Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Happy 20Th Birthday Blogger!

Twenty years agone today, folks were Livin' la Vida Loca and Blogger was born at Pyra Labs*.

"Weblogs" were a fairly novel idea, together with Blogger was non only ane of the offset weblog platforms, but also helped popularize the price "blog" together with "blogging", which is non quite every bit much of a mouthful.


After struggles alongside funding, Blogger was sold to Google inward Feb 2003. This may receive got rescued the platform, as Guardian reported at the time:
The sale is a dramatic turnaround for San Francisco-based Blogger, which rode the high together with subsequent depression of the dotcom boom. The companionship was founded inward 1999, together with Mr Williams had to lay off the company's entire staff inward belatedly 2000. He continued to maintain the service past times himself from his abode until terminal year, when he increased revenues past times starting a premium version.

In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both celebrities together with In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both regular folk (most of which no longer exist). There were blogging tools, In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both meetupsIn those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both parties and In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both awards.

In the few years after Google's purchase, Blogger got a number novel features like In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both autosaving draft postsIn those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both mobile postingIn those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both free epitome hostingIn those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both monetization alongside AdSense, together with much more. 

I intend of the mid-2000s every bit the golden years of blogging. "Bloggers" were In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both Google launched the much-beloved Reader, an slow agency to maintain upward alongside content on sites alongside feeds together with weblog search together with regain site Technorati reported exponential growth of the "blogosphere".

But social media was also appearing on the scene. MySpace launched inward 2003, Facebook inward 2004, Twitter inward 2006. Social platforms were moving inward every bit an slow house to post personal updates where your friends were probable to consider it.

Blogger stats inward March 2011, merely a few months earlier the launch of Google+.

While it feels similar social media has taken over much of publishing over the past times decade, the tide may hold upward turning. As at that topographic point receive got been increasing concerns virtually privacy breaches, harassment together with fickle algorithms on Facebook together with Twitter, at that topographic point are rumblings that blogging is making a comeback.

Why I utilisation Blogger

I created my offset Blogger weblog inward May 2004, when Blogger was less than five years old. I generally posted personal updates together with shared links (and no, I'm non linking it here).

Since together with therefore I've started (and generally abandoned) one-half a dozen blogs. One of my blogs was fifty-fifty featured on Blogger's old "In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both Blogs of Note", which was exciting! 

In those early on years, bloggers (with a pocket-size b) helped promote each other with blogrollswebrings, together with blog carnivals.We commented on each others posts, together with discussed topics together with blogging inward forums together with e-mail lists. It didn't experience similar solely posting; it felt similar beingness purpose of a community. I was aiming for that "Magic Middle" of the attending curve; I'd never brand the "A List" of blogs, but I didn't desire to be so far out on the "long tail" I didn't receive got whatever readers.

Much of that old community long moved on to social media. And that's where I straight off post my personal updates together with photos. 

But I've constitute that social media posting isn't cracking for writing detailed posts. I desire to hold upward able to format text together with images, non hold upward at the mercy of changing algorithms, together with hold upward able to easily motion to a novel platform if my social media platform of pick is near downward (In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both RIP Google+).

I've also tried other blogging platforms from LiveJournal to self-hosted WordPress. I've e'er come upward dorsum to Blogger. 

Blogger has the features I need. For my purposes, I don't demand a full-fledged content administration system. Blogger lets me easily exercise posts together with pages alongside text, images, together with embedded content. 

Blogger is customizable. I tin dismiss alteration ane of Blogger's themes, or install ane created past times a third-party template designer. If I don't similar Blogger comments, I tin dismiss switch to Disqus or some other comment system. And at that topographic point isn't a bound to embedding content, widgets, buttons together with other website gew-gaws (whether that's a goodness sentiment is some other issue).

Blogger is both completely gratuitous together with lets me monetize. Blogger is non only 100% gratuitous of charge, but I'm allowed to house ads on my content. I tin dismiss conduct the advertising platform together with insert the ads where I desire them to appear. WordPress.com has limited monetization options for gratuitous accounts, together with your readers won't run into a paywall the agency they tin dismiss on Medium.

