Curious Tuesday #2 – Optimizing Blogger

Posted April 27, 2021 by elzaread in Curious Tuesday / 19 Comments

Greetings you all! It’s Tuesday and that means that it should actually be time for Top Ten Tuesday, one of our favorite weekly features. But today’s theme is Animals from Books and are there any other animals from books as important as cats? I think not. And we’ve done and will still continue to do enough of those to last you a last time. 

Let’s rather tickle my curiosity a bit today and see if I need to give up one of my 9 lives. For those of you who are using the Blogger platform, I guess you’ve all received your notice to say that FeedBurner will no longer manage your email subscriptions (or something to that effect) and you need to find another subscription service. I.HAVE.NO.CLUE.WHAT.THAT.EVEN.MEANS. Should we be worried about this? Or even worse:
Has the time come for us to get off this platform and jump onto another? My Mommy wanted to call this post Blogger vs WordPress, but I think that’s jumping the gun a bit. We did play around on the internet to see if it will be a better option to switch platforms, but it just seems complicated. I might be terribly wrong here, you are very welcome to correct me. 
Won’t it perhaps just be a bit easier to just stay on Blogger and learn to optimize it as best as we can? Or is this rather a case of idiocrasy than curiosity? Yes, yes – my Mommy is a complete idiot when it comes to computers and techno lingo, but she did manage to get the blog up and running the way it’s now and it’s not all that bad. Is it? We are open to improvements, but might need some help! If you can help with any of the below curiosities, please be so kind to leave a comment.
  • I do use the e-mail contact form and would like to continue using it. Any ideas on how?
  • What on earth is a RSS feed? And how do we activate it? 
  • Subscription Links? How do you access and activate it? And do you still need the email subscription then?
  • And a CSS feed? I take it it’s not part of the CSI team. Or is it? We don’t have any interest in becoming involved with criminal activities. Especially not murder.
  • What is attribution data? Do you need to activate it?
  • Own domain: Except for having the lovely option of having your own name, is it of any other value to your blog? 
  • We love our current template, I mean it’s all about me, so who wouldn’t. But I see there are some lovely, gorgeous new templates available with the cutest share and follow buttons. Okay, that’s not really a question. That’s plain curiosity that is bound to kill this cat. 
We apologize in advance for sounding like the dumbest blondes on the blogosphere, but I have a definite fifth sense that some of you will be able to help us.
What are you curious about on this lovely Tuesday? Are you happy with the current platform that you use or do you also think you can optimize it a bit more?
Lots of Love,

 

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19 responses to “Curious Tuesday #2 – Optimizing Blogger

  1. If it makes you feel better I've gone total head in the sand over the whole email thing. I don't know what it means, I don't know how to fix it and I absolutely do not want to think about it! If you find some kind email substitute that is super easy (I'm very lazy) let me know!

  2. Blogger vs WordPress haha made me think of this https://imgur.com/t/king_kong/egQf78J

    Anyway I don't know most of this either haha, although I did buy my domain names a few years ago and even though I still use blogspot I may upgrade to my domain name one of these days. they say it looks more professional to have the domain name rather than whatever. blogspot, but I'm too lazy to have done it yet. 🙂

    • Wha ha ha Greg!! Yes, I guess that is a good comparison. I think I'm going to buy the domain and see which email provider is my best option. And you know what? Then I don't give a heck anymore. I love my blog and I can manage everything quite smoothly. I'm not leaving.

  3. I’ve debated moving to WP many times. My work uses WP for their blog and I hate it! I’ve had ups and downs with Blogger but I think I’ll stay put.

    I’ve not got a huge email list but I signed up with mail chimp, it’s straightforward to use and you can get widgets from it to put in your side bar.

    I bought my domain name through Google domains, it was easy to set up and I think I’m £20 for my .com and .co.uk.

    I use an RSS feed reader to read blog posts from other blogs but all I do with that is put in the web address rather than the RSS feed. I think RSS feeds where a big thing a few years back for keeping up to date with things but social media has taken over. I’ve seen a lot of sites that don’t offer it.

