I recommend blogger (vs wordpress)

[writersink]

I just created a new blog (yay!) But boy was it hard to get there! First I tried using wordpress, and created a blog: ravenaguron.wordpress.com But it wouldn't display correctly so I deleted it and tried again. Only the domain ravenaguron was taken so I stuck a random k in the middle of my name. Then, I created the blog, but people had to be logged in to comment and I didn't want that. So, being seriously untechnological I jumped shipped to blogger... which was lovely and easy. BUT now every time I want to comment on a wordpress blog I have to log into my wordpress account because my email is registered with them. And I can't delete my account. So at the end of the day I have reached one conclusion: wordpress is out to get me. Blogger, on the other hand, was nice and simple. If you want to start a blog, I would recommend blogger (if you're technologically challenged like me.)

[Mira]

I like Blogger too! It's easy to use, and comfortably familiar. And, honestly, as a reader, I also prefer Blogger. Wordpress takes longer to load, and seems harder to navigate.


But I do know some more techie folks who prefer Wordpress. It's more powerful and let's them do more. ON the other hand, I'm not sure they got stuck in a loop like you are! Good luck getting out of that! Kindof sucks...

[mandilynnWRITES]

How did you add the tabs on your blogger? I've been trying to revamp mine for the past few hours (I don't seen to be very good at this) and I can't figure out how to add a tab!

[writersink]

How did you add the tabs on your blogger? I've been trying to revamp mine for the past few hours (I don't seen to be very good at this) and I can't figure out how to add a tab!

Ooooeee, post a link! I'm a teen too I'd love to see what you're writing!

Basically, on the dashboard, there's a tab that says "pages." Click on it, and there's a button that says "new page." Click on that and you're set! (Just make sure the other box reads "show pages in top tab/ side tab otherwise it won't show up on the main blog.) Hope I helped! (I'm bad at explaining things )

[santhan]

I use XnYnZ.com blogging service with 50 bing, yahoo, foltolia search credits every month.

[Shipple]

I started my blog with blogger b/c it's so easy to get to since I'm always logged into my gmail account.

I do have to say, though, blogger does have a very limited number of templates to choose from. I think you can get a prettier blog with wordpress, but, in the end, isn't the blog about reading your words anyway? Plus, you can always add your own pretty pictures.

[tianalei]

I also recommend Blogger - but mostly because of their template abilities. For Wordpress, if you want a custom template that's not one of the standard ones, you have to pay money for their hosting it. But with Blogger, if you find a free template that you like online, you can just install it - for free! Although, I'm probably pretty biased toward Blogger designs, since, well, I design premade Blogger templates ... (Found here: http://www.theblogdecorator.com)

I think most writers who blog are also on Blogger, which is an added benefit because you can "meet" more people in your community. Blogger has the Google Friend Connect, which really helps you reach out to fellow writers and get to know more people. Since most writers are on Blogger, it also helps with the commenting systems and everything since everyone else is familiar with the platform.

[Sommer Leigh]

I've used both and prefer Wordpress myself, but both systems have plenty of pros and cons. It really depends on what level of "do it yourselfer" you are. Wordpress caters to people who want more control over their site, especially if they are self hosting. Blogger is for people who don't need that much control or don't know how to manage their own self-hosted site. I self-host my own site, and the template I use for my site is free and extremely flexible, but the biggest draw for me is the complete control I have. Few things make me crazier than wanting to do something and not being allowed to.

I've built websites for people using Blogger and Wordpress. Explaining Blogger to people is way easier than explaining Wordpress, so for newer bloggers, Blogger is probably the way to go until you want to venture into hosting your own site (if you ever do). Wordpress makes it very easy to export your blog from Blogger and upload it to Wordpress. You cannot, however, easily upload your Wordpress blog to Blogger.

While you can use Google Friend Connect with Blogger still, it isn't very important in the long run. I had GFC on my Wordpress blog until they killed it in March. Then I set up my blog to make it easier to follow by RSS feed, and my followers have grown faster than they did with GFC. GFC is a better visual reminder to follow, but you can grown your follower base either way.

Blogger is better if you just want a blog, nothing too fancy, and you're not interested in the level of control and customization that Wordpress has. If you want easy and user friendly, this is the way to go. It's out-of-the-box ready as a blog. For a more comprehensive website look, you usually need to hire a designer to put it together for you, unless you've got the know-how. But if you do, you'll probably prefer Wordpress.

Wordpress is better if you want to build more of a website instead of a blog. It's the way to go if you want control over everything and are comfortable with all that entails. For access to all of Wordpress's abilities you have to self-host, which costs money. Blogger only costs if you buy a domain name. Wordpress allows you to do "fancier" things, for lack of a better word, but that means it's not out-of-the-box ready. Wordpress has a free version but honestly I haven't used it for so many years I am not familiar with what it currently offers.

In the YA world, who uses what service runs the gamut. Blogger, Wordpress, and LiveJournal are all pretty common, although I've seen a handful of authors abandoning LiveJournal for the other two services lately. I've also noticed that group blogs tend to be run by Wordpress, because their group blog options are better. Many of the group blogs also look like they've had a pro designer work on them, but I don't know that for sure.