Blogger Vs WordPress (And Why I Choose Both)

I hate to dissappoint the fan boys and girls on both sides of the fence, but this is not a post bashing one side or the other.

Rather it is simply my reflection of two of the most popular blogging services, Blogger (as well as it's eternal beta Blogger in Draft) and WordPress.org (not to be confused with WordPress.com, which I would not recommend using due to it's limitations, which I'll explain below).



Where WordPress Excels

What I love about WordPress can be summed up in one word: design.

You'll won't find a larger collection of beautiful themes outside of this platform, which probably explains why do many Blogger themes are imported from WordPress.

While there are plenty of free WordPress themes out there, I would recommend purchasing a premium theme (like Elegant Themes which is inexpensive).

Another thing I love about WordPress is that it is comment friendly. Instead of using CAPTCHA's or weird puzzles, WordPress users can use Askimet (spelling?) which uses geek magic to decipher between the spammers and the humans (WordPress.org users I would recommend using WP Spam Free which is better--and free!).

These anti-spam plugins keep make the WordPress commenting design much friendlier--unless of course you are a spammer. ;-)

Last but not least the ability to add pages is a plus, which allows you to create an "about me" section, making your blog much more professional.




Where Blogger Excels

Owned by Google, Blogger is the most popular blogging platform online. If I could sum up Blogger in one word, it would be this: freedom.

When it comes to posting media content (whether images, video or iframe documents) Blogger has IMHO no close rival. Users are allowed to embed content from anywhere, without the fear of it being blocked due to "security reasons" (which is why I don't use WordPress.com).

You can also embed content from Google Docs, a feature I found to be lacking in WordPress (both of them).

Over in the Blogger in Draft arena, users can easily adjust the position of the image within the post by simply dragging it, a feature that makes "dressing up" the post all the easier.

This one feature saves me a lot of time, as I don't have to muck with the code in order to find the perferct picture placement.

Users can also upload video directly into Blogger, without the need to upload it on YouTube or elsewhere, which is great way to keep the video on your blog instead of infront of the public masses.

Last but not least Blogger's widgets make it very easy to add, adjust or remove content from your blog, without the need to enter within the admin arena.

Conclusion

While I could have mentioned other items (like WordPress Plugins or specific Blogger widgets), these above pretty much sum up the major differences between the two.

Since neither WordPress or Blogger are meeting my complete needs, I've decided to use both platforms until one of them steps up their game. I already have 8 blogs (4 on Blogger, 2 on WordPress.com and 2 running WordPress.org on my own server).

Both WordPress and Blogger are excellent services, although if you are short on cash I would recommend using Blogger (as you can blog on your own domain for $10/year) although if you prefer to host you own blog on your own server, I would suggest using WordPress.org.


--Posted via iPhone

Blogger In Draft Plus Google Chrome Equals Fail Whale

Wow, talk about weird. Basically in Google Chrome (version 2.0.160.0) if you open up a previous post within Blogger in Draft (to edit), it "reinterprets" all of your previous text.

Example: Here is a post from one of my demo blogs of what your article should look like when logging into Blogger.com (in gChrome) when trying to edit a post.

And here is what it looks like in gChrome through draft.blogger.com:

I've tested other browsers (Firefox and Opera) and none of them are showing the same error.

Hopefully Google can take a look at this and fix it before they release 2.0 to the masses.

I'm Suing Google (For Text Spamming Me To Death)

Okay, before this reaches Techmeme, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am not suing Google, rather I am VERY frustrated that one of their online office suites, Google Calendar will NOT stop sending me text messages reminders despite the fact that I sent the STOP command, and even turned off reminders in my gCalendar event.

I thought this was an isolated case, but it seems that numerous folks are experiencing the same thing, on various carriers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile).

Since these texts are costing me money, I am going to ban Google indefinitely until this problem is either resolved, or Congress grants me a personal bailout.

Note: For those of you suffering under the same thing as well, just simply call your provider and have them block 483-68.

Dear Google, Please KEEP GrandCentral!

Okay, for those of you who have no idea what GrandCentral is, it is like the Gmail for voicemail, organizing your calls and even blocking telemarketers/spam (giving them a "this number has been disconnected" message--heh).

