Ask the DW/LJ Brain Trust

[serene]

Okay, I've asked this in the past, but it's been a while and I'm working on a new (and exciting-to-me) blog project, so here goes:

DW? Wordpress? Typepad? Something else? (LJ is not an option.)

Considerations:

I think I want the thing on my own domain, which I've already secured, but I'm willing to be talked out of that idea.

I want to be able to choose either an ad-free blog or one on which I choose which ads are displayed. No automatic Google adbar, or anything like that.

More customizability is better, but since I'm really not a very good web programmer, it doesn't need to be down to the command line or anything. I'd love to be able to use custom CSS (I am pretty sure both Wordpress and Typepad offer that), and to view stats, but neither of those things is essential.

It doesn't have to be free; affordable is good, though.

Thoughts?

Comments

re: Ask the DW/LJ Brain Trust

[betonica]

Noob question (can I get away with calling myself a noob, by any stretch of the imagination? I think my advent to the intertubes is newer than yours, at any rate):

Not that this is what you're asking about, but how does all that work with those of us who are reading you? If you used Wordpress (I don't know anything about it - never been there / used it) would we see it? Is it a separate community, or just the software that would put the text here in DW?

Re: Ask the DW/LJ Brain Trust

[serene]

Wordpress is blogging software. If i used it, you'd see the new (cooking) blog by adding the syndicated feed to your dw reading list, but the blog itself would be someplace like newblog.com.

I do like the idea of making it at DW, but i'm not sure how customizable that is, and i wonder if newblog.dreamwidth.org is an offputting url (a very minor concern, but for the first time ever, i am going to try to write a popular blog, so i want to give it the best chance for success.