Friday, May 17, 2019

Discussion: Jump in Someone Else's Train


This Week’s Topic: Jump In Someone Else's Train


I started drafting this post after seeing yet another blogger making the switch from Blogger to WordPress, and it had me wondering, why make the switch?
A few years back, Kiersten thought about making the switch. She researched it throughly, and decided that if she was not going to self-host, there was no real benefit to making the switch. That is why we never made the jump from a free blogspot blog to a free Wordpress blog, but many other bloggers have, and I am curious as to the benefits.

I have heard people say, that it is easier to follow a Wordpress blog and then you can have all your blogs in one place. I don't know, I accomplish the same thing by using Feedly. 

Then there are the Wordpress follow trains on Twitter. Obviously, I cannot join, but I will follow a blog even if it's not a blogspot blog. My only requirement is that it's a book blog, because that's what I like to read about. 

When I was researching this myself, I found two prominent cons for blogspot blogs:
  • Since it is run by Google, they do not automatically integrate with other social media platforms, which I am not sure what they meant here, because each of my posts has buttons to share on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook. 
  • Apparently, Google can easily delete you. 

It's a well known fact, that I am cheap and poor. I blog to support my reading habit, because I am cheap and poor. However, I am also curious as to what made you choose your blogging platform. So, let me know why in the comments. 


Now it's your turn!

What drew you to your blogging platform? 
Let us know in the comments!

59 comments:

  1. I'm curious too! Also because I tried free Wordpress back when I started blogging, and I remember it not being half as customizable as Blogger was, so I went with the latter. Like you, I'm "cheap and poor" (LOL), and since I can't afford self-hosting, Blogger it is!

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    1. I plan on coming back for the other bloggers' answers of course.

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    2. That is another con I recall from when Kiersten was weighing the pros and cons of migrating

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  2. Blogger is easy to set up and use and I like things to be simple. I once tried to set up Wordpress but I found it hard to do in comparison and I hit so many problems. I tried to delete the whole thing but it wouldn't let me and they took some kind of ownership of my email address and won't let me use that to comment on other Wordpress blogs. I have to use a fake email address instead!

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    1. I think I remember Kiersten saying something about the WP interface

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  3. I went with self hosted Wordpress after researching. I can't remember what the reasons were now lol but i remember wanting the Ultimate Book Blogger plug in!

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  4. For me it’s all about ease of use. I know very little html and nothing about css so I needed something that was 100% user-friendly. That was Blogger. Wordpress seemed to require more know-how that I had and talk on plug-in’s just made my eyes cross. LOL Lately I’ve seen some random comments that makes it seem like there’s a bias against Blogger blogs (and I once actually visited a blog where she came out stated she would not comment on Blogger blogs - uh, thank you and goodbye). I don’t care what platform is used as long as I enjoy the content.

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    1. I don't care where or how you host your blog, I am there for the content. But, alas, I know there is some sort of blogspot bias, but I would hate to give up the control I have just so I could be more "popular". I guess it would matter more, if I was really trying to be an influencer, but I just want to have a place to talk about books.

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    2. Quote: "I once actually visited a blog where she came out stated she would not comment on Blogger blogs - uh, thank you and goodbye".
      I hope it was because no blogging platform is comment-friendly if your blog is hosted on a different one. On Blogger there's the Anonymous option, but it only attracts spam that doesn't even get filtered. Then again, so many people have at least a Gmail address nowadays, so it shouldn't be so hard to comment on a Blogger blog - you just log in to it. With WP and Tumblr you don't even have that kind of option...

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    3. I saw this thing about Blogger being hard to comment on. There are WP blogs that require you have a WP account, and many others that make you leave your name, email, etc every, single, time. I am seriously obsessed with commenting systems after doing this post.

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    4. I smell a discussion post coming LOL.

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  5. I ended up making the switch to Wordpress simply because it seemed like over on Blogger, I was shouting into the void. After several months' worth of blogging on Blogger, I had all of three followers, whereas after about two months over on Wordpress, I have over a hundred. It's been a lot easier for me to connect with the blogging community this way. For someone that's already established and has been around for a long time, you're good there. :)

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    1. I suppose the way you host sort of follows the same sort of popularity social media has gone through. You know, like how FB is passé and Instagram and Twitter are the places to be. Once WP went free, I saw a lot of blogs migrating, but as my co-blogger found out, you cannot control the look as much, and I will tell you right now, it would make me nuts if I was unable to mess with the HTML. Ha! We have been here a long time, but we are a really small blog, but I have some wonderful blogger friends.

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  6. We've just made the switch as you know, and I'm glad we did, even though I do think wordpress is not that different from blogger. When it comes to customization of the layout and design, blogger was better to use, I'll say that: on a free wordpress you cannot edit the HTML code of the blog. For us, though, it hardly matters, because we have never been able to edit HTML haha.

