When it comes to creating a blog, the possibilities are seemingly endless. The real challenge is determining which platform suits your unique needs. After a fair share of experimentation, I'm here to help you make that decision based on my experiences and preferences while striving to be as objective as possible.
So, without further ado, let's dive into the world of blogging platforms and find out which one best caters to the requirements of your developer blog.
freeCodeCamp Pros:
No need to worry about building and maintaining a blog.
Access to a vast and engaged readership.
An editorial team is available to assist with your article ideas and provide editing services.
Cons:You can't repost articles that have been edited, published, and promoted by freeCodeCamp.
The application process to become an author can be competitive.
Hashnode Hashnode has become my primary choice for blogging lately, not necessarily because it's the best for everyone, but because it aligns perfectly with my needs. Hashnode is your standard blogging platform with a significant advantage - the ability to map your custom domain. Instead of a generic username.bloggingplatform.com address, you can have a professional yourname.com domain.
This makes your blog appear more professional and makes it easier for readers to remember your blog's address. Additionally, Hashnode allows you to export all your posts, or even move them to GitHub. This ensures you're not locked into the platform. The ability to customize your blog's appearance and feel through custom CSS is another plus.
However, there are limitations. If you want a new feature, you have to suggest it and hope it gets implemented. Moreover, you can't modify or remove core Hashnode features. Despite these limitations, Hashnode is an excellent choice for bloggers.
Pros:Your posts are easily backed up.
You become part of a substantial community.
Full customization of your blog's design.
Cons:You must abide by their Terms of Service.
You're still using a platform owned by someone else.
Hacker Noon Hacker Noon stands out as a professional platform where more than 12,000 developers actively write and read articles. It's not limited to developers; you can also find content from builders, founders, makers, and hackers, covering a wide range of topics.
Hacker Noon's key advantage is its article vetting process. Editors manually check the content, ensuring high-quality articles. This editorial process offers authors valuable feedback, helping them bridge knowledge gaps and enhance their writing. Hacker Noon boasts a substantial social media community of over 500,000 followers, enabling authors to reach a broader audience when their articles get shared.
However, there are drawbacks. You can't map your custom domain, which means search engines index Hacker Noon's URLs rather than your own. Additionally, blogs on Hacker Noon have a uniform design with limited customization options.
Pros:Rigorous editorial checks and feedback.
A vast social media community amplifies your reach.
Cons:No ability to use your custom domain.
Limited customization options for your blog's design.
Dev To Dev To is another excellent platform for bloggers that gained popularity when Medium introduced a paywall feature. It's a platform I've been using since I started blogging seriously, primarily because it offers a massive and active community. Users can follow each other and receive notifications of new articles, making it easier to connect with readers.
Dev To also promotes some articles on their social media accounts, further extending your potential reach. Similar to Medium, Dev To supports publications and organizations, allowing better visibility. However, like Hacker Noon, you're somewhat locked into the platform. Exporting your articles to move to another platform can be challenging, and you can't have your custom domain. Customizing your blog's design is also off-limits.
Pros:Membership in a vibrant community enhances your reach.
Possibility to join publications and organizations for increased visibility.
Promotion of articles through Dev To's social media channels.
Cons:Limited options for exporting your articles.
No ability to customize your blog's design.
Unable to use your custom domain.
In Conclusion These are the primary platforms I enjoy and recommend for blogging. You can choose to use any of them individually or in combination.
My suggestion would be as follows:Start a blog on Hashnode for its professional appearance and customization options.
Consider cross-posting on Hacker Noon or Dev To to reach larger audiences.
Once you've honed your writing skills and have a portfolio of articles, explore the possibility of becoming an author on freeCodeCamp.
Thanks for reading! If you want to stay connected,
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