[Ny Minute Now]

Over a light chat over work-related topics, the subject of blogging came up and a colleague casually pointed out that I haven't been updating my blog often enough for her to read it regularly. Eep! Talk about a very straightforward wake-up call that I badly needed. Not that I don't berate myself daily for putting off writing. It's just that...okay, okay, no excuses.

I've spent some time online lately though, in the form of managing the micro-site of Pond's in Cosmo.ph. (CMS—or whatever that interface is called—can be a bit of a challenge, mind you.) There, you can read the three interns' blogs; mine, too. We're on top speed at the internship program, and I am so proud of the girls! I truly feel like a mother hen!


We've been logging some video and TV time, too, with the ETC. crew popping by every now and then to document the internship program, along with Cosmo.ph's impressive team that updates Cosmo TV online.

Despite all this 'work' (it doesn't always feel like it because it's fun), I know I should keep this blog updated (along with AllMySugar.com!), so let's see how next week goes!

Labels: Cosmopolitan, internet media, work

So after many wonderful years working in Seventeen, I "graduated" to Cosmopolitan, its sister magazine. And for the next two and a half years, I would be busy beyond belief short of being dipped in algae. It was an honest-to-goodness roller coaster ride and I eventually hopped on to the next amusement park that is New York City. But that is a whole other story.

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm guest-blogging for the new and improved Cosmo.ph! It's like being back working for the mag—including getting used to raunchy section heads like Quickie Blogs—but being able to work in my pajamas.

Check out my first post, "Major Oh," and I'll meet you back here where I'll also be uploading the entries as part of the Cosmo Series—16 fun, fearless posts that will hopefully make you laugh, wince, or maybe even cry. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I've had (and am having) fun writing them!

Click HERE to go to the first post.

Labels: Cosmopolitan, freelancing, internet media, magazines, pro-blogging, work

Believe me, I've tried.

And now I can say that I do prefer Blogger over WordPress, for many reasons (and as a disclaimer, I'm saying they're all very biased, so please go easy on the comments). Before I begin, here are the stats:

Sites I have with WordPress: two
Sites I have with Blogger: seven up

1. WordPress.com and WordPress.org
That alone poses way too many complications in an already complicated world wide web. The former is the free blogging service and the latter is the software source of the blogging service if you choose to host your blog/site yourself. (Check out http://WebHostingGeeks.com if you're shopping for web site hosting. Their Top 10 Best Web Hosts (2009) chart is helpful.) For the sake of clarity and simplicity, my Blogger-Wordpress comparisons only refer to my experience with the .com—the free blogging service like Blogger—and not .org.

2) Free Domain Mapping
I've been using Blogger since 2003. Back then the interface was quite raw, and you had to input your own HTML code to insert photos. Thus, my early posts had no images, and the latter ones that did, took so long to complete. I didn't notice several new features right away, but down the line, the interface became very visual and friendly, with plenty of drag-and-drop, 'point-and-click' settings, including registering your own domain right on the Blogger dashboard.

WordPress has this, too. BUT, as of this posting, they charge a whopping $14.95 yearly for directing your blog to your own domain. So if I want to move ChocolateCaster.wordpress.com to ChocolateCaster.com, I'd have to pay that fee on top of what I'll spend on the domain purchase. If I want to redirect ChocolateCaster.blogspot.com to its own domain, it's FREE on Blogger!

3) Unlimited HTML and CSS editing.
Now that I've mentioned the fees WordPress.com charges, if you want to customize your template and change colors, headers, and fonts, you have to pay a yearly fee of about $15, too. In Blogger, if I find a lovely new template from one of the many, many talented designers out there, but happen to prefer this particular shade of aqua or midnight blue, I can go ahead an tweak the template myself—free! (Web etiquette just calls for not erasing the author credits on the gutter.)

4) AdSense and advertisements.
I earn pennies monthly from AdSense, literally. I have about $7 (seven US dollars) in total earnings from the time I started utilizing the service; which only means I have A LOT to learn in terms of optimizing my site/s, building traffic, increasing click-through rates, and so forth. But my point is, I'd at least like to have the decision to optimize, or have nothing to do with ads at all, be made by me. WordPress.com does not allow any ads whatsoever. At the most, a blog author can put up a PayPal button for donations.

5) User-friendly interface.
I cannot begin to describe the number of times I got so stressed out and irritated by WordPress's Dashboard. I find it extremely unfriendly. Again, this the very biased opinion of someone who has used Blogger for years; even back when the user's opening page wasn't even called "Dashboard." Whenever I try to edit the sites that I do have on WordPress, I end up just wanting to get done ASAP and close the window.


YET, NEVER SAY NEVER… According to a ProBlogger survey conducted in 2006, Wordpress.org leads the roster of platforms bloggers use to publish their sites, with Blogger coming second, followed by Movable Type, ExpressionEngine, TypePad, and WordPress.com.

In 2007, on the other hand, PC World gave Blogger the top spot ("Best Buy!"; 91 points - Superior) and WordPress, second (88 points - Very Good); followed by TypePad, Lycos Tripod, and Squarespace. (Click here for the original article link.)

Well, it's like that great PC-versus-Mac debate: It's never-ending and it boils down to personal preference. Who knows if one day NyMinuteNow.com finds its next home in Wordpress? After all, many successful and prominent blogs use it, and many of them are visually enticing, engaging, streamlined, and reader-friendly.

But for now the verdict is out: Blogger it is.

Labels: internet media, pro-blogging, work