Which platform to choose for blogging (old version)

Please note that there is an updated version of this blog post at

https://howshouldiblog.blogspot.com/2020/11/which-format-to-choose-for-your.html 

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There is no simple answer to what is the best blogging platform you should use. You might want to stick with one you already know, or you might want to see if there are better ones out there.

While there are numerous free and easy-to-use blogging platforms available, here are some of the most popular platforms to help you to make that decision.

Blogger (blogspot.com)
A weblog publishing tool from Google. You can set up as many blogs as you want and right from your Google account.

WordPress
Offers two options, so you'll need to choose between the fully hosted WordPress.com and the self-hosted version, WordPress.org. The fully hosted version is the easiest one to start with. There are hundreds of themes to choose from, but remember that content is queen.

Weebly
Weebly is good for creating classroom websites, student e-portfolios, and websites for assigned projects. The drag & drop website editor is simple to use, and appropriate for use with students of all ages. 

WIX
We use this platform often when we teach kids to create websites here at The Mind Lab by Unitec. There happened to be a group of kids learning Web & Graphic Design here on their School holiday. I interviewed them briefly: "Wix is pretty cool. You can do fun stuff with it. Anyone can use it." Even teachers!

Other tools

There are many other tools and platforms in addition to those listed above, and as indicated in the assessment description, your learning portfolio doesn't necessarily need to be a blog. It could be that you already blog about other topics and you want to try something new this time around.

Most of the blogging platforms are similar enough that once you have learned to use one, you know how to use the others. Which is the best platform for you as always depends on the context and content. You might have different requirements when you are choosing blogging platforms for class use.

Introductory video

If you are new to blogging I would strongly recommend you to try it out. If you are starting from scratch here is an introduction from Dr David Parsons, our National Postgraduate Director here at The Mind Lab by Unitec.