When I first decided to start up a blog, back in January 2012, I had two main options: WordPress or Blogger. Actually, there was no choice involved; I already knew I was going to use WordPress. Maybe it was the name (word and press both relate to writing and publishing, after all), or maybe it was that I had already played around with a couple of blogs on the Blogger platform previously and I didn’t like it much.
But this isn’t a post about the relative merits of one blogging platform over another, so if that’s what you were looking for then you can quite happily click away and find something more interesting to read. I prefer WordPress, I like the interface and the look of the thing; others prefer Blogger. Whatever. What I want to talk about is how once we choose a particular blogging platform, it suddenly becomes really hard to mix with the other.
Closed Communities
I regularly take part in blogosphere community activities, such as Insecure Writers Support Group day, and I love to click around and find new sites and new people to connect with. But when one of these blogs is Blogger-hosted, my heart sinks just a little bit. Why? It’s a simple matter of laziness. If I want to comment on a WordPress blog it’s super-easy. I’m logged in, I’m part of the community, I can follow or like at the click of an easy to find button at the top of the page, and my comment not only takes seconds to make, it also comes with a handy link back to my blog – and a photo of me to boot! But if I want to comment on a Blogger blog, first of all the blog seems to take ages to load, then when I comment I have to chose a profile to use, put in usernames and passwords, then there’s usually a CAPTCHA code (or whatever they’re called) to figure out, then the screen refreshes and I have to check the comment has actually worked, and there have been many times when it’s just disappeared.
Now, this is not a criticism of Blogger – I’m sure if I also blogged there the whole process would be seamless. But I don’t. And that’s my point. WordPress and Blogger (owned by Google) are very clever at keeping you inside their own community. It’s in their interest that you find your own platform more comfortable, that you recommend it to other people and set up additional blogs within it, hopefully moving to a paid-for or otherwise revenue-producing service in time. And I’m a sucker for that kind of thing, because I’m inherently lazy!
In-Group Out-Group What?
My husband’s a psychologist and knows far more about this than me, of course, but there is a powerful force in social interactions, noticeable from as early as our school days, and now employed by all sorts of clever people trying to manipulate us and sell us things. Put simply, social identity theory says that to improve our self-image we enhance the status of whichever group or groups we belong to: the in-group. Anyone who doesn’t belong to this social group is in the out-group. Whether it’s the country/city/town you were born in or the football team you support (or the blogging platform you choose), people seek out the positive qualities and affirm them, while looking for the negative in the out-group status to further improve self-image. This is the root of the ‘them and us’ way of thinking.
I did it myself, earlier. WordPress is easier, nicer to look at, has a better name. Blogger is problematic, clunky, awkward. Of course, none of these things are actual facts, just my perception – and perhaps my attempts to improve the status of the group – WordPress – to which I belong. Fascinating stuff! (Well, I think so!) 
And the point is …?
The point is, I’ve given in and signed up for a Blogger identity. This will make it easier for me to comment on all those lovely, easy to navigate, attractive (I’m doing my best!) Blogger blogs I come across, and also give me a presence on the web via both platforms. I won’t be blogging with Blogger, though – I’ve got enough to do! I’ve just set up a holding page which directs readers back to here. Back to my group, where I’m most comfortable. And which also happens to be the best …
So, over to you – which blogging platform do you prefer? And can you say why? (Be honest, now, remember the psychology!)
You’re probably right, I have a Google account and often sign up with it to comment on Blogger posts, yet I lose tracks of friends I follow on Blogger…
Our own groups are just the best! End. Of. Story.
This has been a big source of frustration to me. With my WordPress friends it’s so easy to follow their blogs regularly – although I had to turn off the email alerts, because I would get scary amounts of email in less than a day. I can just go to the Reader and catch up with all the latest posts. With other blogging platforms, I have to make an effort to search, then another effort to leave a comment – and I am really rubbish at recognising the numbers or words in the CAPTCHA thing, so it usually means typing everything two or three times…
But you’ve got an interesting way of looking at it – and you are spot on, I think it is an in-group, out-group thing. Bit like VHS and Betamax videotapes, or Apple and PC – at some point the platforms will have to ‘talk’ better with each other or else one of them will go under or whatever.
