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blogger, wordpress.com: What else is there?
Posted by robertstevenson • 5/28/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: blog, domain, host
I rent domain space from wordpress.com. I like it, but I am limited in what I can do there.
What alternatives are there to blog hosting companies, like blogger and wordpress? What are the advantage and disadvantages.
User Comments
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TypePad.com. One of the originals. An online version of Movable Type. -
Does it allow most widgets, advertising, and layout theme option?
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yep...you can have all that...mine is on typepad -
should you try typepad, I highly recommend visiting typepadhacks.org
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Excellent advice. Thanks rearvumirr.
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Yahoo 360 I was there for more than 2 years
then they got a glitch and still have those glitches so I move out. -
Who are you with now, earthlingorgeous?
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lol I'm with Blogger now hahaha!
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You could buy space from dreamhost.com. They rent space without domain names. With your own purchased space you could check out any number of blogging tools.
If you want to go with either paid or not, Livejournal.com offers more features for $19.95 per year.-
This is more what I was looking for, I think. Do you know what the advantage is to owning a domain versus using one of the host compaines?
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With my experience, your own domain lets you have installable picture galleries, guestbooks, media players, your own layouts (outside of wordpress unless you know how to theme).
The downside is you have to pay for the name ($8.88 at Godaddy.com), and the hosting account, and your name and address is public in the WhoIs.
I'd go with purchasing space from dreamhost.com. That way you get all of the benefits of a domain, without the WhoIs and paying for the actual domain name.
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Sorry, I haven't used TypePad. I usually recommend Wordpress.com, since it is easy to migrate to self-hosted Wordpress if there is ever a need for more control and flexibility. I am not sure whether they all allow you to use your own domain name, but that is important when selecting a platform.
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There's another option: what is the real benefit of moving from wordpress.com to wordpress.org?
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wrong place
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Rob,
Good question!
I am not familiar with actually using TypePad or Wordpress, but I have experience with Blogger.
Having some experience with HTML I like Blogger, because I can use my HTML skills to take various templates I have found and modify them a bit.
I mainly use www.finalsense.com or www.eblogtemplates.com for templates. I then just modify them. Here is another good site for getting HTML/templates is www.pimp-my-profile.com
A great comparison chart is at pulsed.blogspot.com/2007/07/blogger-wordpress-chart.html
I'm sure you're going to get varying opinions, but I believe it depends a LOT on how people learn things and what blogging program works the best for them.
I am self-taught HTML, because reading a book about it was like trying to learn how to build a rocket to me. I don't build rockets, nor do I fly in them! I learn by doing vs. reading when it comes to computer stuff.
Blogger and the templates mentioned above have an added plus. They're FREE!
Best with your search,
Christine Bean
www.christinebean.com-
I am actually learning html on my own right now. I don't intend to create a blog in code, but I want to be able to modify existing code. Thanks, CB. these links will help me with my decision.
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@robert I learned html the "old school" way on Angelfire. The first webpage I ever had, way back in 1999 was hosted there and I messed around with it all and read all their webmonkey scripts etc. I even bought books on html and javascript...
Nowadays CSS is it and I HATE it because I haven't had the time to learn it. -
CSS is king of the hill. I want to learn it as well.
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OK, just like I feel about BC, I feel about Blogger--I started there and will stay there-unless it blows up!
I'm such a creature of habit... -
I use both Blogger and Wordpress.com. I hate that I can't use Javascript and Flash with Wordpress.com, and you only have a few templates that you can choose from. I feel confined there, so I also use Blogger. But I have also been thinking and wondering about other places.
The only advantage that Wordpress.com has over Blogger is their Directory, and I have as much or more traffic, just from that Directory than I do Blogger, that I have to work to get.
Interested in suggestions myself. I'm new to blogging altogether, so I am not willing to pay until I see where it is going to lead. I know I enjoy it, but...-
Looks like were in the same boat, searchingwithin. I actually started with blogger and moved to wordpress.com within the first couple of weeks.
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That's important to me to, Anniepooh. Tonight I went to widgetbox,com and found yet another widget I liked but couldn't use because it was not compatable with wordpress.com. I'm now in the fact-gathering mode. I just wanted to see who uses what and who's happy with their software. I'm glad to hear you're happy with Blogger.
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I'm the queen of widgets, lol ... which is why I love blogger. I've had a wordpress blog too, but I have more freedom with the colours and layout on blogger. Not sure why people don't like blogger...but I guess it's all personal taste.
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google gadgets is pretty cool too and script does work on typepad
www.google.com/webmasters/gadgets/ -
Don't you have to pay for Typepad. That's the thing there again, I'm not willing to pay just yet.
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yes Search ~ plans start as low as $4.95 a month
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@rearvumirr: I will look into this as well. How did you learn script? Is mastery of script necessary on typepad?
