Wordpress vs. Blogger

[John Hufft]

I am looking for any feedback on which platform is better.  I am sure it depends on what the blog is about.  I would like to know the best one for discussing books.  Are they equal?  I am trying to add follow buttons on my wordpress blog however I am having a difficult time doing so.  Thoughts?

[Christine Rice]

I use WordPress. The follow button is on the widgets page under appearance. Just click, hold, and drag the "follow blog" widget to the sidebar.

I have not used Blogger, but I can tell from seeing their blogs that their platforms are more lively-looking than WordPress' blogs. Which you choose depends on what you're looking for. If you want a fun blog, go with Blogger. If you want a professional blog, go with WordPress.

[IronFist]

I wanted to say the same and couldn't agree more with you. I use blogger and many have said my blog was "visually stimulating" with a lot of gadgets, colors... and every time I visit a WordPress blog the first thoughts that cross my mind are neat and professional. So, I guess it's a matter of preference.   

[Darryl Erentzen]

That's a misconception. WordPress doesn't limit you in any way, it all depends on the Theme you choose/create.

Blogger, on the other hand, is easy to use but quite limited in what you can do with it. The one place it shines is in the social aspect. I don't know why Google got rid of Friend Connect in favor of Google+, but I think it was a mistake.

I suspect that the difference in the commonly available Themes for each has to do with the learning curve involved.

Blogger is easy and so attracts less serious users, while (self-hosted) WordPress makes it possible to do pretty much anything, so gets used by people who need more control.

It's the user base, not the capabilities of the platform, that limits the availability of themes/features.

[John Hufft]

Thanks for the reply! I have that follow button on my site however is there one where a person does not have to sign up via email?

[Christine Rice]

If the visitor has a WordPress blog, they will be able to "follow" your blog through their WordPress "reader" (on the main WordPress page before you log in) by clicking "follow" on the top of the blog page, which is visible only to WordPress users. Everyone else can either subscribe to your "feed" in their reader of choice (you should add the "RSS Links" widget for this option) or follow by email.

[ManOfLaBook.com]

This is only if your blog is hosted on Wordpress' site.

[Engelia McCullough]

Hi Christine. I looked at about fifty blogs before I decided to go with Blogger. I selected Blogger for the attractiveness of the site but also the accessibility. It is easy for people to follow via Google and it is a widely accepted platform. When I join a blog site, I jump for joy when I see the Blogger symbol. I can then track my sites all on my main blog page and respond to other blogs all in one place.

 

[ManOfLaBook.com]

I moved from Blogger to Wordpress (on my own domain). I like WP better and the move was easy and I own my own content.

I recently had a bad experience with Google where they disabled my account - I had a Blogger blog which disappeared along with email, calendar, and more.

While it might be a bit tougher (A BIT!!!) to get Google followers, not being at the mercy of a big company and being the master for my own domain is worth it (for me).

http://www.ManOfLaBook.com

[John Hufft]

Thank you all for the replies.  I use Wordpress and am quite pleased.  Please check it out:  www.whyilovebooks.wordpress.com

 

Thank you all! :)

[J.M. Garlock]

WordPress is easier to use. It links directly to my website, photos are easily attached, previous blogs can be seen. People are looking for interesting content. Bells & whistles are nice but not essential. Furthermore unless it's ego driven or egocentric the purpose of a blog is to insert appropriate key words that link to your site.

J.M. Garlockhttp://www.actionmysteries.com