I have both a WordPress and Blogger page. I actually switched to WP about a month ago because of Blogger’s aforementioned clunkiness. There’s really no competition, design wise, editing wise, or even social networking wise. WP all the way, baby.
I’m on blogger simply because it was the first blogging platform I clicked on. I have since made a lot of friends on WordPress and as such have had to make a WordPress presence. As I am on Blogger, I do find it to be reasonably intuitive, however long load times are a problem for some pages. I would prefer having a unified blogging experience, but by the nature of the internet, that will never happen
Good discussion, Jo! I’ve had experience of lots of different website software including some of the big ones used commercially (Joomla, anyone?) and some custom-designed for my place of work. When I started my personal website, nearly four years ago, I set off with Vistaprint (!) which I’d also used to bring business cards etc but soon outgrew that one. Tried Blogger as it was the only big free one I’d heard of at that point but a Twitter friend (thank you, @thatandywhite!) in the ad business recommended WordPress and I’ve never looked back. Blogger would just about do if all I wanted was a single page, single column blog and didn’t care too much how it looked like. WordPress provides SUCH variety and power, even in the free version, that now I’m completely hooked and use it for lots of other things. I think it’s really good for author websites (of which I’ve set up quite a few for other writers) but also for just about any purpose where you want a sophisticated website that will do anything but provide an online shop. (For that, you need to go to the .org version and self-host – trading’s not allowed on the .com version.)
And there we enter quite another debate – the WordPress.org or WordPress.com issue! As you know, Jo, .com is the completely free version (unless you want to drop the wordpress from the URL) and you don’t have to worry about doing back-ups or paying for hosting – but there are a lot of people out there who swear going for .org gives them more flexibility and more widgets. (How many widgets does a person need, for goodness’ sake?!) I stick with .com and just pay for a couple of small extras such as personalised URL and a specific typeface. Was worried that I was in the wrong until I read that discerning people like Catherine Ryan Howard (and of course you, Jo!), feel the same as I do!
Commenting on Blogger, as a non-Blogger person, is really offputting and irritating but don’t want a Blogger persona so I think I’ve been doing this with Google+, which I don’t really do anything with otherwise, or I’d never get any work done…
How handy to have your own resident psychologist to hand!
Best wishes, Debbie
I’ve tried both too, and left Blogger because of its clunkiness! I use WordPress as I can blog from my iPad with ease! When I say I can blog… Doesn’t mean I do! I think it’s getting on for 5or 6 months since I have! Oops!
Great post Jo x
I couldn’t agree with you more, Jo. I started out using Blogger (and had a blog with no real focus that didn’t help) and last year looked into using WordPress instead and I haven’t looked back. In fact I recently voiced all the merits of WordPress vs Blogger to a writer friend and she has switched over to WordPress now.
It’s so hard to follow Blogger blogs if you don’t regularly use their site. I keep telling everyone I come across “add a follow by e mail button” and then you might attract more followers lol.
WordPress is so much easier for that
Xx
I am a total WordPress fan, mainly because it allowed me to create a whole site, not just a blog, under paulinewiles.com
But, I was on Blogger several light years ago, so my identity there probably still works. I just choose not to think too hard about it!
Great post again and some good psychology in there – loved it!
x
I went to the self-publishing conference on Sunday and realized I finally had to make a decision between WordPress and Blogger and set up my own blog now if I was going to make proper use of the excellent advice from the Speakers. I found your blog yesterday Jo and, as a woman who has spent years battling against my own health problems, I was immediately inspired by your story and the quality of your blog. So, it’s WordPress for me after your recommendation and the good experiences of your responders who also use WP.
Hi Lynne,
x Jo
That’s fantastic! I wish I’d been there – I was supposed to go but the weather stopped me. If you have any notes you’d like to share my email is joanne g phillips @ gmail . com – would be great to have a chat
I am of the same ilk. Annoyed the two can’t play nice with each other, Especially with the A to Zchallenge about to start, I may just take your advice though and create a blogger profile just to comment. Thanks for that snippet of info.