Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Frustration with Google

Thank you all for your encouragement to not forfeit the $300 from Google AdSense. I took all your advice and opened a separate bank account just for this purpose (my particular thanks to reader Casey who recommended the online bank Ally.com).


I wrote yesterday's blog post in a moment of frustration with Google. I'm getting more and more tired of their We-Rule-the-World attitude... not to mention that so many people consider Google to be the "fifth branch of government." I had no idea, when I started this blog so many years ago, that Google would prove to be such a pervasive/invasive force.

Don't get me wrong -- I love Blogger. It's Google I dislike. Kind of how you can love a child but hate his parents.

While I've flirted with the idea for quite awhile, I've made up my mind to migrate Rural Revolution to another blogging platform in the near future. Many people have recommended WordPress, but I can't have advertisers on that platform. While I don't allow a lot of ads on my blog, I'd like to keep the option open.

Right now I'm exploring Typepad and so far I like what I see.


I need to find out how difficult it will be to migrate between the two platforms. Be assured I will keep everyone posted!

11 comments:

  1. You certainly can have advertisers on Wordpress. Not Wordpress.com, but you can on Wordpress.org which is opensource and you get with any decent hosting service.

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  2. I'm glad you didn't have to forfeit the $300.

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  3. "Momma" keeps her blog on Dreamhost, using Wordpress. She says you can have ads if you wish, she's just having problems integrating them on her site.

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  4. Wordpress.org, you'll have to pay for your own webspace, but you're already paying for your own web address, and thats a large portion of that cost. I'm hosted on Machighway (and no, you don't have to have a mac), and they've been quite reliable and are fairly inexpensive. You can definetly put ads and whatever else on it you want.

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  5. I have set up wordpress a dozen times over the years. You absolutely can have advertisements of any kind on it. Use either bluehost or dreamhost and you can be up and running in minutes for less than $6 a month. I've heard hostgator is good, too, but have no direct experience with them.

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  6. Patrice -
    Google is evil.
    Blogger is evil too.

    WORDPRESS is not the same as WORDPRESS.COM

    WordPress is an open source blogging tool. It's like a template for blogs, but has plug ins and all kinds of cool stuff.

    Wordpress.com on the other hand is Blogger's evil twin


    I use a WordPress theme and host it with JustHost.

    I've been very happy with JH and recommend them :-)
    It is an easier transition than you might imagine and the tech support is great.
    I promise you I'm no techie bright light.....

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  7. You can definitely have advertisers but I would recommend Wordpress.org not wordpress.com! You already have a domain (rural-revolution.com) so you have to go to your hosting company and install wordpress on your site (it's an install they should provide... I have a HostGator site and it's in my cpanel but they will help you if you go to their customer service). Then just find a theme (I recommended Meeta last time) and install it. You can most DEFINITELY have advertisers there!

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  8. Beware of the transfer of your domain name, which could lead to it being eventually held hostage under a third party agreement as offered by some hosting sites, GoDaddy in particular. Domain name transfer, renewal, admin info and its privacy are very important who you entrust that with, but I recommend your webmaster engage in a little beforehand research on who will handle that for you before you transfer it anywhere, particularity with outfits whose domain privacy with these third parties may not turn out to be as good as they promote, versus some of the other domain hosting providers these fine folks have offered.

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  9. Where ever you go, I hope you can keep the format. I love all the photo's with your blog. Also, I absolutely love the current chicken pic on the header

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  10. As the others have said, there is a difference between Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org.

    Wordpress.com is a website that hosts many, many Wordpress blogs. They allow affilliate links, but not banner ads, on the blogs they host. You're using their site, so they make the rules.

    Wordpress.org is the open-source Wordpress software itself. You download it and install it on your own website. You can have anything you want to. Your website, you make the rules.

    Not saying TypePad isn't any good. I have no idea. :)

    I agree about Google. I avoid them whenever possible.

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