Here is a video explanation below (I think before Google bought them out).

Unfortunately with the recent shutdown of several Google services, some are wondering whether or not Google will be shutting down other services like GrandCentral (which I use on my iPhone thanks to GrandDialer).

Even though GrandCentral is currently free, I am perhaps one of the many users who would be willing to pay a monthly fee to keep it alive.

While Google has not announced any plans to cut any other services, I am attempting to start a mini blog/twitter campaign in order to keep GrandCentral from falling under the Google Axe.

GrandCentral is not only one of the few Google projects that has the potential of revolutionizing its respective arena entirely (in this case voicemail), but also pull its own wait (with a premium feature).

So Google, if you are reading this, please DO NOT DISCONTINUE GrandCentral!!!

Pretty please? :*-(

I was wondering if anyone would


Update (1/27): It looks like Google has some big plans for GrandCentral. :-) Stay tuned!

Picasa (Finally) Allows You To Insert Text Within Photos!

What took them so long?

(Google Photos Blog) Okay -- on to photo editing. A new text tool lets you add text to your pictures, and lay it out exactly as you wish, at any transparency level. We have also created a new retouching brush to take care of unsightly blemishes, camera dust, damaged photos, and the like. The red-eye removal tool does a lot of its work automatically now -- there's no need to draw boxes around people's eyes. Our crop tool will also recommend interesting starting points to crop, based on faces and objects in your photos. (As you might've guessed, we're using some of the technology from our name tags feature in Picasa Web Albums to make Picasa 3 smarter, which means less work for you.)

Note: Emphasis mine.

The inability to post text upon images is what drove me into the arms of Paint.NET, which is currently being developed by one lone person.

While this feature will help me take a second look at Picasa (or at least the beta), I will probably cling to Paint.NET for awhile--at least until they release a Mac version (as I plan on purchasing the rumored Mac tablet that is suppose to come out later this year).

I Love Google Chrome!

After waiting many impatient hours, Google has finally launched their browser, Google Chrome!

While everyone has an opinion about the new browser, I am loving every moment of surfing the internet with Chrome.

While Firefox, Maxthon, Opera, etc. may have more features, its the simple fact that my entire browser will not crash because of the fact that one tab tried to open a faulty web page.

Chrome is now my default browser (although I wish there was a way to insert GreaseMonkey and Google Toolbar within it).

Update: Here is a video from Walter Mossberg highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of Google Chrome.

Google Launching Its Own Browser (Goodbye Firefox, IE And Opera)

Just when I was having even more problems with Firefox 3 (its hogging memory again like its predecessors), Google goes ahead and announces that they are releasing a browser to the world (aka the rumored "gBrowser").

(Official Google Blog) Because we spend so much time online, we began seriously thinking about what kind of browser could exist if we started from scratch and built on the best elements out there. We realized that the web had evolved from mainly simple text pages to rich, interactive applications and that we needed to completely rethink the browser. What we really needed was not just a browser, but also a modern platform for web pages and applications, and that's what we set out to build. [...]

Under the hood, we were able to build the foundation of a browser that runs today's complex web applications much better. By keeping each tab in an isolated "sandbox", we were able to prevent one tab from crashing another and provide improved protection from rogue sites. We improved speed and responsiveness across the board. We also built a more powerful JavaScript engine, V8, to power the next generation of web applications that aren't even possible in today's browsers.

I currently use three different browsers (four if you count Safari on my iPhone). While Firefox is my main browser, I have been finding that the browser often crashes whenever I visit GoDaddy.com, forcing me to open up Internet Explorer 8 (aka IE8).

The situation gets even worse whenever I attempt to open up FeedBurner, in which both Firefox and IE8 are unable to display portions of the page, forcing me to open up Opera.

Hopefully Google Chrome (which is launching tomorrow) will help put an end to this chaos, as the last thing I want is to be juggling between several different browsers (with iTunes, Skype and a half of dozen programs on the side).

You can check out their "cartoon explanation" regarding the new browser over here.

