Before you ask, I have no idea if the data in this pie chart is correct. I just pulled it for illustrative purposes.
Anyway, Slyde has a post up right now about his future in the blogging world. He is still gonna blog, but he is thinking about making the move over to Blogger. You see he has developed his own site using Front Page software and has been doing so for years. He's not really happy with how his RSS feed is set up and rather than take the time to fix it, he is thinking about just making a move.
So, for the one or two of you who visit here but never visit my parent site (I started blogging on Slyde's blog years ago before setting my own blog up, dontcha know), I have a question.
What should Slyde do? Should he...
A. Stick with his own custom site, no matter what.
B. Move to Blogger.
C. Move to Wordpress.
D. Move to some other blog hosting site.
E. Stop blogging all together. His shit is stale!
I've included a poll for you to answer up there on the upper left (right, of course...thanks drunkgirrl- Earl) of this old blog. Let the masses decide, I always say.
But seriously, for those of you not using Blogger...what are the pros and cons of your own blog hosting site? I've already given Slyde my pros and cons with Blogger, but just so you don't feel like you are left out we would love to hear from the Blogger community as well.
So get crackin'!
And for all you Wordpress users out there. Do you use Wordpress.com or do you have your own hosting site and use the software downloaded from Wordpress.org? Inquiring minds and all.
27 comments:
Moving to Blogger seems like a step backwards. Move over to Wordpress, where you don't have to rely on another site to make sure everything is run correctly.
Avi - I've been not-so-secretly thinking about Wordpress. I'm just far too lazy to do it right now. Maybe one day.
Uh yeah, so first off not to be a total bitch (but wait a fucking ding dong minute I am a TOTAL bitch), your poll is in the upper right corner NOT the upper left. That is unless you actually were the blog itself looking out at us and then it would be like in your left armpit and stuff.
OK, now that we're over that.
OK, I've had a bit of wine. Big surprise.
Here are my two manolos (two cents is not enough): I started on blogger. I am NOT technical at ALL. But there were certain things that blogger couldn't do. (I can't remember what. It was like 3 years ago and alcohol kills brain cells.) So I moved to WordPress. I'm OK on that. There are MANY things it can do that I simply don't understand. ("Drop a table?" I have no idea what that means.) But if Slyde has been doing his own thing solo then he's clearly better at this shit than I am and I say GO WORDPRESS.
Oh, and just drink more wine.
bobgirrl - I must have been looking at the screen through a mirror...I shall correct. And alchohol only kills the slow brain cells that are holding you back anyway. Culling the herd, so to speak. So drink up! ;)
First, I wouldn't pay anybody so I that could blog. Not one penny. So stay away from any service you have to pay for.
Second, the Blogger templates suck but you can put up any kind of a template you want on blogger with just a minimum of work. A little trial and error if you aren't technically savvy is usually all it takes.
Third, See #1.
Fourth, a lot of people who move on from Blogger become unbearable snobs about it. It's like a status thing. Like I give a shit.
wow... all good opinions...
admittedly, i have never really looked at wordpress as an option...
i will check it out this week before i finally make up my mind...
It's not a snobby thing. It's just that with Blogger, you're at the mercy of Blogger.
With Wordpress, you're in control of everything, so if something's not working, you can talk to your host and get it fixed. And you can just do a lot more if you have your own space to do it.
Spending $4-6 a month for that type of freedom is really reasonable.
RW - Blogger has actually improved alot in just the time I've used it, so those who have moved on may not be aware of it.
Slyde - we aim to please.
Avi - thus far I haven't had anything I've really wanted to do that I can't do on Blogger. But I have been looking into Wordpress and I like its' functionality as well. And you...a snob? Never! Well, except about dolphin porn.
I do have exquisite bestial porn tastes.
Snobs I say.
Snobs snobs snobs snobs snobs. Bleh!
Allow me to apologize first of this turns into a long rambling comment... but this is something that has been debated since practically before blogging existed.
There are indeed benefits to using a service. In using a service your technical knowledge needed is minimal, the cost is generally free, and your templates are for the most part customizable.
There are also some downsides to using a service, such as downtime, limited ability to add things in, and the inability to customize extensively.
