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My Gripe With Blogger Blogs

Posted by Mitch on Nov 2, 2008
Listen with webreader

I’ve come to a realization of something, and I’m just going to get it out now; I hate Blogger blogs! There, I’ve said it; now I’ll talk about why.

To begin with, I don’t have a Blogger blog; never have, never will. I do have a sign on, though I have no idea how it got there. Actually, I think one of my friends put it on there some years ago when I said I didn’t want to have to log into anything to make comments. This isn’t a new position with me, and I even wrote about it on this blog.

Truthfully, I do understand how one has to log into certain things, such as forums, in order to participate, but I’ve never understood all these people who want you to have to register to leave comments on their blogs, then gripe because no one is commenting on their blogs. Heck, you can’t have it both ways. Just as you have to decide that you’re going to comment on other blogs as well as not waste anyone’s time, you have to decide if you’re going to make it easy or hard to do so.

So, my first gripe is that many Blogger blogs are set up so that the only way you can leave a comment is if you have a Blogger account; I absolutely hate that. My second gripe is that if some blogs do open it up so that you can leave something other than a Blogger account, it limits you to name and link. I guess that’s not overly bad, because many people not on Blogger do that, but I’ve just gotten so used to CommentLuv (no, I’m not linking to it again right now; looks like I’m pimping for Andy!) that I hate not having the opportunity to direct someone to a specific post if I comment on their blogs, though one can easily link to an article from their blog that they want people to see.

My third gripe is just how many Blogger blogs look the same. Come on folks, there’s tons of colors and styles; break it up some. Okay, I’ll own up to this; I hate green, and, even though I live in Syracuse and our local football team is the Orangemen, seeing green and orange together really freaks out my system, and adding that pukey looking brown, or tan, with it,… just too much folks. Anyway, there’s just so much “sameness” to so many Blogger blogs that I don’t even want to bother taking the time to read many of them, as I’m bored as soon as I look at the page. Unfair, I know, but true.

And finally, my fourth gripe, that being that I’ve yet to see a Blogger blog where, if you’re already reading the main post, you can’t just put your information in there and write your comment. Instead, you have to click on “post a comment”, then go into another window to write your post, and not everyone has it set up so that you can click on a link to see exactly what it is you’re commenting on. Yeah, you’d think we’d all remember that, but heck, I’m getting close to 50, and my short term memory sometimes fails me; nope, not proud of that, but it is what it is.

Okay, I guess Andy’s CommentLuv is going to get a little bit of love because he recently modified the program so it will work on Blogger platform, so maybe that will help bring many of those blogs up to what the rest of us have been enjoying with Wordpress. And, I will acknowledge that a few people have figured out how to use the Blogger platform and change the look so that it doesn’t look like Blogger anymore, even if it still behaves that way. Man, I much prefer Wordpress’ blogging platform; talk about being a “homer”.

I guess I shouldn’t complain; at least I’m not being subjected to eating Nutraloaf. Still, Blogger could do better if you ask me.


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39 Comments »

as the operator of more than one blogger blogs, i can attest to the fact that every one of your complaints can be traced back to user options.

you likely have a blogger login because it’s owned by google, so if you use adsense, igoogle, google groups, or any other application run by google, you’re able to log into blogger.

users decide if they want to require commenters to have a login, and users decide how they want their comments to appear (based on a limited number of options, but still).

a lot of blogger blogs look the same, because they have a couple dozen templates, only a few of them really work for some people, and you have to have a fair bit of HTML knowledge to get them out of their templates, including colors.

and to tell you the truth, blogger blogs are fairly easy to navigate, and there’s not really any guesswork with them. there’s nothing to install, i don’t have to learn php, asp or vb, and i can control all of the blogs i contribute to (i’m nearing 10) from one screen.

the only two things that really drive me buggy about any blog are (1) unreadable colors and (2) ads that move, especially if there’s more than one on a screen.

