REVIEW: BLOGGER for Blogging

It has been barely a month since I started this blog. It is not the first time I've had a blog. I used plain HTML/CSS, Wordpress, Blogger, Tumblr, and a few other CMS tools to maintain an online diary. I never really got into Tumblr, but have always forwarded my other blogs there. I love Wordpress, but maintaining a Wordpress blog on your personal server can be a security nightmare so I started this blog on Blogger.

Blogger Pros and Cons

Pros

I like blogger because it is easy to use and because it is hosted by Google it generally ranks well in search results.

• Easy to blog on
• Easy to integrate Google Plus and YouTube
• Connects to IFTTT
• Labels are easy to add
• Scheduling a post is easy
• Excellent built in SEO
• Image integration is great
• Fewer pesky security loopholes (notice I didn't say none, especially if you customize your site or add plugins)

Cons

Blogger is not very user friendly when it comes to design. Luckily I can code. So I've wandered into the "advanced" user setup and started going crazy customizing this site.

• Customizing the theme is a pain in the bum
• Renaming categories is also a pain in the bum - you have to: 1) give one of your posts the new name 2) search for all the posts & select all all you want to edit 3) you have to add the new category to the ones you want to change 4) remove the old category from all of them 5) HOPE THAT BLOGGER DIDN'T GLITCH (a common occurrence where dozens of posts are added to the wrong category label)
• Creating a dropdown menu must be done in HTML
• You can't group category labels and give them headers in the side bar or have them only show up for certain parent categories

The Future

I'm sure this site's design, color scheme, and even the fonts will progress as I find the time to play with things. For now, if anyone has feedback, a hard time finding what they are looking for, or ideas please do not hesitate to leave me a comment! I appreciate the feedback.