There are some upsides to a self-hosted install, such as search engine rankings, the ability to better track traffic, the ability to host your own graphics, the ability to get better DIGG and SU rankings, and the ability to customize extensively with add ons... like WOOPRA.
There are some downsides to a self-hosted install, such as cost (around $75 a year with domain+hosting, although I'm sure it can be done for cheaper), the need to fix most technical issues yourself (usually after you screwed the pooch trying to customize extensively), and the possibility of "nuking" your blog (accidentally of course).
The truth is that if you are technically inept, a service is generally the best way to go. If you have some technical knowledge, and don't mind spending the time to tinker, then the freedom a self-hosted install offers is by far a better option.
Of course... there is more to life than Blogger and WordPress. There is TypePad, Drupal, and Expression Engine to consider as well. As a starter on a self install, I would seriously recommend WordPress. It is easy enough to pick up the nuances in less than a week, third part development is widespread, free templates abound, and the support community is incredible.
I myself started with Blogger... and left for a number of reasons, one major one being the lack of being able to subscribe to comments via e-mail. While this has been resolved and improvements have been made... I really can never see myself being shackled like that again... especially since I maintain a videopodcast on one of my blogs that is something you could never do on Blogger or even WordPress.com. Those sites empower you... but do not provide you with power.
Finally, if you are so against paying for the ability to blog, then you really need to ask yourself how much is your writing worth to you? Obviously it can't be worth much... and therefore maybe finger painting would be a better hobby.
Why couldn't you do a video podcast on Wordpress?
Avi, RW & Dawg - great comments, yo! I picked Blogger initially because it was what all or most of the blogs that I was reading used. Plain and simple. If it wasn't free than I probably still would have used it since that was all I was familiar with.
Now that I've been doing this for a whle now, I see the value of other options. I'm not saying I'm going to switch anytime soon. Mostly because I'm not very technically proficient. Like everything I've learned, however, if I want it bad enough...I'll do it.
Avi - I think he specifically meant Wordpress.com, rather than using the Wordpress software through Wordpress.org. I think. Probably wrong though. I dunno. Dawg?
Wordpress.com does not allow ALL the plug-ins, and PodPress is one not allowed.
Oh, okay, but if you have Wordpress installed on your own server, you could do it.
Absolutely. CW is a WordPress install with the PodPress plugin directing to a FeedBurner RSS Feed for Podcasting. Sounds complicated? It actually isn't since 95% of it is done for you.
It's just piecing the elements together that can get tricky... but worth it.
I'm a big fan of Wordpress. I *may* be leaving it when I relaunch my site, if I can find a content management system (like Tiki Wiki, etc.) - that has all the relevant components (message board, forum, wiki) - AND (most importantly) will allow me to transfer over my existing Wordpress and SMF data (that's the tricky part).
But, if all you want is a blog, and you're not looking to supplement with other elements, Wordpress is pretty damned easy to install, easy to update, and offers a slew of options for customizing (and the support from the community is top-notch as well).
Lemur - I understood about half of that. ;)
Me too... :(
saw this and thought of you:
http://www.soul-flower.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=RIP020&Category_Code=INS&Product_Count=18
lemme try that again... click here
Diva - anything Dude-related is appreciated. Far out!
Having only used MySpace and Blogger in the past, my experience is limited. Blogger is much better than MySpace. Although, I have been impressed with the blogs I have read on WordPress. They are pretty slick looking and neat.
As for weather he should move....hmmm, his site is clean, which is a big plus, cluttered sites don't do it for me, and it is going to offer more control in the long run.
I would say stick with it and improve on what you have built, instead of just cashing in the chips and heading for the buffet.
I am using the wordpress software from wordpress.org but it is being hosted by someone else for me and I don't have creative control over everything this way (so therefore, not updated to the newest version yet) but I could be dangerous if I did so this is best for now. I may eventually get hosted and do all the work myself but for a newbie like me it's best to take it in smaller steps. But for someone like Slyde who knows his stuff I think Wordpress would give him a lot of flexibility and he really wouldn't have to do so much work as he does now. He could do as much or as little as he wanted and still have a fantastic, easy to manage blog.
Lotus & Teeni - Thanks for the input!
yes, thanks guys...
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