Review: blogger.com

I just started using blogger.com for a new review blog if you didn't notice.

I have used blogger (or blogspot.com as it's also known) previously, so I have enough experience to let you know straight up: it has its faults.

To be fair, it's very easy to set up (assuming you have a gmail account).
It's very intuitive in terms of getting a decent design together.
Blogger has templates you can choose from and modify as you see fit.

  Like this, see?:

You don't need to know a dot of programming code - everything is there and very accessible - colors, fonts, background pics (you can upload your own if you like).

Within an hour you will have cobbled together a great looking blog that also reflects your personality and your taste and it will definitely project something at least close to what you are looking to portray with your blog.

Also, it promotes a sense of community, which is very important amongst bloggers.
It's easy enough to follow and comment other blogs you might enjoy and before long you'll have built up a nice community of fellow bloggers.


Managing your blog in general on blogger is really handy - the layout of the dashboard and tabs is extremely accessible. Some more intricate settings are a little tucked away, but not too difficult to find if you use your brain.


However, blogger falls down for me at a crucial point.

Posting.
I find posting quite tedious - especially in terms of popping pics in to my posts. I upload or link and they appear a line or two above where I intended - i.e. where the cursor was. Why is that?

Also, line breaks never conform when published as to how they were while editing.
That includes when I dare delve into the 'edit html' option in posting mode.

Finally I've also found another little bug in linking text to URL's. Sometimes it happens that the pop up box into which I'm supposed to paste the link isn't 'active'. And when I paste, it appears in the post itself - behind the edit box.


On the one hand it's a great interface - very manageable and intuitive.

On the other, get it together blogspot! - bloggers blog and posting is really number one!
If that isn't as smooth and intuitive as your log on and design procedure then expect a lot of people to drop out after a couple of posts.


At the end of the day...

Is 'blogger' any use?

Verdict: It'll do (just don't annoy me while I'm posting - I'm likely to scream at you).