Wordpress.com or Blogger.com?

I’d like to look at what I think are the pros and cons of each hosting service and then talk about why self hosted wordpress trumps both. :D

Customization
Blogger - You can edit templates, styles and colors to your hearts content. There are few boundaries on how you can make your Blogger blog look.
Wordpress.com - You cannot edit your template at all and background and color modification are only available as an upgrade which costs $15 per year.

Image Files
Blogger - There is no image storage in your blogger.com blog. So if you want to post a picture you’ve posted previously, you must either upload it again or find the post it was pasted in and copy the code.
Wordpress.com - Great Image storage with the additional option of uploading .doc and .pdf files

Private Blogs
Blogger - You can make a blog open to invited users only
Wordpress.com - You can make a blog open to invited users only. In addition you can make a single post on a public blog, private and give only users of your choice a password to view it.

Statistics
Blogger - You can add a visitor stastic tracking service if you want.
Wordpress.com Visitor stats are available in your dashboard and include: three most viewed posts, searches which led people to your blog and number of visits per day, week or month.

Static Pages - These are set pages such as an About me page.
Blogger - No static page option
Wordpress.com - Available and listed in a separate menu for users to click on.

Comments
Blogger - Includes visual confirmation to try to deflect spam and includes comment moderation. Comments open in a pop up window or an entirely new page altogether.
Wordpress.com - Includes comment moderation, Akismet Spam protection (which is awesome) and comment forms appear at the bottom of a post instead of in a new window. The administrator also had the option to edit a comment if needed.

Email
Blogger - Visitors are not required to leave their email address.
Wordpress.com Visitors re required to leave their email address but it will not be made public.

Widgets
Bogger - Offers numerous widgets including - Slideshow, Newsreel, Videos, HTML/Javascript, Text, Link List, Picture, AdSense, Labels, Archives and more
Wordpress.com - Text, Link List, Categories, Archives, HTML, Post Calendar and a few more. Wordpress.com widgets do not allow javascript so you can’t use Adsense, goodreads badges or anything else with javascript in it.

Wordpress.com worked very well for me for quite a while. My personal favorite wordpress.com features:

* I loved that commenters had to leave email addresses because sometimes I really wanted to respond to someone’s comment in a more personal manner. Also, if I have a giveaway I can gather all the entrants email addresses and send out an email announcing the winner.
* I really like static pages
* An image directory is a must for me
* I like having a comment form at the end of a post. Blogger comment pages seem to take a while to load
* Wordpress.com doesn’t go down nearly as much as blogger does. As far as I’ve noticed anyhow.

One thing I really hated about wordpress.com was not being able to modify my look the way I wanted. But the other features were more important to me than that one when I was deciding what platform to use. I went with wordpress.com and I would recommend it above Blogger for anyone who doesn’t have it in their budget to, or is intimidated by self hosting.

Now I’ll just state the fact. If you do have it in your budget and you’re not afraid to learn a little about managing your own blog, Wordpress 2.5 trumps them both! Why? Because it basically offers the best of both platforms and more: Thousands of themes to download, free to modify your theme yourself or with the help of a designer, thousands of widgets/plugins, SEO advantages, easy installation and upgrades via Fantastico (make sure your webhoster of choice has it), search friendly permalinks for your posts and it’s very easy to figure out how to use.

So if you do decide to make the switch, I recommend Wordpress 2.5 and my blog hosting site shown in the ad below. And of course if you do make the switch I’ll be happy to guide you with initial set up if you’re struggling.

Web hosting

May 29, 2008 | Filed Under News | 18 Comments 

Wanna pay for my web hosting service?

This post is partly in response to an email one of my readers sent me.

I haven’t done any advertisements on this site but I’m going to make an exception on this one, because if three of you sign up with SiteGround by clicking the banner below, then I get a free year of hosting. That? Would be very nice for me.

Web hosting

I’ve only been with SiteGround for two days, but really I’m hooked. Here’s why:

1. The price. They have a $5.95 a month package with free wordpress installation. The only downside is that you don’t pay by the month, you pay by the year. But I actually haven’t seen any other web hosting sites that let you do otherwise.
2. They offer SUPER easy Wordpress 2.5 installation. Like, you click twice and it’s installed for you.
3. They seriously offer hundreds of step by step picture guided tutorials for anything you can think of.
Like if you want to change wordpress themes, how to upload and access files, etc.
4. You can also host your own domain name on siteground (additional fee) and pay for id protection so people can’t look up your personal information on WHOIS.

I’ve found it very easy to navigate and very straight forward.
So, I’m just thrilled to finally be on my own server and off of wordpress.com. Now I can really get my design tweaked. Before, I could only change the header and background colors and could only use the theme options provided there. Now I can download free themes from anywhere off the web or even create my own or pay some to make a design for me (3 column here I come). I still have many of the great features wordpress.com provides and now I have access to even more. I can finally add certain badges and widgets I couldn’t before because wordpress.com strips out javascript.
So yeah - sign up by clicking on the banner above. I know you want too. :)

May 28, 2008 | Filed Under News | 11 Comments 

Pardon my dust…

…while I reconstruct my site.

