Welcome to The Big Fat Reality and thank you for clicking. I hope the title attracts you as much as it did for me and without wasting time, let me start with what matters most. For most bloggers and writers, we usually starts with a free blog site such as Blogger, Wordpress or Weebly. As times passes by and we are getting more anxious and avid in updating our blogs, we tend to wonder if we should start hosting our own website. Of course, there are many reasons but for me personally, using a self hosted website is very much on self identity. Imagine you would want to step out of your comfort zone and work on the new world for you.



Self hosted blog vs free blog sites
Free blogging sites
Basically, a free blogging site is very straight forward. There is no need for any subscription or membership payment or even paying for your own domain name. What I truly love about free blogging sites is nearly every one comes with a ready-to-go template which a complete newbie could get started within an hour. You will be spoilt with widgets and many other options and this is absolutely great for those who do not wish to spend hours trying to figure out what is wrong with the site and even customization matters.

Advantages of using free blogging sites
  1. The blog sites are always ready to go and no rocket science is needed. However, having some knowledge on HTML and coding is definitely an advantage.
  2. What else? It is FREE for crying out loud!
  3. Most of the times, codes and HTML are pre-prepared for users and availability of widgets usage.
  4. Higher and better blog security features provided by hosters free of charge.
  5. Very user-friendly compared to self hosted websites.
  6. Easier to get page rank on search engines (having a heads start).

Self-hosted websites
Allow me to share a little story with you. I am a blogger and an online writer. I love writing and after 5 years of writing, I told myself that I need to have my own identity. I searched high and low (not to forget multiple surveys on domain packages) for the best deals and started planning my first, self-hosted website. Bear in mind that I am not tech savvy but I was determined to have my website working correctly. I played with Drupal, Joomla and also not to forget the lovely, WordPress platforms. My first impression was "running a self-hosted website is harder than I thought!" I mean, I was mentally prepared but I was not prepared enough to be very honest. However, with all those sleepless nights, I managed to run the perfect website I always wanted. I love the way it worked out and yes, it was greater compared to a free blogging sites in some ways.


Advantages of having a self-hosted website
  1. You will be able to modify and create the website you truly want as you do not have the complete 'administrator' login when you use a free blogging site.
  2. Having your own identity when it comes to promoting your writings and experiences.
  3. Starting a self-hosted website is easy with all the available guides available on both in the Internet and in The Big Fat Reality blog.
  4. Users have more choices when it comes to monetization factor.
  5. Bloggers and writers are not tied down to any rules and regulations as the site is owned by themselves.

What's my take on either free blog site or a self hosting website?
For me, the choice depends on several factors such as how much time and devotion we are able to offer and are we willing to spend money for the so-called business. Personally, if you are serious blogger or writer, a self hosted website would probably be your best choice now. As a serious blogger, having an own identity is very important. On the other hand, if you could only spend limited time weekly for your blog, you could of course opt for a more simple and free blogging site features.

However, from my point of view (having both free blogging site and a self-hosted website), I would suggest going for a self hosted website only if you have a lot of time to prepare and get your website ready for the public. Changing HTML, coding and looks will take up more than what you can offer daily. At times, you will be screaming and hoping deep inside that you would want to have 25 hours a day! Not to forget, a free blog site means a heavier and thicker wallet at the end of the day.

Wait! Are you interested to earn money online? Have you heard about working from home? Well, thank God for the technology era now, we are able to start our own online business with no cost at all! I know I have your head turning and let's continue in this article on How To Create A Simple Floating Share Button On Blogger or the complete compilation of all Blog Design Tips.