WordPress vs. Blogger: My Thoughts
There are a lot of blogging options out there to choose from. Blogger is probably the most popular, and one of the easiest to get started with. I originally started on Blogger, but I was left wanting more in terms of features and expandability. It allows for nearly limitless customization of its appearance, but the work involved in building a professional grade blog on Blogger can be time consuming.
WordPress, on the other hand, allows much more in terms of extensibility via widgets and plugins, but has limited customization as a free blog. Hosting is limited, and CSS editing is disabled unless the user opts to host the blog offsite or pays a fee for editing capabilities.
If you want to blog and not pay a dime, the choice between WordPress and Blogger is difficult. If you already own a domain or have hosting, WordPress is the obvious choice. This website is powered by WordPress, and I frequently find myself recommending the tool over Blogger for its no-nonsense interface and powerful extensions.
I’m not convinced purchasing additional hosting/css editing via WordPress is worth it however; my recommendation is to purchase your own hosting and domain, through a provider like Blue Host (my host), and building a wordpress blog on it. You get all the advantages of a custom domain, more than enough hosting to meet the needs of a personal site, and full discretion on layout and design. For around $6-7 a month, I strongly recommend this strategy (plus, when you have money involved, you are more likely to post on a regular basis).
If you blog, what tool do you use, and why?
2 Comments to “WordPress vs. Blogger: My Thoughts”
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Jeff is a social media specialist and online marketing professional in Seattle, Washington. He currently works on a fast paced team specialized in social networking and search engine optimization.
Jeff! Just been reading your blog. Good stuff and I agree. I’m getting way too addicted to twitter. haha.
Tried blogging with Blogger, it’s a pain for photos and design. It made me as frustrated as I could be. WordPress is SO easy to format and you can find themes that really fit what you’re looking for.
I was able to help market SWAE Sports through a WordPress blog and the template was clean and professional. We also were able to add plugins that gave our blog a unique look. SWAE is a company based out of Boulder devoted to promoting conservation through adventure by becoming for the first online home for adventure sports. http://www.swaesports.com/blog
The photo gallery was linked to a flickr account, which is another great plugin that’s incredibly easy to use.
Check out my photo blog at jesselongname.wordpress.com.
Thanks Jesse, I’ll definitely check out your blog. From what Alice told me, it sounds like you had a blast on your trip!