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many of your gadgets and widgets will be script...just a matter of copy and paste if you work in the advanced templates. Otherwise, there are many that will automatically work on typepad with a simple click, no need to work with code
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Why move from Wordpress.com to Wordpress.org
Quite simple really
If you have any intention of putting articles that are paid they will ban you
Notice I received today from Wordpress.com
We do not permit any paid content or links here at wordpress.com and these have been seen on your blog. Please can you remove all such content today.Once done the blog will be checked and the warning removed. The blog is liable to be suspended if they remain. If you do want to keep doing the paid content blogging you may want to look at setting up a blog elsewhere.We recommend starting to look here: wordpress.org/hosting -
Excellent point, Thanks Wendy.
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Yea I had to remove all the paid content.
I think is cause my pagerank was climbing too well
HIt pagerank 5 last round. go figure -
I don't even know what pagerank is either. I keep hearing folks talk about it, but I've never seen it. Where do you find the pagerank of your blog?
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You can check it here
www.whatsmypagerank.com/
or add it to your site
www.prchecker.info/
or add to your toolbar
www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/static.py?page=features.html
Wendy
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That's the thing with Wordpress.com, they give you limited options with the full intention of confining you, so that you will pay. That bothers me somehow.
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nearly all of them do that from what I have found
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I actually pay at wordpress.com. I rent my domain. My blog used to by: robertstevenson.wordpress.com; now it's robsmegaphone.com. But I did not get any additional options.
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Their Directory is the only thing that I see going for them. However, I like the Wordpress templates that you find out there much more than the others, so I have been searching for places that accept them. But like I said, I am new to all this, so I am a little confused, and still learning.
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Robertstevenson, you make me smile because I was thinking the same thing a few months ago. I'm using Blogger and I found it to be one of the best around. Although, I was a layout editor for many years and I didn't like the waste of space that Blogger has or how I couldn't size and shape the text/posts boxes the way I wanted.
I tried a few other blogging sites, like Google's Page Creator. Again, I wasn't happy with it. What I needed, from what I heard, was a layout program for Web sites, but that cost a lot of money. Plus, I don't have much HTML experience. So, I went to a few discussion boards on how I could rework my blog to what I wanted. It's not bad and I'm happy with it, but there is more I want to do.
I guess the only way you can be truly happy with your blog is to design it on your own.
timesobserver.blogspot.com -
Although, I primarily use Blogger, I have played a little with tumblr.
www.tumblr.com/
I like it's clean look, but adding on some basic features is not so obvious. -
Hi there Robert,
There are, I think, two primary advantages to owning your own domain:
1) All of the work that you do to build up the visibility and value of the domain name remains yours.
2) Self-registered, domain names are portable, so that you can move the domain to any host when you want it, and continue to develop the site in the way you want. There are many, many things that you can do with a self-hosted Wordpress site, that you cannot do on a hosted site. So, you preserve your long-term options by building your own domain name. I like Wordpress, because the migration path from hosted Wordpress to self-hosted Wordpress is pretty straightforward.
Cya around,
Rich -
Just a warning,look into Typepad as I had problems uploading my blog from wordpress.com. So I stayed at wordpress.com.
You do get a months free trail at Typepad, so give it a go, but you may have to copy posts over yourself, which I think is a bit sad since you are paying! -
Hi Robert,
Here is a link that describes Pagerank:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PageRank
Google is constantly changing its algorithms, and its page rank of a given site, so everything is always in flux. What the real pagerank of your site at any given time, is unknown, and can change very rapidly, if Google thinks that you are trying to game the search engine (e.g. buying links).
Your pagerank is affected by the number and type of sites that are linked to you. Your pagerank can be diminished by too many links from your site to other sites, especially if the target sites are either 1) not complimentary to your site or 2) judged to be a low ranking site by Google's standards. Many webmasters try to get links from authoritative sites (e.g. a link from from well known university), which will help boost their own authority in Google's eyes.
Hope this helps,
Rich
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I have a blog with Blogger that does quite well and has good readership. Interestingly enough, it doesn't get a lot of commentary. I have noticed that similar blogs in my "niche" that are Wordpress.com hosted get more comments. I think this has to do with the fact that it's a hassle to leave comments on Blogger if you don't have a Gmail account vs simple Name and Email verification at Wordpress. To be quite honest, I am very impressed with what I've seen over at Wordpress and am kicking myself that I didn't migrate my site over to there. I may still do that in the future ( I'm going to leave my Blogger site vacant in January when I go into the Peace Corps and use a Wordpress blog). Sure it may be limited in terms of what you can and can't do if you want a free site and don't really know HTML, but the number of free themes that are uniquely customizable is pretty amazing. I went through over 20 pages of themes just browsing.
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