I finally moved everything over to my own server, now I’ve got to rearrange everything. So it may look messy around here for a bit but I hope that won’t distract you in your reading. :)

I hope you’ve all had a peaceful Memorial Day.

May 27, 2008 | Filed Under Random | 9 Comments 

Crumby Kisses

Saturday’s are always busy for me. Today was no exception, and in fact it was even more busy than usual. I disinfected the bathroom, organized and deep cleaned the kitchen, cleaned the dining and living room and did three loads of laundry. I got an awful lot accomplished. That brings a nice feeling, but accomplishing those goals wasn’t the highlight of my day. The highlight of my day was taking a break and getting Angel girl ready for bed.

I sat with her in the recliner feeding her bites of cornbread. In between bites we played peek-a-boo and clapped our hands. Then she took the cornbread from my hand and decided to feed me instead. There I sat chuckling, as I nibbled on the slobbery cornbread she stuck in my mouth. Then, she gave me a kiss. A sweet, tiny pursed lip kiss with cornbread crumbs on the side. Then another one. And another one. I didn’t mind one bit. I loved every crumby kiss!

May 24, 2008 | Filed Under Motherhood | 6 Comments 

Music I like, Music I don’t

So from the comments in my last post it appears we are fairly evenly divided on musical preference. That got me curious - just what kind of music do you all like?

While I enjoy watching American Idol, I have never and probably will never buy a CD that any of those contestants put out. They’re talented and I love hearing their unique voices but, and even in spite of their supposed different musical styles, they pretty much all end up producing what I call pop “fluff”. And while pop fluff may be catchy, it’s not what I consider “good” music (ouch! don’t hit me!)

Of course I’ll still listen to and sing along with it on occasion (Shania, Ace of Base, ABBA), but it doesn’t impress. For one, I like the whole package. Not just an impressive singer, but one who writes their own songs and won’t conform to ideas of popular music just to make a buck. That’s why I loved Jewel so much when she first came on the scene. I loved her folksy voice and the beauty of a solo guitar accompaniment. Then the overwhelming background noise along with the conformity of typical pop song beats made their way into her music and transformed her into just another cheesy pop queen.

So, while I do enjoy your average pop and rock from time to time, I really love and appreciate music that is off the beaten path. Anyhow, here is a list of some of my current and all time favorite artists and bands:

*Sufjan Stevens - The first time I heard him all I could think was, “I’ve never heard anything like this before.” My favorite Album is Illinoise
* Beth Gibbons - I love her album, Out of Season. I enjoy that Beth changes her voice from song to song. It’s very cool.
* Iron & Wine - Love this guys soft but distinctive voice
* Wilco - I’ve heard every album and I’ve loved every song. These guys stay awesome even with all the evolving they’ve done. My personal favorite song at the moment is Side with the Seeds. I love to blast it and feel the energy from the guitar solo. It’s awesome!
The Cranberries - I loved this band since I was in Junior High and still listen to my favorite Album of theirs, No Need to Argue.
Jaymay - I just discovered her this week, though I can’t remember how. But I’m hooked.
Depeche Mode - Loved them since I was a teenager, and some of their songs still give me chills. Synthesizers aren’t usually a good thing, but these guys know how to make it work.

There’s plenty more but that’s a good start. So what do you like to listen to? Any artists or bands you recommend?

May 23, 2008 | Filed Under Random | 10 Comments 

The winner of American Idol is David….

….COOK?

What?!?

WHAT?!?!?!?!?

Sure he’s good but he’s so generic. I am shocked. Absolutely shocked and yes, disappointed. I think Archuleta is infinitely more talented. I know Archuleta will be hugely successful in spite of his loss, but is anyone else in disbelief over this news?

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May 21, 2008 | Filed Under News | 13 Comments 

Tips for Weaning

There are technically two parts to the weaning process:

1. Weaning the baby from the breast
2. Convincing your breasts to stop producing milk

The following methods may not be effective for every woman but they worked for me

1. Weaning the baby from the breast
Friday May 16 was Angel girl’s last nursing session. I weaned her within a week using the following schedule:

Day 1 - Eliminated one nursing session
Day 3 - Eliminated two nursing sessions
Day 4 - Eliminated three nursing sessions
Day 5 - Had one final nursing session

We went straight from breast to sippy cup. This transition was made easier when I found a silicone spout sippy cup that Angel Girl really took to well.

2. Convincing your breasts to stop producing milk
Weaning your body off the baby is slightly more difficult to do. I must preface my advice by telling you that I was never an over full, milk spouting breast feeder to begin with, so maybe I don’t have as difficult a time as some women might, but here is what is currently working for me:

CABBAGE LEAVES

So, I have a head of cabbage in the fridge and every time I start feeling engorged, I peel two leaves off. I rinse them with cold water, pat them dry, then crush the veins with a rolling pin. Then (and this is easy cause they’re bra cup shaped :P ), I stick a leaf in each bra, covering my entire breast. Within an hour I am noticeably less full. If you try this, change out the leaves every two hours or when they begin to wilt.

May 21, 2008 | Filed Under Babies | 7 Comments 

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