Best Blogging Websites, 4 & 5

5. LiveJournal (livejournal.com)
My knowledge of LiveJournal is very extensive and I must be honest, it isn't the easiest if you've never made a blog ever before.

LJ is more for personal use than professional, hence the name of it being LiveJournal. It's for connecting to people more than blogging and wanting to build a resume. You can join communities that interest you and "add to friend list" blogs that you like by people who aren't your friend (it's like friending on Facebook, except they don't need to add you back and you can view their profile).

Also, it's not professional. Putting "johndoe.livejournal.com" on a resume may make your employer think they're going to read a journal on your site and not anything worth knowing about for the job. The reputation of LJ isn't one that's appropriate, either. It's known for gossip communities, high school emo blogs with poems, and fan fiction. Not really a site you would want to represent you.

4. Squarespace (squarespace.com)
At first glance, this website is the most professional. It upfront answers "what is it?", "who is it for?", and "why use it?" If I wasn't a poor college student, I would very much seriously consider using it. They highlight everything from the get-go on the impressive homepage, such as a visitor counter, iPhone app, and integration.

So why is this amazing website not number 1? For a couple reasons that aren't just based on the fact I'm a poor college student.

You have to pay to use it. At least $8/month and up to $50/month for the community package. No URL is provided with the purchase, so in addition to paying to use their site, you'd have to pay a different site a couple bucks more to change the link. Why use this site if you can go to another one that's better for free?

There isn't much flexibility, which wouldn't make the monthly $8 worth it. It's half Blogger, with how the site itself is set up, and half Weebly, with the way you do editing of the page.

There is a 14-day trail with no credit card is needed and it's really easy to set up. I did and played around with it. There are much easier sites out there that can cater to your needs better than this one. Even if there wasn't a fee, I still wouldn't make this my first recommendation. In fact, it would probably be the same because I favor the other three.

The homepage is very convincing, though. It had me going even after seeing the pricing tab. It's organized well, but once you get to your actual page, it's more complicated.


Who's hosting should you use if you want a blog of yours taken seriously and able to send out to employers?

vs. vs.

Have a good weekend!