For almost half of 2018, I used the Blogger platform to share some of my ideas about writing and some of my fiction. It has been a wonderful experience in both creativity and sharing. This will be my last post on Blogger. Before I open my new Bluehost site, I would like to share the pleasures and the joy of using Blogger and my fundamental reasons for leaving it.
When I first set up my blog, I was most concerned with cost. What would it cost to register my domain name? What would be the hosting fee? How many extra options would I need to purchase to enhance the appearance of my page? What kind of interface would my readers have with the comments section? Since my site was not for profit, whatever costs I incurred would be mine alone.
If you are not planning to use your blog to make you rich and your primary goal is sharing ideas you need look no further than Blogger. The sum of your cost to blog on Blogger is zero. It is free.
How is this possible? Why are there so many articles dealing with the costs and the frustrations of setting up blogs on Bluehost, SiteGround, and DreamHost? The answer is explained as you set up your Blogger blog. Blogger is a part of the Google Empire. That is seen in the web address of your blog. Your web page address will always be of the form, your_name. blogspot.com. Blogspot refers to Blogger. What it conveys is your web page shares a part of the space allocated to you by Google. The keyword is Google. You are given a spot in the Google blogging universe The domain name belongs to Google; not to you.
Blogger also provides excellent web exposure. For someone new to the blogging universe the value of this cannot be overemphasized . Remember that Blogger is a part of Google. Google swears its search algorithms are impartial and a post appearing on Blogger will not be weighted higher than the same post on DreamHost. I cannot remark on the truthfulness of that in either direction. I leave that for much better statisticians than I.
Bloggers best feature is that it is easy to use. It gives you an editor that lets you type your post. There are numerous options to build on that but if your need to write stems from a demanding urge to be read Blogger is the answer to your blogging dreams.
Blogger does not restrict you to just one blog. Supposing you want to write about the attributes of good writing. You also want to publish some of your own fiction, and you also want to post reviews you have written about novels you have enjoyed reading. You plan to do this on three different blogs. Most hosting platforms charge extra if you want two or more blogs. Not Blogger. Two or more cost the same as one. Blogger is a great cost-based decision.
So, why am I leaving Blogger? Not because of any direct action against me taken by Google. As far as I know, Google does not know who I am or what I write. They couldn't care less, and that is the way it should be. However…………….
Blogger is a part of Google. Google is bigger than any hosting platform by itself. What made me question why I even used Blogger was reading the agreement with Google for giving me room to post on Blogger for free. I did not sell my soul to Google, but as related to my using Blogger I might as well have done so. I do not own my blog, Google does. I agree that if I write or advocate something that violates Google's concept of value or ethics, Google may take Blogger away from me. Well, big deal. The words I posted are mine, aren’t they? My posts are mine, aren’t they? No, and no again. The words are on my blog, yes, but my blog belongs to Google. If Google blocks your access to Blogger how far can they make you feel the pain? Well, you joined Blogger using your Google account. You’ve lost Blogger, you may also lose your Google Account. Whoops, what happened to Gmail. Are you sure you will be able to question Google about anything? Is this far-fetched? Yes. But, read the agreement you signed and understand it’s not impossible.
, Blogger is a part of the Google family. If you are using Blogger and it went away how would you react? How Silly, you mumble. Never going to happen. Well, think for a moment. Which of these do you remember:
Google Glass,
Google Reader, and
IGoogle.
Where are they today? Somewhere in Google’s trashcan.
I like Blogger. It suited my needs, and I recommend it to new bloggers and people curious about blogging. Google did nothing to force me out of the Blogger nest. I am leaving because I don’t like what I was willing to give up to use it.
My new blogging address is https://rlbquill.com. It is open now and has all the posts from the Blogger site. I have changed the name to “The Writer’s Stone” because the philosophy driving the blog has changed. The first new post on “The Writer’s Stone” will reflect and explain these changes.
