What is a better format for bloggers?

[Felicia Chien]

Hey all, lately I've been seeing a lot of bloggers move their blogs from Blogger to Wordpress. I tried wordpress once, just to see what it's all about, but I didn't really like it. Can anyone give me their insight if I should leave my blog at Blogger, or should I change to Wordpress or LiveJournal, or any other website that might be more suitable for book bloggers and follower friendly? 

Thanks.

Livin' Life Through Books

[DM Yates]

I tried Wordpress and it was just too stilted to work with.  I had a 'my space', Wordpress, and Blogger.  I tried them all out for a few months.  In the end, I stuck with Blogger.  It's just easier to use.

[Roberta Goodman]

I prefer Blogger and it's what I'm comfortable using. It has a simpler format and I say if it isn't broke, don't fix it.

[The Literary Lioness]

I tried Wordpress.com (the free version) and didn't like it. I find Blogger much easier to use. I love Blogger, but someday I'll probably move over to Wordpress.org (the self-hosted paid version). That is the version of Wordpress where many people on Blogger move their blogs, because they want a self-hosted blog, so that they own their content and have more control. I would only suggest doing that when you have been blogging for awhile and know that you want to keep on doing it. Blogging is fun but labor-intensive, and many people abandon blogging within the first year.

If you like Blogger, stick with it. You can design your blog in the template designer, and Blogger's easy to learn. If you eventually want to OWN your blog and are ambitious, then you move to Wordpress.org. I don't see the point in moving to Wordpress.com. It's the paid version that's really good.

[Felicia Chien]

Thanks all so much for the helpful hints. Will keep it all in mind! :)

[Joann H. Buchanan]

Hi :D

I tried wordpress once too and didn't like it. I like blogger better because it's easy to maneuver through. It's also easy to change the look of it and you don't have to pay a fee for the freedom of the look. I love creating blogs and giving them their own unique style. I have a few blogs and have created some for friends of mine. The coolest part is getting to allow another side of my creativity out.

[Tracy Brown]

I've had Wordpress (the .com version) and Blogger, and I agree with the others: Blogger is easier to use. I've heard pros and cons about the .org version of Wordpress.

At the end of the day, however, I would focus on what blog makes it easier for the person leaving the comment.

[Grace]

I like the free Wordpress because it has a far more professional appearance than most Blogger blogs that I've seen.  It's also very easy to follow/read/browse other Wordpress.com blogs.  I tend to follow mostly wordpress.com blogs, as doing so doesn't clutter up my inbox.  It's mostly a personal preference as far as which platform you go with, but I think it's always easier to follow blogs that use the same platform as you do.

________________________

Books Without Any Pictures

[Dale Day]

I think the best thing about blogger is the support it has from Google.

I've tried the new look things but always go back to the old standard.

http://lvcabbie.blogspot.com

[Joseph Arellano]

It is mostly personal preference, like deciding whether to buy a Windows-based PC or an Apple computer.  I think both programs have their own strengths and weaknesses, which is why I have both a Wordpress and Blogger site.  Like the person who noted this earlier, I like the appearance of W-P sites but it's also true that there's less of a learning curve with Blogger.  (Blogger is likely a better choice for the new blogger.)  I would stick with whatever works best for you.  Best, Joseph  http://josephsreviews.wordpress.com/

[DM Yates]

Do you just copy the same post to both?  Or do you do two separate?

[Lesa]

I signed up with Wordpress.com awhile back to start a new blog but stalled due to lack of time to invest-- it isn't quick and easy like Blogger. I plan to try again because I want to know how Wordpress works.

 I'm always torn-- part of me likes the typical minimal professional look of Wordpress blogs and part of me likes the typical cozy/friendly look of Blogger blogs.

 But really, a blog is what the blogger makes it, irregardless of the platform.  I've seen some very minimal professional Blogger blogs and some cozy Wordpress blogs.  Some Wordpress blogs are just as busy, gadget/button filled and hard on the eyes as some Blogger blogs. 

 So, I'd recommend using the platform that you enjoy working with the best. 

 

Also, you can get a domain name and use a Blogger platform-- not sure if that gives more control than self-hosting with Wordpress but it is worth researching.

:o)

[Seventh Star Press]

I use Blogger on my personal blog, and SSP uses Blogger for its blog, but I recently had to learn the WordPress system to do a site for a convention that I do programming for (on its literary track).  From what I've seen, Wordpress has flexibility to run a larger site, with multiple authors and the like.  The site we run for the event is very complicated, with alot of menus, custom menus, custom headers, subpages, etc. Wordpress is geared well for that.  For an individual blogger, I really don't see any major advantage, other than some bells and whistles using the plugins that Wordpress has.  I have everything I need on Blogger for the stuff we are involved with.

-Stephen at SSP