Best Blogging Software for Citizen Journalists

Citizen journalists need great software for writing. There are many companies offering software for social media writers and many to choose from. They each have different prices, different settings, and different interfaces. After looking at the various companies, here's what I've discovered:

Awareness Networks is for the serious citizen journalist who plans to develop a professional website for his or her work. Awareness Networks touts it's product as "An on-demand social media platform where enterprises deploy web 2.0 technologies to achieve real business benefits." This software is also used for big businesses who want to create a relationship with citizen journalists. They do not post the price on their site. You must request information from them to find out how much they charge.

Ellis Labs have created ExpressionEngine, a multiple site manager that is easy to use with a simple interface. They allow you to download the free core version for trial. You can also try the 30-day hosted demo for $10. When you decide to purchase it, they credit $10 to your charge. I also could not find a total price for the software on this site.

Movable Type claims to be a professional publishing platform. Their thorough information on the website about the program and requirements was more than I had found about any other software. The program is free to use and has many options for compatibility with your needs. Movable Type allows video integration in the blog or website. The screenshots display a very straight forward program that seems as easy as your regular blogging network.

Text Pattern is also a content management system for citizen journalists. Their website is kind of set up like blog, does not have many images, seems over simple, and isn't laid out for me to gather the information I need. Based on the screenshots, the interface seems very bare and minimal, which may be perfect for some users. I could not find a price for this software on the website.

There are many blogging services out there for citizen journalists. Many people know about Google's free Blogger.com, but there are many other services that you can pay for and can completely customize. Blogging services such as Typepad.com allows you to manage your blog, photo albums, and much more. Each price range (starting at $4.95 and going up) allows you to choose what you need. Worpress.org is also a free blogging site that offers paid services. Discovering what you need and what you're willing to spend is important.

It's also important for citizen journalists to have time to write. Finding the perfect software to easily type and publish your work is imperative. No journalist wants to spend their evening trying to figure out how to use a program when they could have been writing.