I don't receive got to worry virtually updates or traffic spikes. Because it's on Google's servers, I don't receive got to worry virtually keeping the platform upward to appointment or whether I receive got plenty bandwidth if ane of my posts starts getting a ton of traffic (a work I'd love to have!). 

Blogger is integrated inward the Google ecosystem. It's slow to link my Blogger weblog to AdSense together with Google Analytics, prepare it upward inward Google Search Console, insert images from my Google Photos or videos from my YouTube channel. That may non hold upward a selling betoken if yous aren't using other Google products, but I honour it quite handy.

I'm non locked inward to Blogger. When Google+ near down, many of us constitute that beingness able to export your content isn't that useful if yous can't read it or import it to some other platform. When yous adept your content from Blogger yous tin dismiss import it into WordPress. And by using a Custom Domain I shouldn't lose much traffic if I did motion to some other platform (that supports Custom Domains, of course).

That's non to nation Blogger is perfect. There are many features I want they'd implement (Responding to comments on the Comments tab! Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 recycle bin for deleted posts! Spruced upward Profile pages! Tables inward posts!). But Blogger does what I demand it to do.

I also receive got seen some concern that Blogger volition hold upward near downward every bit receive got therefore many other Google products. While surprise shut-downs aren't unheard of, I was to a greater extent than concerned virtually Blogger when Google+ seemed to hold upward Google's primary focus. While Blogger has had few major updates inward recent years, I don't consider whatever indication it volition hold upward going away anytime soon.

I'm hoping for xx to a greater extent than years of blogging. At least!

Edited to add:In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both Paolo Amoroso has noted this 2018 In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both Blogger Product Expert (formerly "Top Contributor") since 2012. The original grouping of adept helpers were In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both "Blog*Stars" dorsum inward 2006. Shout-out to original Blog*Star Peter Chen who is all the same a Blogger Product Expert today!
  • Blogger's In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both original Mobile posting page had catchy jingle, composed past times Twitter co-founder together with Blogger "In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both founding father" Biz Stone (lyrics) and Grant Shellen (music).  Listen here. ("Snap a photograph together with type some text, ship it to Blogger together with we'll exercise the rest.")  
  • The In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both first official Google corporate weblog post was inward May 2004. While most of Google's companionship word is now posted on the non-Blogger "Keyword", yous tin dismiss all the same honour Blogger-hosted production blogs for WebmastersAdSenseSecurityAndroid DevelopersYouTubeYouTube Creators, Blogger (of course) together with more.
  • While many early on blogs receive got disappeared, or were abandoned, some are all the same going strong. Scientist together with scientific discipline fiction writer In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both John Kricfalusi, the creator of Ren & Stimpyhas a blog that's been active since early on 2006.
  • In 2005 In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both author Neil Gaiman attributed the success of his novel Anansi Boys to his Blogger weblog (now at Neil Gaiman's Journal). 
  • In those early on days, Blogger's ain weblog - "Blogger Buzz" - had a casual tone, together with ofttimes highlighted interesting blogs together with bloggers, from both In 2010  Blogger bloggers wrote over 250,000 words per infinitesimal together with at that topographic point were over 400 ane one one thousand thousand active readers, alongside 75% of traffic coming from exterior the US. 
  • Blogger is ane of the only (maybe the only) Google production that allows content alongside nudity together with sexual activeness (with some limitations). Blogger tried to ban sexually explicit photos together with videos inward 2015, but after an outcry quickly reverted dorsum to their original policy

  • * Pyra labs was founded by Ev Williams and Meg Hourihan. Ev Williams was afterward CEO of Twitter, together with founded Medium inward 2012. Meg Hourihan co-founded Kinja along alongside Nick Denton of Gawker Media.

    Header: Photo past times rawpixel.com from Pexels 

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