A lot of hosted blogging platforms like Blogger, WordPress, Typepad etc.. are very popular. But, is it a good decision to go with these services ? Of course, yes. Isn’t is better to go with a self-hosted solution ? The answer is Yes again. So, we’ll see few reasons why you should go with Hosted Solutions and few reasons why you shouldn’t.

Why you should choose a Hosted Blogging Platform ?

1. You do not need money upfront. Many services like Blogger and WordPress.com are free of cost. You need not have your own domain name nor you need to worry about hosting.
2. These blogs are very easy to manage and also to customize them. You need not fight your way hard to install a theme or something like that.
3. No technical knowledge required. Whatever may go wrong, may it be with the blog or the hosting etc.. they will take care of it for you. You need not spend sleepless nights trying to fix it.

Why you shouldn’t choose a Hosted Blogging Platform ?

1. You can run your own ads. Services like WordPress.com don’t allow you to run your own ads which can be annoying for those who blog for money.
2. You have broader options to customize your blog. You can have your own totally custom theme. You can install as many plugins you want etc…
3. Many people consider these services are inferior. Only very few such blogs have made to the Technorati top 100. Advertisers think twice before advertising on a remotely-hosted blog.
4. These services retain the right to take your blog down for objectionable content. So, its often dangerous.

These are just my views, though many would agree on these. If you have your own points to tell, please do add them in the comments below…