Posts Tagged ‘blog with Word Press’

The question of the day…Should I try to build my own blog site or should I hire a professional?

Let’s go over the advantages and disadvantages of both…

Do It Yourself:

• If you create your own blog, it will take time away from whatever it is keeps you busy now.
• Building your own blog without the help of a professional designer and the assistance of what to include/not include could keep your blog from reaching its full potential.
• If you consider yourself to be pretty “techy” and like this sort of thing, I encourage you to dig in and get your fingers “dirty”, if indeed you will actually follow through, the key here being…will you actually follow through and get it done?
• By creating your own blog, you are in control and don’t have to depend on someone else to make changes and updates that are often needed on any website.  You created it, so you know how to change it, update it or fix it if need be!
• If you don’t happen to have an eye for what looks good and create your own blog, you may get visitors to your blog that “bounce” the second they arrive because your blog isn’t inviting or looks cluttered.

If you do decide to create your own blog, we do encourage you to create a custom look and feel to your web blog and the easiest program to do that is Artisteer.  It requires NO PRIOR web design knowledge or experience and could not be more user friendly.  It is a great program and they do offer a free demo.  Visit this link for a full video tutorial on how to use the program.  The tutorial shows you how to build a simple, but completely custom blog theme in 5 minutes!  Yes, the video is 5 minutes with no outtakes or secret shortcuts.  The whole blog template is built in 5 minutes.  Watch the tutorial now.

Hire A Professional:

• Hiring a professional to set up your blog in most cases is a one-time fee because once a blog is set up it is done.  I have many clients who hire me to do exactly this because they either don’t have the time or just choose not to do it themselves.  It is not that time consuming for someone like myself that has done it many times and very cost effective if you have the funds available.  Feel Free To Contact Me For a Quote.
• A professional will most likely set up your blog to match your company website or be able to integrate your company logo by using design software that you may not be familiar with.  As mentioned above, check out Artisteer and the tutorials to see if this is something you simply wish to take on yourself.  It really is easy with a little video training!
• Hiring a professional will require a small investment, but typically when you have some “skin in the game” you are more likely to follow through with the actual blogging.
• Your blog will need to have some structure to it and a professional will obviously have more insight in to creating that structure.

NOTE: If you do choose to hire a professional to create your blog site, make sure that your agreement includes training on how to log in, create blogs, and manage the site.  There isn’t a lot to managing a blog other than adding “blogs” (content and articles) regularly, but you will need some guidance to get you started.  If your designer doesn’t include training, you are strongly encouraged to “pass” and find one that does.

As you can see there are benefits to both.  You may possible wish to try designing and creating your own blog if you feel you have the time to do so.  If you find you aren’t succeeding at it, then hire a professional.  What have you got to lose!

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