I really like Typepad for my blog platform because it is so easy to use. I don't mind paying for it - I feel like I get my money's worth as I get templates, the ability to easily ad widgets, and can make my blog look pretty an personalized without having to do any programming. And yes - you can use Typepad and still have your own domain name and be able to take advantage of all the good thing that allows you to do. See - I am mariannesmotifs.com running on Typepad.
But my blog has been loading really slow lately - I think because I loaded up on flashy ads and widgets. I wonder if Typepad itself could be part of the performance issue? Should I switch to self hosted and Wordpress?
Alot of people use Wordpress and their own server. Did you know you can actually get a dedicated server for $29.95 a month through a company like ServerPronto top ISP?
I don't really feel like monkeying around with Wordpress, however. I do technical stuff all day at work and by the time I get home at night I just want to post and chat for fun, not delve into html programing to make my blog look professional and hip. Its probably worthwhile though if you need to have a shopping cart and stuff like that for a bigger site to have your own dedicated server.
