Hosting refers to a service provided by a company that will store the files for your blog on a special computer called a server that can make your blog available for viewing on the web.

You have two basic choices with blogging: a blog hosting provider or a regular web hosting account. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. I'll explain both choices in more detail below.

1) A blog hosting provider – often referred to as a 'hosted'* blog. These are companies that provide free or nearly free blogs that they host on their servers. Basically, they take care of all the technical stuff and you just sign up for an account, do some basic customization and start writing. Examples include Wordpress.com and Blogspot.

The main advantages of using one of these services are the convenience and price. It takes very little time to set up and no technical knowledge.

A big disadvantage is that you have less control over how the blog is set up – you only have the features and customizations they allow. Another is that, for example, with wordpress.com if you want to use your own domain you have to pay extra. Otherwise the URL to your blog will be of the form: http://something-you-pick-out-here.wordpress.com/.

Who are 'hosted' blogs best suited for? Someone who is just starting out with blogging and wants to get their feet wet, personal blogs, those doing it for fun, people who can't afford a regular hosting
account or for anyone who doesn't want to have to deal with the technical issues of installing and maintaining the blog software.

2) A regular web hosting account – this is where you find a web hosting company, open an account and install the blog software yourself and is often called 'self-hosted' href="#footnote">*. These accounts are not free and the price varies widely depending upon the features you want or need. A large number of bloggers use Wordpress software for their 'self-hosted' blogs'.

The biggest advantage here is that you have total control of every aspect of the blog – the way it looks, the features, etc. You will also have your own domain if you have it hosted at a regular web
hosting company.

Disadvantages include the technical aspects of installing and maintaining the blog at the host. Wordpress is amazingly easy to install and upgrade however, compared to some of the earlier blog
software. Wordpress provides simple and detailed instructions. And if you still need help there are people you can pay to install it also.

Who should 'self-host'? In general, a blog on your own domain and with your own customizations communicates a more professional presence. So if you are blogging for your business, want to make a
lot of money or in some cases if you want to be viewed as an authority on a topic – self-hosted is the way to go.

Many people start off with a 'hosted' blog, and then move on to a 'self-hosted' one once they feel they want to continue blogging seriously and have the money. On the other hand some people prefer
the ease of 'hosted' blogs. And for those that get a bit addicted to blogging – you may find you have some blogs 'hosted' and other you do the hosting yourself.

Next time – Part 3 of Getting Started with Blogging:
Installing and Using WordPress