Introducing Writer Beware’s brand-new logo! It was designed by awesome artist James F. Beveridge, and hopefully will help us to build more of a brand identity. After sixteen years, it’s about time, right?
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be updating Writer Beware’s various online presences to include it.
I’ve already re-designed this blog, within the limits of available Blogger templates (while I would love to switch to WordPress, I can’t figure a way to do so without losing all our wonderful followers). I hope you find it more attractive and readable.
Comments, as always, are welcome!
I'd be inclined to switch to WordPress for many reasons, but as a standalone system and not on wordpress.com. As pointed out, the availability of themes, the number of widgets and plug ins, Akismet and other anti-spam software packages, RSS and, of course, you can autgomatically post details of each new post to Pinterest, Google Plus, Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Reddit…
Nobody cares.
I agree with everybody here: your new logo looks great, but using it as a background becomes too much on the eyes. In any case, brava, well done!
I agree with Claire about using the logo as background – it's too busy. On it's own, as a header, the new logo is great.
I second (or third or fourth or whatever) those who said to stay on Blogger! I could follow you either way (you can actually add any site feed to your dashboard to follow it in Blogger) but I am a big fan of Blogger. I've posted to WordPress for clients but I prefer Blogger. They offer a lot of customization options on their templates, so you can make your blog look any way you want.
Claire–thx for the suggestion about the background image. I'll try that.
I agree that WordPress is more spammy than Blogger–way more, in my experience–but I too have Akismet, and it blocks 99.99% of it. However, if I don't go in every couple of days and clear my spam folder, I wind up with hundreds and hundreds of spams–whereas with Blogger, it's just two or three or six or eight a day.
I also agree that the WordPress comments protocol is more annoying than Blogger's. However, I love the customizability of WordPress, and also the Admin interface, which is much more flexible than Blogger's.
At any rate, I'm guessing time constraints will win out (I am supposed to be writing books. Sigh) and WB will remain firmly ensconced on Blogger.
Love the new logo and site design is a refreshing upgrade. Background design is a bit busy, which makes it very difficult for anyone with ADD or ADHD, or just a vision difficulty, to remain focused on content. Rather than get rid of it, as someone suggested, you could give the main image a wash-out (edit it to be more transparent) so it's still there but not as distracting. And you might want to delete Cere Mittal's spam post about a site in New Delhi then block the jerk 😉
I use both wordpress and blogger and cross post. It's a little more work, but it satisfies my followers.
And I love the new logo. Nicely done.
The new Logo is nice. But keeping it as background image doesn't look nice. May be keeping it in line with the Header will look nicer with a dark background containing small logos as watermark.
Love the new logo! The background is a bit "swimmy", but only because it's so much white. Otherwise, happy to see an update!
I like the WordPress system way better than Blogger. I used Blogger for years and just didn't like how outdated the system was (for instance, I have to fill out a form EVERY time I want to comment, even though I have a BLOGGER account, and the only way I can find out if a blogger has responded to one of my comments is to subscribe to ALL comments, which is just ridiculous [getting a separate email for ANY comment left on a post, not just those in reply to me].) If I could in any way persuade, I would say go WordPress, because it would build better discussion opportunities, but… regarding followers, this might help (if you're going for free WordPress [which I recommend] only half of this link applies, but it might still help: http://www.mypregnancybaby.com/moving-blogger-wordpress/)
I've been using both Blogger and WordPress for years now. They have their pros and cons but, on balance, I'd say they were about equal in terms of ease of use.
For the record, they both support RSS and e-mail based feeds. They also both have a "following" system. I disagree with the claim that WordPress is more spammy – the Akismet system does a good job.
However, it's obviously your choice and I'll keep following wherever you end up 🙂
I like the new logo, and a little evolution can be a food thing now and then…
I found customizing from a WordPress template gives a unique feel for my blog there. (and less acres of white space is appreciated by my eyes) I don't know blogspot at all so its features don't do anything for me. Whatever you choose, some users will dislike change, get tired of yet another account somewhere, or get lost in the changeover. You can't avoid that completely unless you stay in the past.
Love the new logo 🙂
The WordPress platform provides integrated generation of RSS feeds–I'm not sure why people are saying that the only way to follow is via email?
I hope you don't go to WordPress; Blogger has advanced themes in Design. WordPress looks so dull most of the time.
People might not follow you. I usually don't and I've followed this blog for years.
Thanks for the feedback, everyone, and for raising points I hadn't thought of. I do prefer WordPress because you have a vastly larger choice of themes, and depending on which you pick, they're much more customizable and flexible than what's available at Blogger. But good points about followers and comments.
Don't switch. Sue is right. You can only have followers by email. It's less of a community feel. I have both and like my blogger better. There are a lot of blogger templates out there with the look and feel of wordpress. I've been playing around with different ones for my blogger blog. I find wordpress to be a lot more spammy. You would definitely need more than one spam filter on word press.
Good on you, Victoria! No, don't move to WordPress – I follow you by my dashboard and I've already lost quite a few blogs I loved when they decided to move. I really don't see what's special about WordPress. It is hard to use, as I found when I tried to set up a WordPress blog, and you can't have followers the way you do on Blogger, only by email, unless it's changed since I abandoned my WordPress blog in frustration. By all means have a mirror site if you want.
I love the new logo!
I hope you don't move to WordPress. It's annoying to deal with unless you have an account there.
What Janus said and then after a few months, archive this site and post exclusively to WP.
You could also leave this site up as an archive (turn off comments), migrate all information to a WordPress site and leave a final post here to let people know you've relocated.
People will follow you. There is too much goodness here
If you are really enamored of WordPress, I might suggest setting up a mirror site there, and cross posting entries to both sites. That way, you could get the best of both worlds (cue duet with Patrick Stewart and Miley Cyrus).