Blog, Blogging, Blogger
So then, a couple of weeks ago I got an email out of the blue from Blogger. Apparently the small, cash strapped start-up that is Google were removing the ability to FTP publish from their Blogger service (with about 6 weeks notice). They gave a couple of reasons but the jist was a hardware change to the network meant they couldn't possibly maintain this service! Complete bollocks of course. The behemoth that is Google has to cancel a major technical requirement of a blogging tool because of changes to the network and the retiring of some hardware? Laughable.
Anyway, the die has been set and I will be moving this blog from Blogger to a self managed install of Wordpress. I will then delete all my accounts from the Google owned Blogger service as I've no wish to let them host my missives. They have enough control of my online experience as it is and I really want to wean myself off this over reliance. Gmail is, and will remain, my primary email solution, it just works and I've no wish to move elsewhere. The fallout from the Buzz incident will have been a chastening experience for Google so hopefully they can be trusted with my email for a bit longer.
My trials with Wordpress have been favourable but obviously there's a risk I break something when trying to implement a Wordpress install into my hosting space while the Blogger content is still live. Things will almost certainly be broken for a while and messed up looking for even longer. I plan to tweet my progress through the various stages.
Once it's finished I'm sure the effort will have been worth it and look forward to breathing new life into the blog from the much superior Wordpress platform. Thanks Google.


