Google Blogger

RECOMMENDATION
Use it


CONTEXT
I was looking for a simple way to share my experiences with the brands I interact with on a daily basis.

PROS

• quick - after deciding on a name for my blog, it took less than a minute to set it up and start writing this first post (I had a Blogger account already, though)
• gadgets - want to organize your blog posts by date? there's a widget for that.
• Analytics - from the start I can see how many visitors are reading my blog - and who they are
• mobile app - I can write posts from my iPhone and label them (which was particularly important to me because this blog is organized entirely off labels)

CONS

• usability
• admin console - it took me a while to figure out how to navigate (perhaps just my density, but 'template' and 'layout' mean the same thing to me)
• AdSense
• account creation - I kept trying to apply for an account, but it wouldn't let me until I published my first post (which I had suspected but wasn't sure about because the same button I used to apply for an AdSense account was the one I clicked on after I wrote my inaugural post)
• adding AdSense - I have the I have no idea how to add AdSense to my blog - I found the gadget, but I keep getting a 'please fix the errors on this form' message when I try to add a 728 x 90 ad to the top of the blog (turns out it's because my application hasn't been approved yet)
• iPhone app
• editing - if you use something like a bulleted list (like I've done here) via the web app when you try to edit the post from your phone you see complex HTML
• images - you can't place them in a specific place within the post
• tracking - can't see traffic stats

ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED

• Weebly (no labeling from mobile app)