Josh´s last blog post..NaNoWriMo, Take 2

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Mitch Reply:

I guess that’s my general issue, Josh, the look and usability for those of us who don’t use Blogger on a regular basis. And you’re right, I do have the other Google stuff, so that’s probably why it works there. I know it’s easy for newbies to use, but at a certain point, wouldn’t you agree that maybe it’s time to step it up just a bit?

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November 2nd, 2008 | 3:03 PM

Mitch, I’ll agree with Josh. What you are seeing is what the person decided when they setup the account. We all make different decisions. Mine are setup so anyone can comment, even anonymously. (Comments are moderated because I get my fair share of spam comments.)

Blogger has implemented more ways for people to customize their blogs, without using hacks. A think this may lead to more variety in how blogs look.

Personally I’ve been very happy with my Blogger blogs (yes, I have several) and how they operate. The fact that they are one Blogger doesn’t seem to matter to my readers, nor stop them from commenting.

Jill Hurst-Wahl´s last blog post..More on the Google settlement: Is it all good?

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Mitch Reply:

Welcome Jill; first time I’ve seen you on this blog. Your blogs are some of the few I’ve seen where you’ve tried to alter the look and do some other things with them. Outside of yours and a few others, though, the platform is stale, boring, and not visitor friendly; at least that’s how I see it. If you do look at a basic Blogger blog versus a basic Wordpress blog, my preference would be Wordpress.

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November 2nd, 2008 | 3:32 PM

I’m sure there are user options that can make it hard or difficult for readers to comment (as I am founding out with Drupal).

The bottom line is to make it as easy as possible for readers and safe (think spam) for you.

The Lazy Slacker´s last blog post..Build Backlinks, Check Backlinks, The Backlinks How To Guide For Lazy Slackers

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Mitch Reply:

There’s this thing about spam, Lazy, that can be handled with many of the Wordpress plugins, that I’m not sure Blogger has. Sure, not everyone knows about them, but they’re there. They’re not good at handling the Russian spam, but otherwise, they’re not bad.

I was reading about the Drupal platform; what made you decide to go that route?

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The Lazy Slacker Reply:

I chose Drupal with expansion in mind. I Can add a forum with one click or make the site into a multi-blogging system.

Drupal is NOT a blogging platform, it is a content management system.

More power.

The Lazy Slacker´s last blog post..October Contest Summary (Winners Announced)

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Mitch Reply:

I know that Drupal had a big hand in helping to create the original Wordpress software, though I’m not sure how close they work with each other these days. That’s why I know a little bit about them.

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November 2nd, 2008 | 3:32 PM

not really, no. web sites for me are all about the content. i usually read blogs in an RSS reader, which frees me from the whims of all design and most advertising, unless i’m going to comment, which i won’t do if there’s all kinds of ads on the screen with the comment window (yes, I’m a good socialist).

basically, my big thing on the web is, if i can’t get information i want without other things fighting for my attention, i’ll go find other information elsewhere.

yes, if you’re a business, i expect your site to at least look professional, but i’ll trade pretty for useful any day.

and truly, if you want to do fancy things with blogger blogs, you can; with most of their templates, though, you get readable without anything fancy, and that’s really what i want as a web consumer. i’d be perfectly happy if every web site everywhere was designed like the interior pages of wikipedia.

Josh´s last blog post..NaNoWriMo, Take 2

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Josh Reply:

the “not really, no,” by the way, was in response to mitch’s question, “wouldn’t you agree that maybe it’s time to step it up just a bit?” i realize i didn’t hit “reply” so it didn’t thread.

Josh´s last blog post..NaNoWriMo, Take 2

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Mitch Reply:

I’m not looking for overly fancy; some blogs and sites you visit have way too much activity going for them. But something intriguing, something a little different, and of course an easy way to comment, isn’t such a bad thing.

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November 2nd, 2008 | 3:39 PM

I despise blogger blogs too. Perhaps it’s the foolish attempts at Blogging or the crazy safeguards…but…they suck.

