Blogger Alternatives

[jmcs23]

I had a Blogger blog that G de-activated because they said it was a 'spam blog'
It was a blog with some Amazon products on it, some content about the products, and links to the products...

I want to create a blog very similar, but I don't want to waste my time if G is just going to de-activate it again.

So, does anyone know of any alternatives to Blogger??

Thanks!

 

[insanebeeftw]

I highly, highly recommend using wordpress. If you are into blogging then I am sure you must have at least heard of it by now. Wordpress is just about the best open source CMS out there as well as a blogging platform. It's very easy to use, you could literally have a site up and running in the time it takes you to read this post. The best part about it is the search engines such as google love it. My advice is to get your own domain name and hosting and install wordpress, you wont have to worry about your blog getting taken down.

 

[jmcs23]

Thanks for the advice! I'm familiar with Wordpress...
I don't really want to use the money for hosting and domain unless I know my method will work or at least cover the cost of those two things.
Do you think a Wordpress blog hosted with Wordpress would get taken down?

 

[gvncerri]

You can sell anything from Blogger except adult stuff (it's the safest free platform to sell, more than wordpress.com and tumblr), but you have to remove the navbar on the top of the page. It's the navbar that contain the button people use to flag you.

 

[jmcs23]

OK, I guess I'll give Blogger another try...
Maybe it was the CPA offer banners that I had used on the other blog that got marked as spam...?

 

[zebrahat]

I concur with removing the nav bar (this prevents others from flagging you, though G may on occasion de-activate you on their own). Use a blander looking template, that mostly has the look and feel of an information based blog, that can also help you avoid a ban. And have a simple way of adding content if you want the blog to be sticky to visitors. You can use Blogger as a short term or long term platform---long term if you just want to 'set it and forget it' and not bother with ongoing expenses and maintenance, short term if you want to test out a campaign (using Blogger as a kind of 'bunny hill' before porting the site to a WP blog on a top level domain).

 

[Xetso]

Request for it to be restored. I had a blog deactivated for "spam", clicked the restore link, filled in info and got a email a day later saying it was restored. Most of the time it's automatically flagged.

Wordpress is a better way to go though. I just wanted to see if using a custom domain with blogger would somehow increase the rankings like someone else suggested.

 

[jmcs23]

Request for it to be restored. I had a blog deactivated for "spam", clicked the restore link, filled in info and got a email a day later saying it was restored. Most of the time it's automatically flagged.

Wordpress is a better way to go though. I just wanted to see if using a custom domain with blogger would somehow increase the rankings like someone else suggested.

I put in the request 3 business days ago. I'm not counting on them restoring it, but I guess I just have to wait and see...

I concur with removing the nav bar (this prevents others from flagging you, though G may on occasion de-activate you on their own). Use a blander looking template, that mostly has the look and feel of an information based blog, that can also help you avoid a ban. And have a simple way of adding content if you want the blog to be sticky to visitors. You can use Blogger as a short term or long term platform---long term if you just want to 'set it and forget it' and not bother with ongoing expenses and maintenance, short term if you want to test out a campaign (using Blogger as a kind of 'bunny hill' before porting the site to a WP blog on a top level domain).

Thanks for the tips! I will remove the nav bar next time. I am planning on just using Blogger as a starting point to see if my method will produce any results. If I find that it does produce some results, then I will go with hosting and a domain...

 

[Ginger_Ale]

Do you think a Wordpress blog hosted with Wordpress would get taken down?

Regarding this, if you finally decide to try the WP alternative to Blogger, bear in mind that a self-hosted Wordpress site would be the only option, as the free WP (.com) will probably ban your account if you add affiliate links.

 

[mrtwister_65]

I will remove the nav bar next time.

Do better, leave the bar, or I'd say appearance of it, and change the flagging links to redirect to amazon.

 

[markhenry121]

Best Blog Sites Other Than Blogger
WordPress :-
A semantic personal publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability.
Tumblr:-
Tumblr (also known as a Tumble log) is a widely known blogging service which we have covered here on MakeUseOf before. Tumblr really excels in two areas: so-called "photo blogging" and its sense of community.
Posterous:-
Posterous is another "microblogging" service like Tumblr. You are able to post images, text, video and audio. Like Tumblr, you can change your theme easily but unlike Tumblr there is no "reblog."
Xanga:-
Another popular blogging service is Xanga. One of the older blogging sites, it is definitely more for personal use.
Weebly :-
Weebly is a hosted website and blogging service. Your account is free and ad-free, and if you want to upgrade to a domain and for certain other features there is a professional account available for a fee.

 

[winchesterpic]

you could also try pinterest, I know it's not an actual blog but amazon products work there as well, and pinterest is growing fast right now

 

[VIC SEO]

That is the problem with G always,if you display adsense they dont complain .But when you start to display some third party advertisements then they will object or delete your hard created blog

 

[everest2012]

You can switch to WP or Joomla, among others. However, if you have any concerns about the content you would place on your blog you might want to let BHW members give you feedback regarding the content. The key right now would be to remember it has to be more informative than promotional. Your product reviews should not sound like sales letters. Also, make sure that someone did not hack your blog and post ads on it, which happens to people sometimes. You can also sometimes get Blogger blogs re-reviewed for further consideration and have then re-instated.

 

[Elmohill]

WordPress works wonders for myself.

 

[brianology]

Unless you pay for your domain, I think blogger, wordpress and other blogging platforms are all the same in terms of getting flagged. And def. agree with removing the nav bar