    Another thing was that we got scared when google got rid of their google+ service - it surprised us especially how swiftly they did it. We were wondering if one day they may do something like that to blogger.

    One of our reasons was that we were seeing less and less people wanting to use bloglovin (which used to be our main follow option). Heck, a lot of new bloggers don't even use bloglovin for their own blog. Meanwhile wordpress is thriving.

    After switching I can say that I adore the wordpress post editor so much! I was bloody confused by it at first haha, but I'm super-satisfied with its differences from blogger now. When it comes to customizing the size of pictures, choosing the color of the text/text background wordpress leaves us with so much more freedom than blogger did.

    So, overall, I'm definitely satisfied with the switch, although real change would only happen, imo, if we opted for self-hosting, which is not going to happen anytime soon haha.

    Veronika @ Wordy and Whimsical

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    1. Not being able to manipulate the HTML would be an issue for me. I have all my posts as html templates, which I cut and paste into the new posts. I see blogs starting on WP and having 1000 followers after 2 months, so I can see wanting to switch for that reason, but I think it's because some some of blogspot stigma was created a few years back. I don't see myself self-hosting, because, like I said, this is a hobby, and when we looked into the costs, it adds up.

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  7. I chose Blogger because I had a few Wordpress blogs before I started my current blog, and I wanted to try out a different host. From what I remember, Wordpress blogs had cool plugins that made blogging quicker, it was easier to get followers, and the Twitter button makes your Tweets look better. I’m not sure if that’s still true. I’ve seen people on Twitter say they only follow and comment on Wordpress blogs because it’s easier. That makes me sad.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. Kiersten was in college, when she was thinking about migrating, and it was because everyone else was fleeing. Most new bloggers seem to select WP, because it's the place to be, but I am hesitant to move. I don't get the struggle with the commenting either. I have like 5 zillion different accounts in order to comment on people's blogs. At least I don't make you enter your name, email, url, click two buttons, and do math to leave a comment <-- this is a real thing, by the way, and all those buttons that say "click to save you name and email" are lies.

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  8. I chose Blogger because it was free and from the little research I did, it seemed like the more user-friendly option for people who didn't know a ton about the mechanics behind web design. I follow most blogs through Bloglovin so for me it doesn't matter what platform someone else uses. As far as commenting, I've never really had a problem commenting on Blogger vs. Wordpress. I don't know what the big deal is about commenting on Blogger? As long as you have a gmail account, which everyone seems to have these days anyway?

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    1. I was never a fan of the bloglovin interface and was grateful for Kristin turning me onto Feedly. I guess they don't want to have another account to comment, but I had to sign up for WP to comment on WP blogs. There are blogs that use disq-something like that, too. From what I am seeing, I wouldn't be able to use my html templates on free WP, and this is a hobby, not a job. I would rather use my extra pennies to do a giveaway.

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  9. I am an associate reviewer so I don't have my own blog so I can only speak as a follower. I follow blogs and don't make it about what their platform is and make it about their content. I don't find one easier to comment on over the other. I suppose it comes down to what the blogger finds easier to use and can afford.
    Good discussion, Sam!

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    1. I am like you. I don't care where you host. I have a lot of different commenting accounts, and it doesn't bother me to have them (since my computer remembers all my sign-ins).

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  10. I've self-hosted my blog for years on a Wordpress platform, but since my blog crashed just over a week ago when I was performing an update and I haven't been able to get it restored, I've been debating just starting over on a free Blogspot blog, I just don't want to lose all of my followers!

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    1. Bummer about your site. Sorry to hear it crashed. Do they give you any support for recovery purposes? I do remember a bunch of bloggers lamenting a WP update a while ago, and that it took them a while to get the hang of it. I am not about that. I am computer literate, but I don't have the time to do anything fancy here. I hate to say it, but there is a lot of blogger stigma. If you do start over, use free WP.

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  11. This is something I've wondered about to! I've been using Blogger for over a decade so I can't imagine making the switch, especially when Blogger is free. I'm always surprised by the costs associated with a Wordpress blog when I go looking. I do pay about $15 a year for my own domain, but I can't imagine paying any more than that, although I might make the switch someday.

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    1. With what Veronika said about not being able to alter the html, that would annoy me. WYSIWYG editors have always made me nuts. I would much rather be able to just put the markup in myself. But, I don't want to spend all the money to self host. I remember, back when I was just a blog mom, my daughter telling me about the prices. You have the yearly domain name fee, plus a monthly hosting fee. I think she found like $30 a month with nosegraze, and that got you support too, but I would rather do a giveaway or buy my own books instead of blogging to get free books. In the end, I think more people see your thoughts on GR, Amazon, or social media (Twitter, Instagram). That is why I have been building my following on Twitter.