(Hat Tip: TechCrunch)

Sometimes, I Just Feel Like "Googling Myself"

(Image Credit: Bloomberg News, via Business Week)

For those of you who are not into geek lingo, the phrase "Googleing oneself" basically means typing in your name (first and last) into Google in order to see what appears.



This is a good exercise, as many employers, potential clients and friends will do a quick Google search on you in order to see what appears.



Example: When I Google Darnell Clayton, a bunch of "relevent" links appear, most of which deal with me. Unfortunately, there are a few random ones that appear--ironically dealing with other people named Darnell Clayton.



Here are just a few "unrelated Darnell Clayton's" that appear when I Google my own name.

• Darnell Clayton on LinkedIn: This Darnell Clayton is located in Georgia (the US state, not the country) and is currently a Senior Information Architect.


• The Polish Darnell Clayton on Facebook: I think this page is the polish version of Facebook (since "pl" represents Poland online).


• The Male supermodel Darnell Clayton: This guy apparently was reviewed by a blogger, and I think this is also his Facebook profile too.

None of these guys are me, and if you were having a hard time telling the difference, here are a few clues for you:

• I no longer have a LinkedIn profile (note: I previously had one, but found other social networks to be better).


• I don't speak Polish--although I am trying to learn Hebrew.


• My body isn't sexy enough to be a male model--even with the six pack (note: not that I would ever consider becoming one anyways)

Ironically, one of the reasons I bought DarnellClayton.com was to help avoid this confusion (at least online) of who the real me was all about.



I would recommend other people doing the same thing, as the last thing you need is a future employer/client mistaking you for a high tech geek who poses in fashion magazines during "the night shift." ;-)

No Domain Love For Me?

I guess now I am receiving a 404 error when visiting my domain. Oh well...at least Google responded.

~Darnell

Update: And we're back up!

A New Version Of Google Earth? Sweet!

It looks as if Google has launched a new version of Google Earth! Check out the video below.

(Google LatLong) What good would fancy new navigation controls be if there wasn't something new to look at? While we're regularly adding new user-created SketchUp buildings submitted through 3D Warehouse, we decided to take things up a notch for this release by including photo-realistic models for dozens of new cities. Take a spin around Tokyo, Munich, or Boston to get a taste. We've also significantly enhanced our approach to rendering 3D data to greatly improve performance and realism.

I'll have to play around with this later on (as I have too many things to do right now, blog wise).

Video: gOS Computer For $200?

It's been on the news, and the site ThinkgOS has more info about it. Basically its a inexpensive computer running linux with heavy Google influence on it.

Wal*mart has them for sale at around $200. Here is a video via YouTube for the curious.

(Hat Tip: The King Kong Blog)

Google And Al Jazeera Are Sitting In A Tree...

It looks like Google has partnered with the most unbiased objective news organization on planet Earth after CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and certain communist propaganda.

Well, at least you can't say Google is run by Zionists.

(TechCrunch) Al Jazeera signed a commercial agreement with Google last week to share advertising revenue on their YouTube channel. The channel originally launched in April 2007.

This comes even as U.S. cable operators continue to shun the 24 hour news service - only Toledo, Ohio based Buckeye CableSystem and the municipal cable suppler in Burlington, Vermont offer the channel to viewers.

You can check out the new channel over here, although it seems to be less "Jews and Americans are evil" than their Arabic station as well as the BBC.

Personal Thoughts: Highlighting bias in the open (and yes, Al Jazeera, is very biased) will help to counter it in the long run as people can see for themselves why no one takes Al Jazeera's "objective reports" seriously.

Not to mention it might give us an insight into the mind of those who hate the west. Better we know what they are saying in the open than being unsure what they whisper in the dark.

Update: Fixed spelling mistake.

Has Google Finally Fixed The "404 WWW" Error?

Okay, I previously wrote about the "404 WWW" error in blogger here and here, but it looks as if the Blogger team has created an "automatic redirect" which means these hacks are may be obsolete.

I'm testing this out on my personal blog here first, and if successful I'll do a write up for everyone else.

Warning: This site may get buggy real quick!

Update: Complete horror! I have sent in a trouble ticket to Google about this. So far it works for new custom domain bloggers, but leaves those who have previously registered as...well...screwed.

