Blogging sites... Which do you use and why?

I've attempted blogging on a couple of different platforms including wordpress, blogspot, and blogger. If you are an experienced blogger - Which blogging platform do you prefer? and Why? Please be specific about what do you like and dislike -- something that doesn't work for you might be just the trick for someone else.

If there is already a thread or group on this topic - just let me know and I'll jump in there.

Thanks,
Dee.

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Permalink Reply by Denise H. Todd on August 3, 2010 at 11:18am

I found an interesting site http://blog-services-review.toptenreviews.com/
and it compares the top ten blogging sites. What services they provide, benefits etc.
Hope that helps some of you out there who might be considering blogging.

Dee.

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Permalink Reply by Alayne Bushey-Fiore on August 27, 2010 at 6:35am

I use Wordpress for my book blog The Crowded Leaf. In my opinion, Wordpress is more professional looking than Blogspot and Blogger. It all depends on the audience you're going for though. Some people like lots of glitz and color and shiny things, so maybe you want Blogger, but I really don't like those websites because they take too long to load. Wordpress has a variety of layouts that you can choose from, and different side-bars to put links and advertisements to other pages. You can check mine out if you're curious, and I have a blogroll on the right side that has links to lots of other blogs on various servers as well. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Denise H. Todd on August 31, 2010 at 8:46am

Alyne,
I checked out your page - very nice, thank you for sharing. I'll have to check out some Blogger sites and see if I can tell what you mean by glitz and color. I'm using Workpress too, just building it though, not ready for prime-time yet. I wish there was a class on how to get the most out of the site. Reading all the help stuff takes time, and I always feel like I'm missing something.

Denise.

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Permalink Reply by Denise H. Todd on August 31, 2010 at 8:40am

Catana,
Yes, I started on Live Journal but never really got the community feel that you apparently do get. That's great. For my writing stuff that I need critiqued etc. I use Writing.com. When I first started with Writing.com there was a "newbie" group that really guided me around and got me going, and got me hooked up with a great group of people.

But yes, professionally, I'm working on putting together something in Wordpress. If my memory serves me right, I had an old, old, blogger page set up once that I'm just now realizing I've forgotten about over the years -- I don't suppose my login would work any more!

Yes, the network in place (as you say) is the key. Still working on that one! But then again, I suppose we all are -- all the time.

Denise.

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Permalink Reply by Debra Gagnon on October 13, 2010 at 1:10pm

Just the information I was looking for!!! I was about to start a thread and ask the same thing myself until I searched and discovered yours. Thanks Denise.

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Permalink Reply by Denise H. Todd on October 13, 2010 at 4:42pm

Glad it helped! Seems though that the answer to the question, "What's the best" -- is -- whatever you are most familiar with!!

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Permalink Reply by sonia lal on November 8, 2010 at 10:34am

I use wordpress.com. I have tried blogger, but I just like wordpress better. I like the way it looks better.

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Permalink Reply by Denise H. Todd on December 18, 2010 at 9:55am

There is a lot to be said for simplicity! If one can't use it, it won't be used!

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Permalink Reply by Patty Kay Mooney on November 8, 2010 at 7:02pm

I have blogs on both Blogger and Wordpress. "A Diary Left Open" - http://www.adiaryleftopen is at Blogger; and "Soldier's Heart" is at http://www.soldiersheartblog.com. Although I appreciate the potential that is intrinsic to Wordpress, I seem to gravitate more towards Blogger because it's simpler for me. I wouldn't say that Blogger is necessarily about glitz or color or shiny things; that all depends on how you format it. You can have a very subtle or understated Blogger page. Each format has its positive aspects. If you have the time to experiment, check out both Blogger and Wordpress and see how you feel. Both are free, so you have nothing to lose but your time.

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Permalink Reply by Denise H. Todd on December 18, 2010 at 10:08am

I visited both your blogs. They clearly have a different look and feel to them. The Blogger site seems (to me) more personal in nature, and the wordpress more "professional" (not to say the blogger site is unprofessional - just more casual). Probably more due to how you set it up the than actual platform.

Simple seems to be a recurring theme here..

Since you have direct experience with both - can you (or anyone else can chime in) list any features you use on Wordpress that are not available on Blogger?

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Permalink Reply by Cassandra lewis on November 29, 2010 at 4:04pm

Wordpress seems to be recommended for SEO purposes, but I set up a new Blogspot blog ten days ago and have been getting search engine visitors for the last four or five days. I think Blogger has a better interface for beginners, but you have to be prepared to learn some tricks and edit your html code to add meta-tags etc if you want a good web presence. That said, google looks after its own, so Blogger should be picked up well enough...

The new Blogger templates are far better than the old selection, and you can easily upload your own background image if you don't like the ones provided. If anyone needs any help setting up a Blogger blog just send me a pm. I can send you links to posts I've written with instructions for adding meta-tags, as well as all sorts of other useful info.

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Permalink Reply by Denise H. Todd on December 18, 2010 at 10:12am

Thanks, Cassandra! I'm sure your tips will be helpful. So kind of you to offer.

Interesting that most people are saying that Blogger is simpler, but I'm getting from your post is that it's as simple as you make it -- and maybe some aren't really getting the SEO punch that they might want because they don't -- as you said ". . . learn some tricks and edit your html code to add meta-tags etc."