[ShaneCarrow]

Probably most of you here, if you run a blog, just do it on your website, but does anyone use a third-party site? I've been on Wordpress for 13 years (doing book reviews - completely separate from my author pen name) but their latest transition to an unintuitive train wreck of a "block" editor, which they clearly have no intention of walking back or providing an alternative to, is the nail in the coffin for me. What are some other decent, simple services?

 

[Kathy Dee]

The bock editor isn't bad when you get used to it, though it seems to me that it is a lot easier to use on a self-hosted site than the 3rd-party hosted version (at wordpress.com). My advice is to install the self-hosted solution at your site.

 

[EmberKent]

Is Blogger still a thing?

 

[jb1111]

Blogger is still running. My blog has had 65K hits in the several years I've been running it, and I get maybe 30 hits a week, and it's a non-author blog, a hobbyist blog, I don't advertise it...

It had more activity when Google+ was still alive, but it works, and Google recently updated the software, so it appears they are intent on keeping it alive for a while.

It gets the job done.

 

[Patty Jansen]

I ignore the block editor and write in the code editor.

 

[Cunir]

If you host Wordpress yourself, or you have a paid account where you can upload plugins, then you can just install the ‘classic editor’ plugin which returns everything back to how it was -

 

[inmymind]

There are also relatively simple CMS (Content Management System), which store all data in text files instead of a database if you are looking for something that can be used for several websites…This is a compromise between static generators like Jekyll and database-based CMS like Wordpress. There are actually quite a few options out there! but not sure if it’s that what you are looking for…

 

[ImaWriter]

Probably most of you here, if you run a blog, just do it on your website, but does anyone use a third-party site? I've been on Wordpress for 13 years (doing book reviews - completely separate from my author pen name) but their latest transition to an unintuitive train wreck of a "block" editor, which they clearly have no intention of walking back or providing an alternative to, is the nail in the coffin for me. What are some other decent, simple services?

I've been on (self hosted) WP a bit longer than you have. I was on Blogger initially, and made the move 14/15 years ago. I hated the block editor when it first arrived and even pushed back at updating. But it did grow on me, and I actually prefer it now. It does have some really good features.

However, if you can't bring yourself to like it, there is a Classic Editor plugin created by the WP team which is kept up to date.

 

[ShawnaReads]

I stopped using Wordpress because of all the hacking. I needed a site that wouldn't be such a target, that I could just set and then only go into when I need to update something, instead of constantly micro-managing it to deal with hacking attempts (and/or successes). I got a site from Wix, and it's exactly what I need. Easy to set up, does what I need, and I don't have to babysit it.

 

[Brevoort]

The Wordpress supported "Classic Editor" plugin turns everything back to the way it was.


The block editor is probably a good thing but I can't be bothered learning since my needs are simple and either the plugin or the code editor is all I need.

 

[Norman Steele Taylor]

Just install CLASSIC EDITOR plugin and you're good to go

My host AUTOINSTALLS that plugin for me

 

[ShaneCarrow]

I don't use the software or have my own domain - it's just a Wordpress.com hosted site, so can't use plug-ins without upgrading to a premium account. Fortunately I've find a tucked-away shortcut to the classic editor... which will probably be removed in the future, but I can kick the can down the road.

The block editor is probably a good thing but I can't be bothered learning since my needs are simple and either the plugin or the code editor is all I need.

To me it feels like a solution in search of a problem. I don't need blogging to be like Mailchimp, I don't need to be able to drag "blocks" - I just need to post text and images and I can do that very quickly and simply in the classic editor.

 

[unkownwriter]

I have Blogger. Never could get into Wordpress, and couldn't afford to pay for it so I could actually make it work. I can't do much with anything that's drag and drop, my computer just rebels against it, so Wix and similar sites are a big fail. Plus, I like simple. You'd think drag and drop is simple, but tell my computer that. lol

 

[Nicole Simon]

For people on windows: Open Live writer is a free software (some may remember Live writer which it originates from): https://openlivewriter.com/

"Open Live Writer works with many popular blog service providers such as WordPress, Blogger, TypePad, Moveable Type, DasBlog and many more."

It is an interface like word and much more classic than WP, it also allows you easier editing offline. You may have to invest little bit of time to understand how you add images properly and you may need to update your workflow a little bit (write offline, publish, tweak in WP to optimize for SEO). Example of what I mean by that: you can just drag and drop an image into the editor but you are better off inserting a properly named file to maximize SEO etc. hth.

 

[Wonder`]

Wordpress is  supporting the Classic Editor plug-in through 2022. On Twitter, they said they intend to retire it. Given that, I’m looking for a new website platform.

I’m looking into a Blot.im site. It costs $4 per month (hosting included) and you can make blog posts by dropping word docs or text files into a Dropbox folder.

Wonder

 

[Nicole Simon]

I'm looking into a Blot.im site. It costs $4 per month (hosting included) and you can make blog posts by dropping word docs or text files into a Dropbox folder.

If you are willing to spend a bit of money, I would not really go for an unknown site which uses their own system - and it looks not as if that is as easy as 'just drop that there'- it uses markdown and mustache. I have been writing websites by hand since 1996 and understand the way this system is setup - i would not want to deal with these kind of things any more, since you would be responsible for everything around security and potential hacking.
Usually I am not a fan (because their ads annoy me(, but Squarespace IS the defacto marketleader in the easy blogging, no hassle environment. Not only that, they are an established company with a trackrecord and reputation and a bunch of integration features.