Other easy-install blogs do too. If you’re going to blog, accept comments!

SRS´s last blog post..I Endose Barack Obama

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Mitch Reply:

Exactly SRS. I don’t visit blogs I can’t comment on more than once unless I didn’t remember it. I may miss out on some things, but really, what’s the point of blogging if you’re not going to allow comments? Just put up a website and write a series of articles instead.

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Josh Reply:

i don’t really see the difference. a blog is just a content management tool, whether or not you accept comments, and whether your content is meant to be a discussion, one-way articles, or just static informational text about an organization that is rarely updated.

if by blogging you mean someone starts a topic and then expects a discussion thread, why wouldn’t you just use a bulletin board or threaded forum? it’s just that this particular CMS works best for you. it could also work best for entirely other different kinds of communication — and it might not work best for people who want the two-way communication.

Josh´s last blog post..NaNoWriMo, Take 2

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Mitch Reply:

It’s an interesting point, and I’ll grant you almost all of that. I tend to view blogs as being interactive, although they don’t have to be. For my preference, if I’m visiting a blog and they don’t allow comments, then I don’t go back.

I will say, though, that I find it an interesting comment how I have a website where I write reviews and have been asked why I don’t allow opinions there, but on blogs, which were originally meant for comments, someone decides they’d rather not bother. Interesting dichotomy.

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November 2nd, 2008 | 3:41 PM

Good for you, wordpress is and should be interactive. I have do follow enabled and only require registration due to spammers.

Robert´s last blog post..November 10th

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Mitch Reply:

Hi Robert. Actually, the registration part might keep out spammers, but it’s also an inadvertent way to let hackers take control of your WP blog; can’t remember where I read that. That’s why I turned it off and went with Askimet instead.

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November 2nd, 2008 | 8:29 PM

I realized that I haven’t commented on Blogger blogs. Maybe one. Sure was a hassle going through the new windows and selecting profile.

Daniel Richard´s last blog post..120+ Participants Of Blogging Idol 2 (2008)

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Mitch Reply:

Thanks for the comment, Daniel. That’s kind of my gripe, though I’m sure it’s easy for the people who are writing on Blogger.

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November 3rd, 2008 | 10:13 AM

I agree with you, though I would not go so far as to say I hate them all. My problem is the grief with commenting. Unlike other blogs, the commentator’s name etc are never remembered because cookies do not work and so, one has to go through the process every time. Other than that, navigating the small box is frustrating too.

rummuser´s last blog post..Realities Of The Past.

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Mitch Reply:

Well, yeah, “hate” is kind of a strong word, but in general I don’t feel positively towards them. I’m glad you agree that making commenting easier for everyone involved is NOT a bad thing. Thanks for writing, Rummuser.

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November 3rd, 2008 | 11:00 AM

I can’t say how much I hate to login to submit a comment :( I would keep my mouth shut rather then posting bad words on your blog. But it is really annoying when you have to login and sometimes even login fails :D then it gets more frustrating.

Anyway I am still in those dark days and I think most of this blogger blogs are spam blogs. So I don’t check them out much.

Keral Patel´s last blog post..Create/Design your own Custom CMS

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Mitch Reply:

Glad to see you weighing in on this one. Keral. I’m obviously not much for having to go through loops to make a comment.

And there are a lot of blogger blogs that are spam blogs, but I’d have to say that there are a lot of blogs in general that end up just dying out. But I’ve noticed that, so far, all the blogs that immediately copy my content have been Blogger blogs.

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Keral Patel Reply:

Yup :( Losers are in abundance on the internet. Most of them don’t even want to write their own articles or maybe they don’t know how to write one and on what topic they should write.

Getting our content copied by others and used on those spam blogs is the most frustrating part of blogging :(

Keral Patel´s last blog post..Create/Design your own Custom CMS

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Mitch Reply:

I agree there, but at least I don’t allow the trackbacks to stay on my blog. Supposedly, as long as they’re linking back to you there’s nothing you can do about it; I don’t like that one bit.

