Over the last few weeks I've been evaluating several different hosted web systems. These systems are "all in one" website solutions that are that are offered as a service. That means you don't need to purchase separate hosting or download any files to make it work. You just need a browser, time to build your site and content to add to the site. I focused on four services: Squarespace, WordPress, Ning and TypePad. Although I have personally built sites using the first three services in the list I have not built one on TypePad. So to be fair I focused on comparing the features offered rather than trying to comparing things like performance, ease of use and other factors.

All of the systems offer a wide variety of features and options as you will see in the embedded Google Doc below. The one common thread across all of the systems is that they do not support Google Friend Connect or Facebook Connect for authentication or account creation. The Google and Facebook Connect features are potentially valuable features because they allow sites to establish the identity of the visitor without the visitor having to create yet another account. The definition for each of the features listed is offered in a separate sheet which you can access by looking at the entire document which is public for viewing.

Which one of these systems should you use? It depends on the ultimate purpose of your site. Ning offers very strong features if you want to build a social network with community generated content. WordPress and TypePad are strong tools for those seeking to create a single or multi-author blog. Squarespace offers features that allow you to build a personal or corporate website that includes an integrated blog and photo gallery.