However, what I didn't realise when Blogger Beta was announced is that there is no option - all users of Blogger must in due course operate a Google account in order to access Blogger
I've known that Blogger was owned by Google since I started using it. However, up until now it has operated as a separate piece of software - which is the way I like it.
I keep different bits of my life compartmentalised - with different user names and diffferent e-mail addresses for different purposes. I do not propose to have the same user name and password for both an e-mail account and my blog.
I also don't like the idea of having all my eggs in one basket or one entity having too much access to what I'm doing. Which is why I don't use the Google add-on for my browser. I prefer entities which specialise in one thing - they're more likely to give it their full attention and not take their eye off the ball - as AOL did recently when they released 20 million search records from 650,000 users.
In addition, there's the log-in issue. It's already tedious enough that I can't be logged on to more than one gmail account at a time. To realise that being logged on to Google also means being automatically logged on to Blogger - and that closing down Blogger means that I'll probably log myself out of my e-mail facility (as has happened time and time again while I've struggled to bypass the almost default log-on to Blogger Beta that has been created) is not what I call progress.
It's now also causing other problems for people who have switched to Blogger Beta. Judging by the comments in the Google Blogger User group - most of those who have switched to Blogger Beta are desparate to switch back to the classic mode - but can't!
OK rant over. It's definitely a "no thank you" from me to Blogger Beta - I'm not changing my blogging platform until Google and Blogger realise that:
- they can't decide how I like to operate my passwords
- give people a few more choices over how they operate their software.
And if I do need to change - it'll probably be to a different blogging platform - which I get to control! If Goggle/Blogger manage to come up with an option which keeps access - and passwords - separated and it actually works with few complaints (!) then I may reconsider.
In the meantime, if anybody would like to tell me the pros and cons of their blogging software I'd love to hear your views - and I'm particularly interested in how the images bit works in your non-Blogger software works...........
Technorati: blog software , Blogger , Blogger Beta, blogger software , Google
I am glad you posted about this. Before I knew any better, I clicked to apply to the Blogger Beta, but I was declined because my blog didn't meet their criteria for some reason. Whew, thank goodness it didn't! I'm really glad I didn't switch. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteDarla - my general policy is to avoid beta versions unless they seem to have been up and running for quite a time and currently have very few if any problems. Otherwise I never quite know what I'm letting myself in for - other than that the beta bods will never ever accept any liability for any damage done to my settings or computer.
ReplyDeleteSo unless you like the computer equivalent of digging yourself out of holes with a teaspoon I'd recommend avoiding anything marked beta version and check user groups for their views before downloading and/or joining.
Blogger's latest: it logged me out of one my blogs this morning because I had updated and saved the template in the other! I lost a virtually completed draft post in the process.
Oh - and it now wants me to sign in and out every time I do anything - one would characterise it as too tedious for words - but I am a blogger! ;)
thanks for posting this. I too avoid beta versions (though i made an exception for Flickr and wasn't disappointed - had more problems with their 'gamma' version:-)
ReplyDeleteI too will be looking at alternatives for my blog platform. It will need to be flickr friendly and as easy to update as blogger was...