Blogger vs WordPress Blog

—Blogging or vlogging isn't normally what I care for very much; an occasional article read or a video watched is as far as I usually go. However, even with my skepticism, I cannot deny that both these activities are becoming more and more effective marketing techniques, and no business owner can completely ignore their appeal. That is why I sought the advice of an acquaintance of mine who has been dabbling in both blogging and vlogging for a number of years, and here is what I learned.

Blog: Pros

Keeping a blog nowadays is much easier than it used to be, with the proliferation of platforms like WordPress, Tumblr, and others. You have ready-made tools that don't require any specific knowledge and can be set up in a matter of minutes, and everything you need in terms of equipment is a computer and an Internet connection. Basically, the only requirement is that you have to be reasonably good at writing (although it may come with experience, people with no aptitude whatsoever can have a hard time) and have something useful and/or interesting to say.

Blog: Contras

Blogs have become a mainstay of business and corporate promotion, which means that there are a lot of them, all vying for attention and following of potential readers. So, in order to reach the success, it is no longer possible to simply write awesome articles and collect ad money – you have to be really good at SEO and always stay on top of the latest developments in this area. Be prepared to learn a lot about cross-linking, meta tags, keywords, guest posting and the alike. In addition to that, if you intend your blog as a source of additional income you should treat it as a real job, which can harm your social life – it isn't something you can pick up, drop for half a year, write an occasional post when you feel like it and so on. Writer's block or no writer's block, a blog has to be updated on a regular basis, or your readers will lose interest.

Vlog: Pros

In a sense, starting a vlog is even easier, although a bit more demanding on a technological scale: you've got to have a decent camera and some other equipment which, if you don't have it, may turn out to be a rather big investment. That done, however, you are free to go. Vlogging doesn't require you to be good at writing because you are going to produce content in a more natural, conversational, informal way, and social and direct communication skills are more important. Some types of content simply cannot be expressed in another form, and a total number of vloggers is still much lower than that of bloggers – which means that if you have something interesting to say and are good at talking and photogenic, you can quickly start earning money.

Vlog: Contras

Vlogging's disadvantages come with the format. If you are self-conscious, you may have trouble talking in front of the camera. Perfectionists may find it annoying that it is impossible to edit and alter content after it has been published – or rather, it is possible but very time-consuming. As well as the production of vlogs itself – anything more complicated than just sitting and talking in front of a camera will require a lot of time spent cutting, adding, touching up the sound and so on.

When all is said and done, the choice between blogging and vlogging is fully dependent on your needs and skills. If you are good at improvising and like to talk, try vlogging first. If you like to think ahead and writing comes easily to you, blogging seems a more viable opportunity.—

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—Photo Credit: Getty Images

Source: Blog vs. Vlog: Is There a Right Choice?