Wordpress or Blogger

[rorich]

Which blog host do you prefer, Wordpress or Blogger and why? What are the advantages and disadvantages ?

[Joanne]

I use blogger only because it's easy. It's very user friendly and great for beginners. Now that I have a better understanding of blogging, I'm thinking about starting one at wordpress.

[Xin Lu]

I think wordpress is easier to customize, and you can add ads easily. I have never used blogger before though.

[1littlething]

Wordpress. I feel that I can do much more with wordpress.

[layla17]

I prefer Wordpress, because it has a lot more functionality.

[rorich]

I have only used blogger. However, I will look into Wordpress. How easy is it to migrate to Wordpress from Blogger ?

[amandajane]

I like and use wordpress but you can't have ads on wordpress if it's hosted on their wordpress.com server.

[rorich]

Originally Posted by amandajane

I like and use wordpress but you can't have ads on wordpress if it's hosted on their wordpress.com server.

Interesting. I guess it is time for me to get a domain name

[amandajane]

Originally Posted by rorich

Interesting. I guess it is time for me to get a domain name

You can try out something like this which offers free blog hosting using wordpress and it allows ads.

www.blogging4life.com

I've just signed up, not sure if I am going to stay there or not though. I am also thinking of registering a domain name and I can get very good cost price hosting because of subcontracting for a web design company here. Because I'm a full time student though, I'm trying to avoid costs. I'll make my decision shortly I think. Good luck with whatever you choose

[alex]

If you're open to more options, have a look at http://opensourcecms.com. I wonder what kind of response you'd get if you added Drupal as a choice. I know at least one person here that loves it.

If Blogger and Wordpress are your only choices, take Blogger if you want to run ads.

You're better off getting your own domain.

Pavlina says it best:

I don’t recommend using a hosted service like Blogger if you want to seriously monetize your blog. You don’t get enough control. If you don’t have your own URL, you’re tying yourself to a service you don’t own and building up someone else’s asset. You want to build page rank and links for your own URL, not someone else’s. Plus you want sufficient control over the layout and design of your site, so you can jump on any opportunities that require low-level changes. If you use a hosted blog, you’re at the mercy of the hosting service, and that puts the future of any income streams you create with them at risk. It’s a bit more work up front to self-host, but it’s less risky in the long run.

Lastly, I tested ExpressionEngine recently, and it's very impressive. It's not free, but it's worth the $99 (personal) or $249 (commercial) for the license.