It's not perfect, and it's not exactly what I was after. But it's better than it was. There's still a lot to do, little tweaks that will take weeks to finish.
I have always loved Blogger. A lot of bang for a secure, easy to use, free product. To me the benefits have always outweighed the limitations. After this redesign I'm not so sure. I'm seriously thinking about moving to Wordpress - not the free online version, the full hosted solution with your own domain. Here's how they stack up:
Ease of Use:
Blogger by a mile. Non-techies can be up and blogging in minutes. Wordpress requires some geeky research and practice. You'll figure it out, but it's not blogger.
Features:
Wordpress by a mile. You can use Wordpress as a blog, or as a full-blown content management system. The add-ons, widgets, and theme options are limitless. For Blogger it's not terrible, but it doesn't compare with Wordpress.
Security:
Blogger by a country mile. When you put your blog on blogger it will be there. In a month, a year, or more. It's not going anywhere. For Wordpress if you, for example, go to the hospital and can't pay for your webhosting, it's possible a webhost (not me) would delete your account. If you're not backed up (are we ever adequately backed up?) you've lost everything you've worked so hard on. If that happens to you, call me, I'll sit with you on the first suicide watch.
Design:
Wordpress. There is so much flexibility in design. Blogger is better than they used to be, but it's still not easy to get a custom design on Blogger.
Spam:
Blogger is incredibly good at recognizing and killing spam. Wordpress is getting better, but it's a clumsy process with a sophomoric look. For such a professional product, I expect more.
How about others? Any pros or cons?
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Redesign Thoughts
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9 comments:
I've been on blogger and wordpress...both the ones hosted by their respective servers...I like wordpress a whole lot more...
It's mildly more complicated but has a lot more features...the only thing I don't like is that it doesn't support java...
Hey Gianna -
I will be moving away from Blogger at some point, I just have to decide when, and the best way to do regular backups. For backups, my server administrator does them already, but I also want my own. The problem is, I don't want to do them manually, and I don't want to store them locally. I think I have a solution, Godaddy has cheap hosting accounts - I HATE Godaddy hosting, they are truly terrible. But if I can get 150 gigs of storage for 7 bucks a month, I can set up daily cron jobs to FTP backups of accounts there - personal and client accounts.
Do you code in Java? If so, my hat is off to you. Don't know what it is, but I just can't pick up that language. PHP I like a lot, and Javascript I've used also.
oh my, you're talking over my head...I think I meant javascript...I know virtually no code of any kind...I just liked having java or javascript for the stat applications I was using...
I don't get quite as much info from outside sources---on the other hand wordpress has it's own stat counter based on google analytics but it's not as thorough as google analytics...
I'm totally into dissecting my stats and there is certain stuff I can't do anymore.
I don't know, for the free version, Blogger is more flexible as to the visual design of the page. Wordpress doesn't let you change shit. And you can't add HTML.
Awwwwww....I miss the purple dog. It was so unique and different. Is he in the site somewhere? I don't see him.
But it looks good, your new look. Much more professional.
Most of you know me as “Dreamwriter.” I recently
Launched a new blog called, “Bipolar Speaks.” One day something came over me as I was reading websites called “Post Secret” and also a blog who had a post where they had quotes from other Bloggers with mental illness about how they felt.
It occurred to me that WE need an escape to let out our feelings and frustrations. I know that a lot of bloggers say what they feel within their own blogs, but you are welcome to share your thoughts, opinions, and feelings.
You are welcome to help raise awareness and put a stop to the Stigma that lies within mental illness. We can change the world - one story at a time.
I thought it would be interesting
To design a “Safe Haven” for those who battle with a Mental Illness; and allow them to come and let out their most darkest, painful, and emotional feelings. This would be a great way to spread awareness by letting society know what is REAL about mental illness.
If you are interested, you can submit a story or short piece as an “Anonymous” contributor, or if you don‘t care about what others think, then feel free to reveal your blogger identity; its purely up to you.. I tried this several times and the “Anonymous” button works and ends up in my email as an “Anonymous” comment.
The rules and regulations are in the blog within a post. Take the time to read them thoroughly and I hope that you become a constant contributor.
Remember, we all have things on our chest to let out and we all truly don’t want others to know. But now is an opportunity for YOU to speak up, speak out, and be heard!
I know that I have a lot of feelings and issues that I don’t want my husband, friends, or family to know about…this is my chance to get it off my chest and I WILL be a constant contributor.
Depending on the issue, I might submit the story under both “anonymous” and my name.
Go to “Bipolar Speaks” and look around, don’t forget to display the Bipolar Speaks button on your blog and link it back to us.
By the way, I still have my other blog, so don’t forget about me over there, too. :)
thought I'd stop by and say I like blogger better, but that's only cuz it's the easiest to figure out, in my opinion.
Check out my blog sometime if you want: http://bpdokc.blogspot.com. Thanks!
I like the old design better, and am glad to see it back:-)
Currently have blogs at both places and have still really to get my head around Wordpress (the free version). I have found Blogger pretty simple and user-friendly but the grass is always greener! When I get time and energy for it I'll tackle the mysteries of Wordpress!
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