Having a blog is equivalent to having your very own personal space on the Internet. You can use a blog for personal, or for business reasons. However, to start a blog, you need to be familiar with various blogging platforms. A few popular ones include Wordpress, Blogger, and Typepad.

If you have never setup a blog before, the wide range of scripts out there may confuse you. The script is just one issue. There is another issue you must take into consideration - blog hosting. Whatever script you eventually choose to work with, make sure that your web host offers full support for the script. Otherwise, you will end up spending more time ironing out the technical issues than blogging.

Here is a simple guide to help you choose the right blog hosting.

1. Linux or Windows.

Most blogging scripts are developed based on Linux. Therefore, it's always wise to choose Linux server. You can still run some scripts on Windows servers, but expect some features to not work correctly. A popular choice among webmasters is Cpanel hosting. Cpanel is an admin control panel that is included with Linux hosting plans. You can use it to install your blogging script easily.

2. Ease of installation.

Traditionally, installing a blog is a hassle. You have to download the script, and upload all the files to your server using FTP. Then you have to setup the database, and make sure the scripts can connect to the database. Sometimes, this results in errors, and you have to spend many hours trying to fix the issues.

Fortunately, you don't have to go through all that now. Cpanel comes with a special feature known as Fantastico. This feature allows you to choose your favorite blogging script from the control panel, and install the script with a few simple clicks. The entire process takes about 5 minutes. There is no software to download, no files to upload, and no database to setup. Everything is done for you when you click the Install button. The most popular blogging script is Wordpress. You can also install Wordpress using Fantastico.

3. Reliability of servers.

Finally, always ensure that you sign up with a reliable web host. You don't want to sign up, only to realize that your server is down half the time. That means you will be trying to contact their support department to find out what is happening. Your time should be spent on creating content or promoting your blog. You shouldn't be wasting time trying to get the servers to work. That is the responsibility of the web hosting company. Usually, the better hosting companies have got competent server engineers who can fix problems very quickly.

Blog hosting is very affordable these days. You can get a shared hosting account for less than $10 a month.