BEA Blogger's Conference Part 3: Blogging Platforms

I know you've probably seen a TON of post BEA recap posts

As to not overwhelm you with ALL THE WORDS, I've broken up my BEA experience into a couple of posts (you know, because more is less ;)

I've also broken down my posts into bullet points because I like them :)

Today I bring you my thoughts on:

BEA Blogger's Conference, Blogging Platforms

Speakers:
Rachel Rivera, Parajunkee
Stephanie Leary, Word Press Consultant
Evie Seo, Bookish
April Conant, Good Books and Good Wine

This panel was fun as the main focus was Blogger blogs vs Wordpress blogs.

I can't say that I agreed with all of what was said but it was all very interesting!

Here are some of the points discussed!

*Blogger has limited html use - if you like working with html there isn't a whole lot you can do

*Blogger is seen as a 'starting' point and most bloggers 'move up' to other platforms eventually and becasue of this you might be viewed differently by some if you use Blogger.

*A "blogspot.com" address is seen as less professional --- this was a point that I didn't agree with at all and not only because I'm one of those bloggers :)

*Blogger is free to use and is relatively easy. You can have a fully functioning blog that you can use without many problems, without having to pay a dime.

*Wordpress doesn't cache your blog so you are at the mercy of your host. If your host goes down your blog goes down. Traffic spikes to your blog can mean down time if your host can't keep up.

*Both offer free picture storage although Wordpress gives you more to start. Once you do have to pay for more, Blogger's prices are cheaper.

*If you want to make money with your blog (which I would never dream of doing) then WP is the way to go.

*Wordpress has more of a support system.

Now, here's the thing to remember. Wordpress is actually 2 different platforms. There is Wordpress.com which is free and hosted by WP and there is Wordpress.org which you have to pay for and self host.

Wordpress.com doesn't offer nearly as much as its .org counter part. It wasn't outright said but I think some would agree that Blogger is actually better overall then Wordpress.com -- SOME would agree with this I think.

Wordpress.org has TONS to offer but you need money to make it happen and the time and knowledge to do it well.

The way I see it is this: If you have time, money and knowledge you can really make a Wordpress.org blog look fantastic. You'll get a lot out of it and your readers will enjoy it BUT if you don't have the time, money or knowledge, you can still have a fantastic blog using Blogger.

When it comes right down to it your blog is what you make of it. For me at least, content is the most important part of a blog. Sidebars, headers, URLs, plugins, bells, whistles, fireworks -- these things are important also but not as important as the content of your blog.

For me, it's what you say, not how you say it.

Last but certainly not least in my little semi ranty recap of this panel I need to say - the speakers were FANTASTIC! They all obviously knew what they were talking about and did an extremely good job of sharing their thoughts with the audience. I might not agree with everything they said but I enjoyed hearing their opinions. It's one of my favorite things about being a blogger -- we are all so different with SO many different opinions (and not just about books :)

For more info on my BEA experience (because, you NEED more info don't you ;)
BEA Book Haul
BEA Blogger's Conference Part 1: Keynote Speakers and YA Blogging
BEA Blogger's Conference Part 2: Blogging and the FCC

Next up... Extending The Reach of Your Blog Online