We had some great discussions and comments here and on a few other blogs last week. This week I’d like to discuss the following:
Which blog application do you use (typepad, blogger, blogsome, etc.) and why? If you were to make a case for using your application over another, what would the pros and cons be?
I used to use Blogger, but decided to change to Typepad when Blogger started having a few glitches. Sometimes my posts didn’t post, sometimes I couldn’t leave or receive comments, etc. In fact, even last night I tried to leave comments on a few sites, but I had the misfortune of trying to do so during "scheduled maintenance" (which was 7pm CST and 5pm PST! Who schedules maintenance during peak hours? Why not schedule it for 3 am?) Blogger was free, but the frustration was too much.
My friend Shannon moved to Typepad and loved it and convinced me to try it. I have to say, I really like it. Typepad is a pay service and has several levels based on your needs. It also allows you a 30 day trial to "try it before you buy it."
I like that Typepad allows me to
- use one of their templates or design my own
- publish now or in the future. I can write several posts and mark them to be published on specific dates.
- write in WYSIWYG or HTML
- preview what my posts will look like before I actually publish them.
So what are your thoughts? Feel free to post comments here or start a discussion at your own site. If you start one at your site, please let me know so I can check out what people are saying over there.
Update: Apparently Blogger is having issues today. People are having trouble with comments, can’t access their blogs, etc. I swear I did not arrange this just so we’d get some converts to Typepad! But, hey, if the blog fits…
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I have used TypePad since the beginning, because the first blog I started reading used it. After the free trial I bought the basic service, and have subsequently upgraded to Plus and now Pro. I like TypePad’s flexibility in the types of designs you can use, they have more extensive options in terms of setting privacy protections on blogs, they generally have decent customer support (which they’d better since it’s a pay service.) I get frustrated sometimes with the way images are posted/formatted — they don’t always look the same once published as they did in the WYSIWYG view.
I’ve done little comparisons of TypePad with Squarespace, Blogsome, and Blogger. Squarespace is priced similarly to TypePad (maybe more expensive) and had some nice features, but seemed to have less configuration options. Blogsome is fairly new and seems like a decent free service, but you’re restricted to a set of standard templates. Blogger of course is quite popular but seems to have a lot of issues with downtime.
I use blogger, because when I was surfing blogs I saw the little message at the top that said “Get your own blog.” Then when I checked it out and saw the word “free” I was hooked. Considering it’s free, I try not to get aggrevated with the inconveniences. I’ll tell you a secret though–I just bought my own domain, and I’ll be switching over as soon as I get it designed. I’m pretty independent so I like the idea of being “on my own” and I’ve learned a lot using Blogger, so I look forward to learning even more. I am glad I have friends and family who have offered to help me figure it all out. Oh, and I like that my new web address will be so much more simple.
From what I understand, you can re-design the blogger templates if you know what you are doing. I could be wrong here, but I’ve seen some that go way beyond their basic template.
i use blogger; there’s actually kind of a funny story as to why. when i decided i wanted to get a blog, i was planning to sign up on livejournal. WHY? because i had friends in high school who had livejournal blogs. they were the only ones i knew about. my husband was like, no honey. he just told me i didn’t want an account there, and now i know (a little more) why. soooo we found blogger, and i got an account. he’s pushed me several times to get a typepad account — but i don’t want to spend the money. i put up with any inconveniences (which have been few for me) of blogger b/c it’s free. and i’m not ready to PAY for my blog yet.
my hubby (master of code) did help me redesign my site, and i LOVE my new look. it makes me so happy!!
I too switched from blogger to typepad. For the most part, I really like it. I love that I can upload my book lists really easily and it’s so easy to create lists of any kind. My main gripe is that I have the basic service (the 4.95/month one) and I can’t, for the life of me, figure out how to customize the template. I have all these great ideas (no html skilz, unfortunately) and can’t do anything other than pick one of the 30 or so boring premade options. So I switch mine around every few months, hoping that I’ll find something that strikes my fancy.
Make mine WordPress. I purchase my hosting space from Dreamhost, who offers a completely automated installation and update script for the WordPress software.
Wordpress and Movable Type (the engine behind Typepad) share many similar characteristics. Despite the fact that WordPress is a freely-distributable product, it enjoys a high level of support. It also has an active and prolific community of hobbyist developers that are constantly creating new visual themes and code plug-ins.
Color me happy!