For the past year or so I've been bouncing around trying out a bunch of different blogging platforms. I'm currently rocking Squarespace, and so far I quite like it. Maybe I've found the one. Only time will tell. But I've learned a lot from trying out so many different blogging options, and wanted to share my experiences.
My ideal blogging platform does the following:
- Looks good on desktop or mobile
- Requires very little technical upkeep (no, I don't want to manage servers or write my own html/css/javascript)
- Accommodates both long and short form posts
I don't feel like my these needs are anything crazy or unique, but I've actually had considerable difficulty finding something that works well for me. I've bypassed a bunch of options completely because they don't fit needs #1 and #2 up there.
Squarespace
Pros
- Beautiful, responsive design
- Fairly high level of customization
- Easy to eventually add portfolio section
- Works well for either long or short form posts
Cons
- $8/month
- Web editor for blog posts is only so-so. Though I'm coming around on it.
Svbtle
Pros
- Good, lightweight design
- Editing and managing blog posts feels great
Cons
- Not much design flexibility
- Don't work well for short posts. Every blog entry, no matter how long has a "Continue" button at the bottom of it. Gross.
Medium
Pros
- High discoverability
- Some fun social aspects, like being able to comment on specific parts of a post
- Good design
Cons
- No custom URL support for everybody yet. It's being rolled out slowly now, but c'mon.
- Social aspect is forced. So there's no way to disable, say, a list of other people's posts displaying at the bottom of one of yours.
- No design customization
- Doesn't work very well for short form posts.
Tumblr
Pros
- Very good for short form publishing
Cons
- Very bad for long form publishing
- Themes are mostly terrible
- "Unprofessional" stigma