Sigh...I guess I expect too much from Google.

Google's YouTube Down?

It looks as if YouTube is down for the count (at least as of this moment).

Here is a screen shot of all that I get:

Just when I was about to save a really cool song from Sarah Mclachlan too. Sigh...

Update: It's back up! Thanks Google!

How You Know When Google Is Listening To You

So I have been testing out a new feature from Blogger in Draft called Video Upload, and I recently posted a suggestion to Google about adding a status bar so that people will know how much of their video has been uploaded (so they won't freak out).

Well, it looks as if Pete from Google (I'm assuming its Pete) took a few minuets out of his time to read my comment and to my surprise I discovered this today while uploading a video on blogger:



And people wonder why I prefer Google over the competition?

Video: Second Helpings, And Blogger In Draft

For those of you who don't know, Google has released a new feature enabling users to upload videos to their blog (for free) turning every blog*spot blog into a potential video blog (or vblog for short). Here is my take on the issue, plus some boring thoughts from my life.

Note: Don't mind the ugly mug, as I forgot to shave.

After thoughts: Although this feature is great, I just found out it could take a while for the video to upload.

Google has started a blog (Blogger In Draft) where you can post feedback on this feature via the comment section, a rarity for a Google Blog (something they really needs to change).

Update: There seems to be a bug in the video that makes it automatically play in IE (all versions). It will be removed until Google can fix this error. Sigh...and it was almost a dream come true.

Update (6/20): Google seems to have fixed the "video in IE" problem. Thanks Google!

PC World Is Full Of Surprises

Warning: You are about to enter the geek zone. You've been warned.

So PC World did a review of the top 100 best products in technology today, which includes everything from game consoles to software to music platforms to more geek toys!

Google Apps seems to have killed off all of their competitors, taking the top spot, something the Googlers seem to be really excited about.

There were also a few surprises along the way including:

• Yahoo! Mail Beta (27) beating Google's Gmail (31)
• Paint.net (19) beating Google's Picasa (36)
• Nintendo Wii (3) beating Microsoft's Xbox 360 Elite (18)
• Pandora.com (17) beats Apples 80 GB Ipod (26)

This really has been a very interesting year in technology. I'm disappointed that OQO did not make the list, neither did several other applications as well. Oh well, better luck next time I suppose!

My Gmail Is Down!

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

(gasp for air)

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

Perhaps this is a sign that I should get a secondary account. But that would mean using Yahoo!, Hotmail or some unknown email service that makes you pay for 10 mb of space (the horror!).

It's not the end of the world, although I REALLY DO need my email for work, friends, etc.

Well, at least Google provided me with a fun video to watch.

Although, in retrospect, its not the same as actually using my account. :-(

Update: It's working again! Thanks Google! :-)

Upgrades Are Good

Very, very good.

(Blogger Help Group) We've been giving you warnings. The signs have been there. Preparations have been made. Now, it's time!

That's right, it's time to embrace the new version of Blogger! Starting today, a small percentage of users who log in to an old Blogger account will be required to move to the new version. This involves moving your current Blogger account to a new or existing Google Account. After the move, you will need to log in to Blogger with your Google Account username, which is always the email address associated with your account.

I guess this means adjusting several blogs (finally) as well as closing down a few others. Right in time for the super bowl too!

PS

To those of you who kept emailing me about my earlier post, it seems as if Google is correcting the mysterious error, slowly but surely. I'll be checking on your domains, and if need be, help out where I can.

Google Docs In My Gmail?

It looks like I am going to be putting more of my life on Google's servers, this time future business projects (as long as it is legal that is).

(Google Docs & Spreadsheets Blog) Whenever those of you who use Gmail receive a spreadsheet or a document in an email, you will see a new link next to the "Download" link that says "Open as a Google document." Click on that and the attachment will automatically be imported into Docs & Spreadsheets and added to your personal document list where you can make changes, invite collaborators and search for it later. We hope you like it.

If they continue doing cool things like this, Google will end up being a portal--that is if they are not one already.

Note: Is it me, or did Google finally open up comments on their blog?