    I’ve not heard of CSS feed but there is CSS which is like codes you can put in the business end of the site. I’ve used it to adjust how things look and it requires lots of patience!

    I’ve not heard of attribution data either, is it something do with the analytics? Do you have Google analytics switched on for the site?

    If you need any help just get me on FB!

    • Hi my friend! As always – THANK YOU!! Where would I be without Heather???! I am busy making lists and still weighing pros and cons, and then I'm going to Facebook Troll you!!!

      xoxoxox

  4. I love your blog as is! I've been using Blogger since 2008 and have weathered all the changes along the way. I am too old to try anything new so I'll stay with Blogger as long as I can still post. I have no clue about the questions you've asked but, Jen sure seems savvy and I learned a few things. Good luck and one more things —CATS RULE!

    • Hi Diane! I've spend a lot of time and effort into streamlining my blog when I started again last year. I really don't want to start from scratch again! I'm also too old!! Glad to hear you've weathered all the storms and you are still standing. I can definitely do that too!

      Jen is super clever and she helped a lot! Not to mention Heather here below.

      YES!!! Cats most definitely rule!

  5. I use WordPress.org (self-hosted, or in my case, hosted on one of the big hosting sites), and I have mixed feelings. The platform is good, once you get used to the block editor. However, it's costing me an arm and a leg. The domain name is the least of it; there's also the cost for the web hosting site. Since I'm not really up on web security, I'm also paying for them to handle all of that. It's… a lot.

    That said, you might see what WordPress.com has to offer. WordPress comes in two versions, so to speak — the one you can use on your self-hosted site (WordPress.org) and the one you can use through the WordPress site (WordPress.com.) I haven't checked in a while, but you used to be able to have a free blog on WordPress.com. You wouldn't be able to use some of the fancy plug-ins like the very useful Ultimate Book Blogger plugin by NozeGraze, but I visit some blogs hosted on WordPress.com, and they look great.

    However, if the only reason to leave Blogger is Feedburner… well, they're charging everyone now, not just Blogger folks. So don't leave if that's the only issue. There are probably other email-subscription plugins you can use on Blogger, if you Google for them.

    • Hi Lark! I did all the comparisons between Blogger, WordPress.com and WordPress.org – I think you are right and I'll rather stay where I am!! I'm already using a few plugins, so if I need to get another one, so be it.

      Thanks for the advice! Much appreciated.

  6. I'm no expert, so don't take my word for any of this…

    I use MailChimp to send out the email newsletters that go to my followers. I'm savvy enough on the computer but it still took hours to set up. But I'm also picky about how things look and align and tend to get distracted with other projects so that could be part of it. There are tutorials out there that show you what to do though.

    Your RSS feed is sort of your content. So an email newsletter or blog reader service pulls from your RSS feed. I don't think you really have to activate it. You can tweak the appearance if you want (pictures or only text) but that's about it.

    There's not a CSS feed that I'm aware of. CSS is sort of the programming language that tells computers how your blog should look.

    I have my own domain but it's not really necessary for a hobby blog. If you were building a business, I'd recommend it but since you just do this for fun, you don't need your own domain. You do have to pay for it.

    Your blog is lovely just the way it is!

    I used Blogger from 2009 – 2016. I switched to WordPress when I came back to blogging last year. I obviously don't know what's new with Blogger. WordPress was a very steep learning curve for me, but I also got thrown straight into the new editor that everyone complains about. For the first month I used WordPress, I wished I had stayed on Blogger. But now that I'm used to WP, I like it better. If there's something new I want to add to my blog (like my Instagram feed), chances are that someone has built a plug-in (bit of computer code) that I just need to click to install, easy-peasy. On Blogger (remember, this was years ago), I would have to search the internet for the code, install it myself, and hope I didn't break my blog.

    I think you're probably going to be happiest staying with Blogger but if you do decide to switch, that part was a headache. I gave up on doing it myself and used pipdig to move my blog and content for me. It cost $10 (US), I think, but it was worth every penny. Their site

    • Hi Jen! Aah you are my hero today!! I am going to take your word with a couple of these….

