CMS, Part 1: A Bit About Blogger

In ode to my current platform, I'm going to start this series with a bit about Blogger (Blogspot). In my previous post, I promised a user's opinion in addition to my own, but since I am the user, today will be the exception.

Complete honesty: when I began my blog last December, I had no (emphasize NO) idea what I was doing, nor did I have any (again, emphasis) clue what mattered when choosing a platform. So, I began forging my way through the hubbub and chose the platform that a friend was using: Blogger.

You could say I've gotten the crash-course experience in blogging. Even more, you would say it could you see the before and after of the appearance alone. I don't claim to be an expert by any means, but I feel much more confident in this section of the World of Web.

So, as you can see, I still exist with Blogger. I've looked at different platforms both for me and for a client, but I'm still here for a few reasons:

{Pros}

1. It's completely free. You can customize it in pretty much any way with templates and widgets without a single charge.
2. It's simple. Until I'm ready to put up an online portfolio, Blogger meets my need(s).
3. It's very easy to use. Like I said, I began my account with no pre-existing Web knowledge and I've been able to figure out answers to different questions easily.
4. It's all online. There is nothing to download or upload. It's all available on the World Wide Web.
   
5. It's supported. What I mean is, there are thousands of resources available for reference once you decide how deep you want to get into the customization process. It was through these resources that I taught myself how to run my blog through a custom URL, which brings me to my final pro:
6. It's free hosting. I am currently running my blog through the custom domain that I purchased (the only expense I've incurred). Most people pay a company to host their Web site, but if you're only hosting your Blogger blog, it's free.
   

However, I doubt that I will stay for the long run for a few reasons:

{Cons}

1. It's options are limited. While my blog is customized with a template--that's all it is: a blog. If my goal was to expand my blog to a personal Web site, I would be forced to move as Blogger does not support (user-friendly) multi-page sites unless you know how to write code--which I don't, but this guy may be helpful. But beggars can't be choosers, right?
   
2. No naked domains. While I can re-route my Blogger blog to www.myyellowumbrella.com, I cannot be found at myyellowumbrella.com; see the difference? Not everyone includes the "www." when typing in a Web address. Go ahead and try to visit me at myyellowumbrella.com (without the www.); even though I own the domain, Blogger won't allow hosting at the "naked" location, so it appears that I don't exist if the "www." isn't included.
3. Personal is best (in my opinion, of course). I, personally, would not host my professional Web site to blogger, but to every man his own.

In summation, Blogger is great for simple needs and for people who feel pretty lost amongst the HTML codes, CSS languages and many options of CMSs. It's been good to me.

Coming up next: a look at Wordpress, including some insight from the author and creator of ToddBlog.