In my initial post on blogging (Do I Need to Blog?) I concluded that blogging is a good way to document the lessons I've learned on topics that interest me. This post thus briefly explains some important lessons about what platforms are available and why I chose to install WordPress on my own host. The blog platform you choose depends primarily on your level of technical expertise, or how competent you are working "under the hood," and on how much control you want to have over what you can and can't do.
While brainstorming what to write for this post I stumbled upon an informative article written by Owen Williams: The 18 best blogging and publishing platforms on the internet today. What surprised me was that popular platforms such as Google+ and Blogger (both owned by Google) did not make the top 18 list mainly because the platforms have not kept pace with better alternatives. Unsurprisingly, WordPress is at the top of the list and is what I chose for my blog.
When it comes to WordPress, you have two options: 1) A freemium hosted service at WordPress.com or 2) A self-hosted option that puts you in control because it has no restrictions. I chose the second option primarily because of my expertise in hosting and web design and my familiarity with PHP and MySQL. I happen to enjoy working "under the hood" and love to tweak, hack, and tweak some more until it's perfect for me. I use Netfirms.com as my hosting solution because it fully supports WordPress and provides all the tools I need. Next up: What Do I Blog About?
A long time CPA turned online professor, Kathleen’s life was transformed upon completion of her dissertation An Investigation of the Factors that Influence Faculty and Student Acceptance of Mobile Learning in Online Higher Education.
Her statistical analyses was called ”pioneering” by her committee chair Dr. Marlyn K. Littman and brought Kathleen full circle back to her number-crunching roots inspiring her to earn a second master’s in Business Intelligence.
Kathleen plans to continue her studies of contemporary issues related to teaching, learning, and technology and loves to help undergrad and grad students achieve their academic and professional goals. As a lifelong learner she also plans on continuing her quest to understand the problems posed by mobile and micro learning formats and find innovative ways of helping people maximize the benefits these emerging technologies afford.