      I've heard about MailChimp and might look into that one. I'm not computer savvy at all and my graphic design friend will have to help me!!

      I'll have to Google RSS, I've never used it at all, but what you say does make sense! Oh, thanks for clearing CSS up for me!! LOL!!!!

      I am seriously considering registering for my own domain. It's not ridiculously expensive and it just does look a bit nicer.

      I have a really very nice Blogger template that allows for nice plugins and I understand how to operate all the Blogger ins and outs. It's just the lingo like RSS and so forth that I don't really get. But I learn as I go along.

      I also think my best option is to stay right where I am!!! I appreciate all your advice!! Best teacher ever!

  7. your blog looks wonderful and i hate that these hosts keep messing with a good thing. i am not real knowledgeable about all the in and outs, but my host company is great about helping me whenever i have issues. sorry i can't be of more help
    sherry @ fundinmental

    • Hi Sherry! I know!! Can't they get that we are comfortable with the way things is!! Good grief. But thanks for the lovely compliment and I think I am staying right where I am. Might tweak here and there.

      Thanks for visiting us!!

  8. Yeah, Blogspot vs WordPress is a tough one. But judging by the way you've set up your blog, I thought you're an expert at it all. It looks fabulous! 🙂 Anyways, on the questions you specifically raised:

    ~ I think there are several designers who offer free Blogspot layouts, but I am guessing you've already tried them out. Maybe experiment with those, before giving up on Blogpsot? The same goes for WordPress too…

    ~ On having a domain name, it is fun, but in the end I realized it really isn't that much value for money. I bought my domain name on Bluehost, and it has to be renewed every 3 years: so, there's the cost aspect.

    A lot of WordPress bloggers do lots of cool things with plugins and additional CSS, but it's been more than 6 months for me and I still don't understand them much. I feel that WordPress LOOKS simple, but it's really as tough to edit as Blogspot.

    All of this from a newbie to WordPress, but hope it helps even a little bit!
    ~Lex

    • Hi Lex!! Wha ha ha!! Not an expert at all. I bought my template at Etsy and I have a friend who is an amazing graphic designer and she did my header and my little Elza logo. I still need to get her to do a few more graphics for me as well. She's really good! Glad you think it looks fabulous. We also like it a lot and that's why we don't really want to change…

      I am seriously considering buying a domain from Google. It's not expensive and it just looks a bit nicer with all the .'s and things. I saw Bluehost also offers help yes!

      I actually use a lot of plugins on my blog as well!! In case you haven't noticed. .. Blogger isn't compatible with them all and then it also depends on your template. Some templates don't allow plugins. Mine allows it to a rather large extend. The only plugin I would have liked as well, is reaction buttons. Some people don't want to leave a message, but just give you a like or so.

      I don't think I'll move after reading all the comments. I actually understand Blogger quite well and I don't have hassles. Just need to watch that FeedBurner thing. But then I guess I'll just get a plugin for that as well!

      Thanks for the advice, much appreciated!

  9. I use Blogger and am happy with it, but I am not doing many of the complicated things that you're asking about. I am just happy to post and do my thing. 🙂

    • Hi Helen! I also love Blogger and I am really comfortable here. Don't want to move at all. It took me ages to figure all this out and I so don't want to start all over again!

      I just don't want to get caught not optimizing it to it's fullest.

      Glad to know you are another Blogger fan!

  10. I have been so torn as well on switching to WordPress from Blogger but I don't know how I'd transfer all my old posts and I don't want to lose 10 years worth of blogging. Also, what is an RSS feed and why is it?! Also, my kitty, Toothless, says hi!
    Juli @ A Universe in Words

    • Hi there Juli! So glad to hear I'm not all alone here. It really is a tough decision to make. But I can promise you, I am going to go with the easiest one! LOL!!

      Say hi to Toothless from Elza! Let me guess? Toothless is a black cat?