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November 4th, 2008 | 12:07 AM

It is a VERY rare occasion that I patronize a “business blog” set up on blogger…just unprofessional…I’m gong to take make money advice from someone who can’t or wont spend $10 per year??

Now if for some reason a blogger blog or two is part of a businesses network of sites, with paid included, that may be a different story.

I’ve seen that also.

Dennis Edell´s last blog post..Do You Use eBay to Grow Your OTHER Businesses?

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Mitch Reply:

Thanks for chiming in, Dennis. Looks like the anti-Blogger group has made its case in a big way here, 3 for, 8 against. One thing I hadn’t mentioned before was how most Blogger blogs have that link at the top for going to the next blog, and of course you never know what’s coming next. If it’s your business, do you want to risk what your client might be seeing next?

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Dennis Edell Reply:

A very good point. Although technically it wouldn’t be your fault, some might not see it that way.

Dennis Edell´s last blog post..Do You Have Good Follow-Through?

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Mitch Reply:

Exactly. And I come at this one from a few things I’ve read from people who were literally shocked by trying it. And, you have to admit, when you first encountered Blogger you probably kept hitting that link to see where you’d go next. I know I did.

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November 4th, 2008 | 9:24 AM

Yes, the ones that don’t allow you to do just Name/URL comments are quite annoying. I signed up for a Blogger account just to comment, because at least that one account covers them all. But I’m sure it is the reason some Blogger blogs do not have lots of comments. Granted, there is the OpenID thing, but I can never get it to work with Blogger sites, and I consider myself technologically savvy.

~ Kristi

Kikolani | Poetry, Photography, Blogging Tips´s last blog post..People Come Into Your Life For A Reason

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Mitch Reply:

I’ve never tried to OpenID thing, to tell you the truth. But I do vacillate between the one where you can post your own URL, when it’s offered, or just leaving my business blog in there.

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Kikolani | Poetry, Photography, Blogging Tips Reply:

I’ve tried Open ID on several sites. It supposedly words if you have Yahoo or AIM accounts, and I have both, but neither work on Blogger sites. I don’t mess with them anymore. Great concept though, one login for everything.

~ Kristi

Kikolani | Poetry, Photography, Blogging Tips´s last blog post..People Come Into Your Life For A Reason

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Mitch Reply:

Yeah, I’ll give them a “B” for trying.

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November 4th, 2008 | 4:20 PM

Man, I am so sorry I missed this post but that’s what comes from writing so many posts, I’m bound to miss one or two. It seems you and I have a lot in common Mitch, and that includes our dislike for Blogger blogs.
Sire´s last blog ..Why I Don’t Comment On Blogger Blogs My ComLuv Profile

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Mitch Reply:

It was funny, Sire, because so many other people commented on it, but you were strangely missing. I’ve certainly referenced the post often enough, though. And yes, we absolutely do agree on it.

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Sire Reply:

Yep, and just to male up for it I linked to this post so that people can get a different spin on things.
Sire´s last blog ..Why I Don’t Comment On Blogger Blogs My ComLuv Profile

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Mitch Reply:

Cool; I appreciate that, and it should show that, as you said, great minds think alike. ;)

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September 7th, 2009 | 7:38 PM

Can’t say I hate blogger blogs even with its poor commenting system.

And if they use Disqus or Intense Debate it’s fine by me. It will take more than that to prevent me from sharing my thoughts.

Maybe because I used to have a blogger blog? Could be. Or perhaps jumping through hoops is my preferred virtual work out.
jan geronimo´s last blog ..Here’s Why I Unfriended Darren Rowse in Facebook My ComLuv Profile

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Mitch Reply:

It’s possible you don’t see it as being intrusive; I not only don’t want to be tracked, but making people register just to participate when we want people to participate in the process is off-putting. I eschew anything that might prevent someone from making a comment on my blog.

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February 25th, 2010 | 3:23 AM
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