Hi Andrea,

I used Blogger for a long time, but switched to Wordpress a year ago and am very pleased with it. The design is very clean (I'm on the "free" version), I've NEVER had an issue with site downtime, or readers having difficulty with commenting. Blogger did have those issues for me on occasion. Wordpress also has a really nice app for posting and editing on the iPad/iPhone, which is great when you have to post in a hurry and realize when you are out and about that there is an error that needs fixing. :)

You can check out my blog here.

Best of luck - let me know if you need any assistance!

Thanks, Diane, for checking in on me. And its funny you mention it because I'd been wondering about the categories. Maybe I'll check out your site again so I can see how an expert does it! I really appreciate your kind words!

Andrea

Andrea,

Awesome blog! I typed out a comment and then I couldn't leave it without logging in to wordpress.com or gravitar.com. Then poof--that comment disappeared! Oh well...but I did want to persevere and tell you what a great looking blog it is and how much I liked your first post. Really love your bio too. 

Your next blogging assignment is to figure out and then set up three or four categories for your posts. I see you have the tags, but categories are really good too. But above all, keep writing!! And keep being fearless!!! 

Diane

Here's a link to my new blog with my first post!

http://andreamiles.com/2012/05/30/the-courage-to-be-fearless/

Thanks everyone for all your help!

I can be a bit obsessive, but ok, going to return to vacation mode! But maybe after I check out your blog! :)

Great blog, Nancy! And I applaud your courage in telling a story that's often unspoken about returning vets. I'll be watching your publishing story unfold, and I'm interested in learning the POD publisher you chose.

Thanks for sharing the story about obtaining permission to use the song lyrics. When I was editing a book a year ago, the writer used a snippet of a lyric, and I told her what she had to do in order to use it. I had just read the awesome resource The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, and prior to reading the book, I hadn't seen anywhere else a mention of this "must-do" pre-publishing requirement. You certainly have earned "your stripes" going through THAT process!

Good luck to you on your continuing journey. It is so worth it!

Diane Owens @ wisewomenwrite.com

Oh how funny--you're on vacation and you're doing all this research! No wonder your husband is concerned. :)

A point of clarification on your site going down "con" that the WP article mentions. Remember how I told you that there's a plugin for everything? Well, there's a handy-dandy plugin that backs up my site weekly and emails me a copy of the backup. 

So glad that you're visiting writers' blog sites and taking note of their design and blogging platform choice! That's definitely a smart way to figure out what's been done so that you can visualize what's possible for you.  Have you checked out my site yet, www.wisewomenwrite.com?

You know, Andrea, that you can always go with WP.com at first and then later change over to the "full monte" after you become comfortable with Wordpress but decide you want more options, etc. Going with WP.com would be a good way to "stick your big toe" in the blogging water. However, I still recommend that the blogging lake you dip into is the Wordpress platform. :)

Now shut off your computer and go out there and get in VACATION mode!!

Thank you, Nancy, for your insight. And you should be proud of the traffic you are getting to your site. The blog I currently have that's all about my kids is only read faithfully by my mother and a handful of relatives. I'm not even sure if my husband is a subscriber!

I have been toying around with the Wordpress site. There are some pretty cool themes - it's hard to choose! But i think i'll need to check out their helpful videos/articles to fully see what all the options are. Kathy, love your sites & your book seems very interesting. Im going to keep my eye on you :) Diane, you are so kind to keep up with this & make sure I have all the information. I am leaning toward Wordpress, but I don't know if I'm tech-savvy enough for a self-hosted site. The whole con of potentially losing everything if the site goes down is a little disconcerting! I have been visiting writers' blogs, checking out which they chose (WP or Blogger) and how they've styled their pages. I'm actually on vacation right now & my husband has been commenting on this sudden obsession, as if I have to have this decided by the end of the week! Thanks again, ladies, for your insight and advice. It's nice to know I have people I can go to for such helpful info!

Hi Kathy,

Yes, Kathy, I'll say you certainly have been more creative design-wise on your blogger sites! But still with your Wordpress.com site, you are using just the "out-of-the-box" theme. WIth Wordpress.org, you have your choice of so many cool themes, and many of them are customizable with the colors, header, number of columns, etc. Just wanted to point that out for Andrea. 

Love the idea behind your latest book!