Re: hosting blogs

**"* G* <d*@gmail.com>**

Kate - you have a website so you have somebody hosting it for  you. It's the
same thing with a blog.  A hosting company runs the server it sits on and
hopefully you don't have to do anything with that server.   You get to
install wordpress - it's usually a one button click on the software that
runs your little bit of the server (using something called "fantastico" or
 some other instant upload button).  It really is easy to install your own
version of wordpress.
Having said that.  You do have to have a bit of tech smarts or be willing to
learn.  If you don't have a tech bone in your body and you're not overly
worried about marketing your "brand" then go with something like blogger (as
you have).   The advantage is one of branding - you could run your wordpress
blog as a subdomain of your own website.  I run mine as
blog.douggreensgarden.com - the associated forum as
forum.douggreensgarden.com and the main website as douggreensgarden.com   So
from a reader point of view - you have everything under one roof.  You could
do the same.  The other option of course is to set it up as a folder/file on
KateKopsey.com  - something likekatekopsey.com/wordpress   and run it that
way.  it does tend to get a bit buried in some of the search engine rankings
that way but it would be better than having two separate domains.  I'm not
sure there's a lot of advantage to running your website under one name and
your blog under another if they're not tied together - you've linked your
blog to your website now so that's about the same effect you'd get if you
had your own install of a  wordpress blog   (I'd be glad to get another .02
on this thought though)

The disadvantage is that none of the self-hosted bits of software are
install and forget.  You are supposed to update the software as the security
fixes are announced.  This can be a bit exciting as you learn how to backup
databases and then hope and pray for a clean and successful upload so you
don't have to figure out how to reinstall the darned backed up database. :-)
  At something like blogger - they do all this for you.  On your own blog -
you get to do it for yourself.

There's a massive amount of features on wordpress and typepad that are not
available through blogger.  Tons of plugins and scripts that make the blog
do some kinda funky things and make it easier to use.  Plus the sky is the
limit for customization of the look and feel of the site.  But again, you
get to figure all of this out yourself - I note there are excellent
wordpress tutorials and websites/forums for help in all of these things but
there is a learning curve for whatever software you pick.

You wrote, "Seems that the wordpress format can still  be kept, but the
ownership reverts to you vs. them"   I confess I don't understand what that
means.   I do know that with wordpress (can't speak for typepad but I expect
it's the same) that you can import all your content from blogger to your
wordpress blog so that the info isn't lost.  You may have to go in and
change a few tags or titles to help the search engines but generally, you
can transfer all your content.

I get emails regularly touting that folks can "do something" for me that
will allow me to "rule the Net" :-)  And all at very low prices.  I think
these are referrals from my Nigerian friends and I'm learning to take a very
long and heard look at such offers.

My .02 - If you want to mess about with tech - then wordpress or typepad
self-hosting will let you do that and you can tie it into your own website.
 If you don't want to mess - stay with blogger.  Or hire somebody to do your
tech stuff.

So that's my take on your question. Hope it helps a bit.

Doug

On Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 11:39 AM, <KTCopsey@aol.com> wrote:

> Someone has just contacted me about hosting my blog with it's own domain
> versus using blogger/wordpress.  Seems that the wordpress format can still
>  be
> kept, but the ownership reverts to you vs. them. This would seem like a
> good
> option, but I am concerned about logistics.
> Does anyone host their blog domain themselves? Flexibility is touted, but
> unless you are techno-savvy its not much use. I know there are some tech
> folks
> here, so if you have an opinion I would like to hear it.
> Thanks
> Kate
>
> Kate  Copsey
> Garden Writer
> _www.katecopsey.com_ (http://www.katecopsey.com/)
>
>
-- 
Doug Green
Editor-in-Chief
SGF Publishing www.simplegiftsfarm.com
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