiences and thoughts with my entire friends, family, and community with ease.

Although all blogging communities, social medias, and other online communities all strive to have the latest and greatest usability, allowing the user to personalize their pages to the extremes, it is impossible for a community template and database to allow for the kind of personalization that is available through hosting your own page. I find great relief in knowing that I have absolute control over my look, feel, and design.

Also, when hosting, you are given e-mail specifically for that domain, and it is quite organizational to be able to receive my blog e-mails in one location, personal e-mails in another, and my professional e-mails elsewhere this way, I don't confuse a personal acquaintance for a professional one.

Though finally, the downfall of hosting your own blog is that it does come with a cost. Whereas most blogging communities a free to join, it does cost to keep your own area hosted on the web. Though a domain name can run as low as $4.99 annually and web space nearly as cheap it is still essentially another monthly payment you must concern yourself with.

Though, on the bright side, if you are ambitious enough, you could earn money off your own personal blog something the communities won't allow by the same method the blogging businesses use; advertisement. If your blog is active enough, with enough traffic, you will be potentially able to advertise for businesses, although it may not be much, you could still earn enough to pay off the domain and monthly web space charges, balancing the books and making this more elite version of blogging in the end free as well.

Learn more about this author, AdamHat.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about How many blogging communities do you belong to?
We want to hear your view. Write now!