Goodbye Blogger

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.

The Benefits of Procrastination

When you read this the gods of time and space will have shifted a dimension and we will be living and struggling in 2019. Since that event will occur in a few hours I feel compelled to produce something worth reading. My desire to do this is not immediate nor does it come from a blast of creative force spurred by the end of this year. I maintain a writing notebook, and in the section reserved for blogging ideas, I had noted for the end of the year a post dealing with procrastination as a valuable writing tool rather than an impediment or writer's bane. Knowing I would view this topic with a jaundiced eye I had marked it with an asterisk which told me I could not renumber or move the topic from first to the second or third idea. Considering the second and third topics were "My writing tools of choice" and "Why do I insist on writing 'xxx' number of words every day". I very much wanted to move this essay on procrastination to the last position but knew if I did so it would continue its journey down the list until it fell off. What writer starts the new year singing the virtues of procrastinating.

As a writer, I welcome procrastination as a valuable tool. Let us work toward an exact definition of procrastination from a writers point of view. It is not the time spent doing chores or spending time with your mate and your child. All of these are endeavors that need to be accomplished; they are valuable tasks not to be ignored. Procrastination is time spent not writing when you think you should be writing. You're human. Things happen. Your fingers touch the keys but nothing you produce fosters creative activity. Sometimes you feel you should write but your mind says no. Unless you are working under a deadline where something unpleasant will happen if you don't write,  try to listen to your need to write nothing. Rather than ignoring the need to create encourage your mind to be receptive to exploring ideas.

One of the most productive ways to use procrastination is to walk. I have two dogs one 14 pounds and the other about 8 pounds. I walk with them through my neighborhood and think about projects I am working on and projects I would like to develop. Walking is also a great way to think about ideas that can best be expressed from within a blog. Sometimes the things I see while walking, or fragments of conversations with another dog walker will trigger an idea for a post or a short story. Over the past month, I have had ideas for two stories, a new post, and one novel. Wherever I walk my iPhone rides in my left hip pocket. I use a note application called Drafts,  but even the most basic of note applications will let you write your ideas as they come to you while you walk. In one operation you have satisfied your need to not write and your minds need to experience unbridled creativity. Rather than walking you could listen to music or stare out the window. What you are doing is allowing your mind to act as a sponge for thoughts or images for processing later. While you may not be writing at that moment you are building the plots, the characters, and the motivations for your writings that will come. Prose flows with the ideas you build while indulging your need to do absolutely nothing.

In 2019 may you walk together with creativity and ability. I wish you all a productive, healthy and lucrative year.