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  12. Excellent question Sam! I chose Wordpress after having read many bloggers saying that they did prefer Wordpress to Bloggers. I also noticed the community and the ease to follow so I did not look further honestly! Oh and I chose to host myself so I am on WP.org.

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    1. WLABB started before WP was a thing, so blogger was very much widely used. I would say it was maybe 2015 or 2016 when you saw the mass migrations happening. Is it that hard to follow a blogger blog? I never realized it was difficult.

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  13. My dad owns his own business so he pays for several website domains. He was the one who actually suggested I start my own blog when I was in high school since I was reading so much and following the YA community on Twitter. He helped me set up a self-hosted one through Wordpress so that's why I'm there.

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    1. Back when I was just a blog mom, my daughter tried to get me to pay for her to self host. It was not gonna happen. You're dad's awesome.

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  14. I'm not tech savvy enough to switch over to Wordpress. There was a mass move over to wordpress a couple of years back and we did actually try to switch over but it was too much hassle for me to figure out. Great post, Sam! :)

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    1. I am tech savvy. I used to write software, but I don't want to be banging my head against a wall, when this is my fun hobby.

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  15. I actually use wordpress because I hadn't even heard of Blogger back when I first started. LOL! I obviously jumped right in without tons of research. Now I can only say that I don't like that some Blogger blogs have it so that I can't comment without having a Blogger acct, and sometimes I can't figure out how to subscribe to some of the blogger accounts. But I think that's more a problem with the blogger not knowing how to fix it??

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    1. This blog was started in 2013, and there were a ton of blogger blogs. It was 2 or so years later that WP emerged as the new, hot place to be. I am pretty sure I signed up for WP, because I wanted to comment on WP blogs. I think it's just how the commenting systems work, unless someone allows anonymous comments (maybe?). I use Feedly now for all my subscriptions. I like the interface a lot.

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  16. I also use Blogger and I honestly love it! I feel like it's really user friendly. I was going to switch over to Wordpress a few years ago and I just couldn't navigate the platform very well. I like simplicity so I am sticking to Blogger!! =)

    ~ Kendra @ Kendra Loves Books

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    1. I keep hearing the same sort of thing from people, who started on Blogger. It is easy to use, but I do know there is a stigma attached to it.

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  17. I started off on blogger but switched on Wordpress when I wanted to start making money via blogging because more professionals accept it normally? And I also think it is easier for me to construct my posts and get them organised as well. I DO however, still use feedly to track the blogs I follow. So I'm a wordpress user and a feedly lover :P

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    1. I can spot a WP blog from a mile away, because there is something about the templates, which I don't particularly like. It would bug me if I could not fix that, and I don't think I am willing to pay $400 a year to blog. I could buy a ticket to Chicago and visit my kid with that money.

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  18. I originally started on Blogger and switched to self-hosted Wordpress a few years ago. I don't think I would have done it if I weren't going the self-hosted route, though. One thing I didn't like about Blogger was that it doesn't tell people when you reply to their comments, which I found annoying. But I didn't see much other benefit of WP over Blogger.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. Oh, I guess also WP also makes it easier to reply back because the link brings you directly to other people's blogs. I always leave a link in my Blogger comments because it seems annoying to have to click through other links to get to me.

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    2. When I click your name, it brings me to your blogger profile. That's where I have my blog listed. If people want to get notified, they just have to click the "notify me" box. I can honestly go on all day about commenting systems, because sometimes I feel like I am bending over backwards to leave a comment.

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  19. I've thought about it a few times but honestly don't see a reason to for the way I blog.

    The negatives for blogger are that they tend to dump features without warning and I sometimes have a horrible time with formatting - especially pictures.

    I co-hosted a fan site on WP and the upside for them is the amount of plug-ins that make posting SO much easier. But I know a lot of bloggers that made the switch - and who say they love it - but are always having technical problems like the plug-ins going wonky during updates or their page not loading.

    As for commenting - I have a horrible time trying to comment on WP blogs but I don't think there is a really solid commenting system out there.

    I'm so causal about blogging these days so I don't see myself paying money to do this lol


    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. I think because I can play with the HTML, I don't seem to have too many formatting problems in blogger. For the most part, I can get a post done quite quickly, because I have html templates I wrote for each kind of post. I agree, there is not perfect commenting system. Though, I am a fan of the ones you just log into and I don't have write my life story or identify all the cars in the pictures, etc. Same, this is a hobby. I will never make any money from it, because that takes more time than I have, and I would rather spend the money on giveaways or books.

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  20. I've wondered about this as well, so thanks for posting it. The responses you've gotten are interesting. I've never had an issue with Blogger, so I'm sticking to it!

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    1. Some responses are what I expected (WP is more accepted in the community), but others surprised me (all the commenting drama). I have never had any issues either and I have it down to a science.

