When I first started blogging, I went looking for something free, easy and powerful. I used Tumblr {many of my buddies were Tumblr-ers} and, for a long time, I was happy. Tumblr is great if you’re a blogger and nothing else.

I later learned the err of my ways and the grandeur of WordPress. What made the difference?  It’s not just for blogging, it’s a content management system.

The CMS

The first time I created a free blog with WordPress I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that I could do a lot without having to learn. Everything was easy to use. The free tools provided for editing and writing new posts were simple. They really streamlined it here. I found I could have it display more options if I liked, and that was great because it allowed me to do more without making more clutter.

Categories were also new to me. I’m used to just having tags to identify my posts, but categories allow users to navigate the types of posts they’d like to see. Tumblr doesn’t employ this option. I found my blog much easier to navigate this way.

The Code

Using a system like Blogger or Tumblr, you have very little control over your code unless you want to dive right in and control it directly. For me this is great because I’m a huge nerd and I love to mess with that stuff. I noticed that WordPress has a system set in place that automatically takes care of most of that stuff for you. After a little messing I realized  that this would be great for people who don’t know a lot about HTML or CSS. It’s nice to be able to change how things display without messing with the guts.

One thing I did worry about was how valid the code would be given that this was the case. Would it still be SEO and streamlined? No worries. As long as the theme you’re using is SEO the source code you get is just as clean after to tinker as before.

When I first started blogging with WordPress, I used Cutline {witch is done by the wonderful Chris Pearson who also did Thesis}. This theme is a little on the plain and simple size, so I was looking around for ways to spiff it up. What did I find? For $15 a year I could completely control my CSS. Considering that some platforms require you to pay something similar to that monthly just to blog at all, I was pleased to see it in place.

It’s options like this that really take the heavy hauling out of day to day design work. With the ability to choose where a post cuts off, complete control of the typography, custom header images and widgets, everything seems a little bit more carefree.

The Perks

I’m using to pinging search engines myself, but WordPress will gladly take care of the for me. This isn’t the perk I’m here to talk about, however. Useful as little details like that are, there’s only one thing that truly sets WordPress apart for me.

Pages

You can edit, rename, add pages. My blog can have an ‘About’ page! This seems so trivial, but makes all the difference. No other free blogging platform I have ever come across has given me that power: and that’s what really takes WordPress from a post management system to a content management system. WordPress can carry a whole website.

The main idea here: Not Better but More

WordPress may not be the be-all end-all of blogging platforms, but it certainly has the power and the agility to navigate issues others don’t even see coming, but it all really boils down to a mixture of your personal preference and your needs.

Oh, and did I mention I wet myself when I found out it was open source?