http://blogger.com
I have been blogging for a long time, even before there were any blogging services to help out with the process. I used to edit a text file that automatically loaded into my home page in an early proto-blog experiment.
When Blogger.com came along, I took too it immediately. It simplified things a lot and really allowed me to get a constant stream of content on my site. Back in those days, I took advantage of the FTP publishing side of Blogger which allowed me to publish static pages directly to my own web server, instead of hosting the blog at a Blogspot.com URL. I really liked this. It meant my blog was available even if Blogger was down, and it also meant I had my own copy of all my blog pages.
While I now create any new blogs using WordPress software, I still had 3 blogs using Blogger. Last week, though, I saw the end to my Blogger days. Google, who now owns Blogger, is doing away with FTP publishing entirely. One, My Word with Douglas E. Welch has already moved and A Gardener’s Notebook is next. I have decided to abandon the TechnologyIQ blog, as I haven’t been keeping up with it as I once did.
Blogger is providing a migration path for those using FTP publishing. You can move your blog to Blogspot using either a Blogspot URL or your own custom domain. Preliminary info is available in this document from Blogger — Important Note to FTP Users.
If you are using Blogger, you might be considering, or needing, to make a change. I highly recommend WordPress, both in its Blogspot-like hosted mode at WordPress.com and in the self-hosted version of WordPress available for install or download from your ISP or directly from WordPress.org.
All things move forward. Blogger is focusing on the ease-of-use of hosted blogs, which is fine. You just might need to seek out other alternatives. If you are looking for advice on transitioning to WordPress.com or a self-hosted WordPress install, you can ask questions here using the Comments link below or in the forums on the New Media Interchange Community Site. I would be happy to answer any questions I can and sharing those questions with others would be a great way of getting more information out into the world.
I made the switch just a week ago myself, wasn’t too difficult, though I did leave the static pages from Blogger to keep old links working!
Oh, yes, you want to leave things in place as Google and others already know where they are.
Douglas,
Congratulations on the move, which seems to have gone smoothly. One thing you have taught us is that no matter how you host, content is king.
Thank you for an always regal presence.
Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,
Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department
Yep, so far, so good. Having “a place for your stuff” is sooooo important. Once you have that, and your content has a place to live, it becomes a lot easier.
sucks that they’re taking away ftp. blogspot is no solution for me.
I have now transitioned over 2 of my Blogger blogs to WordPress. Relatively painless, but I have now gained a bit of experience with it.