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  21. I've never had any problems with blogger. I know there are cons to being a blogspot blog but I don't have the money to pay for a self hosted one. Not with my terrible book buying habit and from what I've seen free wordpress blogs are good but have their own issues. I back up my blog (very occasionally but now feel a strong urge to back myself up) so hopefully Google won't screw me over. And I don't get folks saying they can easily follow wordpress blogs. That's what sites like feedly and bloglovin are for surely?

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    1. I mean, I could find the money, but I would rather use it in different ways. I remember when WP did some update, and everyone was struggling with it. Remember when FB was the place to be, but then it was Twitter or Instagram? I feel that's what happened to blogger to some extent. Popularity waned, when a new hosting platform came to town. And you see the whole WP gang thing in the follow trains that state "WP blogs only" and how new WP blogs pop up and within two weeks have 500 followers. I don't have a ton of followers, but the ones I have are high quality.

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  22. I went with Wordpress when I first started out just because I was already familiar with the platform, but I went the self-hosted route because I preferred the freedom and control I felt that route gave me versus using wordpress.com.

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    1. I think WP was the platform many were using when you started. I just know I am too poor and cheap to pay for hosting. When the kid tried to pitch me on paying for it back when she was thinking of switching, I was a solid "no", because $400+ was just beyond my comfort.

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  23. This may just prompt me to do a post on my experience. Since back in 2014, I started with Blogger, switched to free WP, and then self-hosted WP. I took a hiatus and came back to Blogger since it's cheap. I did research to start back on free WP but things have changed drastically in WP that I didn't like any of the options I was given.
    also, at one point I thought blogger was harder to understand/manage than WP, but I'm noticing it is so much easier! I'm really loving it a lot! I'll have to check Feedly since I'm stuck on Bloglovin. This is an awesome post! First time I read everyone's comments on a post and their replies.
    Genesis @ Whispering Chapters

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    1. Your's and AJ's responses are really interesting, because you have tried both platforms. The experiences on both platforms seem mixed, so I think one's objective becomes a bigger deciding factor. I just want to talk about books, and I like the perks of free books, because let's face it, my reading habit would cost a fortune. I know I have learned a lot from this discussion and have a lot to think about from it.

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  24. I've been thinking about making the switch, because I like how the platform looks and how you don't have to scroll. However, I'd have to learn a new system, transfer everything over and pay someone to format and set it up for me, because I'm not tech savvy. So for now, I'm staying on blogger.

    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

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    1. There's something about WP blogs that always bothers me. They tend to be so wide or something, that I can't quite put my finger on. But, you will be more popular if you switch. I see people talking about getting 500 followers in one month on WP.

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  25. I mostly switched just to have more options and more control. I had kind of... Idk, almost "outgrown" Blogger in a sense? Like- I had purchased themes and stuff, but there were a finite set of options. And I had lost drafts of posts a few times, and formatting posts could be a nightmare, so... yeah. That said, back in the day when I made the switch, it wasn't nearly as expensive as it is to switch now. If I had to do it today, I probably wouldn't be able to afford it tbh.

    Also, while yeah Google can delete you, if you don't pay your hosting fees you vanish too, so I think that;s something to consider. It's also a reminder to back up periodically, which I never do but should. Like right now while my mind is on it hah.

    As for free WP, that would be my absolute last resort, personally. I simply don't like it. There's so few options and I don't find it user friendly. Also, I am not a fan of the WP blog reader thingy, so I don't ever use it anyway.

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    1. One to the things I am hearing about free WP is that I wouldn't be able to manipulate the mark up, and I draft most of my posts that way. I was never a fan of WYSIWYG editors. They make me nuts. I can format much faster using tags, and have even edited the CSS. I honestly don't worry about getting deleted. I have a philosophy about that, but I understand it's something other people would be concerned with.

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  26. I started with blogger, but then switched to self hosted. Mostly because I wanted all the plugins, and to know that I owed my site. If you are not self hosting, from everything I've read blogger is better than free wordpress. And the last thing I look at when following blogs is what platform it's on, it just doesn't bother me. And I can't see why it does to anyone!

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    1. I feel like you. If I am not going to self host, a free site is a free site. Though, you are confirming the research I have done with respect to free WP vs. Blogger (thank you!), but there is the whole WP cliquey thing (it's real).

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  27. Well Sam, I have had Blogger, Wordpress and my own site. I came back to blogger. I just wanted free and easy. Google is easy for me. I didn't want to pay for another site either after paying for a few years and wordpress isn't hard per say, I just didn't want it. I am fine having blogspot.

    Mary

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    1. You really bring an interesting perspective, having done it all three ways. Good to hear you didn't think WP was hard, though, because I have heard there is more of a learning curve, than with Blogger.

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