# Photoblog - which platform/hosting or whatever it is?



## fabthi (Feb 3, 2011)

Hi everybody
hope this is the right section for my question.
I am planning to start a photoblog, but I am undecided (and quite confused) about which blog platform I should use.
First, I must admit I am confused about what are the differences between Blogger, Wordpress and so on.
What I am looking for is something:
-free (upgradable at a later time if needed)
-as easy as possible to use (setup, customization, upload, etc)
-as much customizable as possible (although I don't need such a complicate layout to fit my website)
-I'd rather prefer to have a "daily photo" layout (sample) instead of the typical scroll down layout.
-if it could be integrable with my SmugMug site it would be excellent
With this wish list in mind, what are your hints and suggestions?
thanks 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Fabio


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## bigtwinky (Feb 3, 2011)

I know Wordpress can be easily integrated with Smugmug.  

From my understandings:
Wordpress offer ALOT of customization, but you need to know what you are doing or pay to get a template installed.  It seems heavier on the work side to get things going and maintained, however, it offers alot of possibilities in what you want your site to do.  Its very popular these days.

Blogger is a little less customizable and is more of an out of the box solution.  Nothing fancy.  Not sure about integration with Smugmug.  Although there are some Smugmug third party vendors who can probably make things work, but you are going to pay highly for that.  

I have a blogger as I'm not huge into blogging.  I have random updates (once every other week).  Some people host their entire setup on Wordpress.  I looked into Wordpress and honestly, I couldnt wrap my head around it.  Maybe it was my frame of mind at the time.  

So I think it depends on your skill level and need for custom look and layout


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## fabthi (Feb 3, 2011)

Hi Pierre 
thanks for your helping reply.
I am not really a computer geek but I can handle some customization issues.
My main requirement is the daily image layout which I like most.
It seems that Blogger, for as much as I have seen at now, doesn't allow such design.
Or does it?
Fabio


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## bigtwinky (Feb 3, 2011)

Daily image?  As in you come to the first page and have an image or a slideshow of selected images?  I don't think it offers that, and if it does, I havent seen it.

Blogger has some templates, but really, its more of a straight blogging thing.  You can check out mine (link below) to get an idea of what I do with it.  I as well would like to have a slideshow, which is why i'm on Smugmug for my portfolio.  

You should be able to get something more portfolio hosting-ish, slidesshows and all that with Wordpress


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## fabthi (Feb 3, 2011)

bigtwinky said:


> Daily image?  As in you come to the first page and have an image .....


I call it "daily image" to mean a photoblog where you only display a single photo on each page with comments listed below the image. Then you can go to "older" or "newer" images (blog) but always with one image for each page.
Archive usually is the thumbnail page where all posted images are shown together in order date.


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## HikinMike (Feb 3, 2011)

I have a Smugmug site as well as a "regular" website. I use Wordpress and I customized it to look like my website.

I do know that a lot of people using Smugmug use Blogger. You can have a custom Blogger blog using Smugmug. I helped a guy (he was from Bologna Italy) set up his blog a few years ago.


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## fabthi (Feb 3, 2011)

HikinMike said:


> .....I do know that a lot of people using Smugmug use Blogger. You can have a custom Blogger blog using Smugmug. I helped a guy (he was from Bologna Italy) set up his blog a few years ago.



Yes, I have been told about this possibility by folks at the Smugmug forum but, as I already heard from bigtwinky, that Blogger has far less chances to be customized the way I'd like it to be for myself.
BTW since you are using Wordpress, can you tell me what's the difference between WP.com and WP.org?


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## bigtwinky (Feb 3, 2011)

It could easily be that I have very limited knowledge of customs (which i do).

First time I touched CSS and HTML was trying to work some customs on my Smugmug site last month.

My comments are all those of a very basic user.


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## fabthi (Feb 3, 2011)

bigtwinky said:


> It could easily be that I have very limited knowledge of customs (which i do).
> 
> First time I touched CSS and HTML was trying to work some customs on my Smugmug site last month.
> 
> My comments are all those of a very basic user.



I should have written "as I already heard *also* from bigtwinky" since you are not the only one who told me so


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## loopy (Feb 3, 2011)

fabthi said:


> BTW since you are using Wordpress, can you tell me what's the difference between WP.com and WP.org?



Wordpress.com is the hosted version of wordpress, so you're URL would be myphotoblog.wordpress.com. Custom domains are a paid upgrade, so is being able to modify css. 

Wordpress.org is self hosted and must be installed on your own server. It isn't complicated to get going. Some hosts will be easier to install than others. Check out Go Daddy...

Once you have wordpress installed, you'll need a template. There are tons of free templates on the web, just google "free wordpress photoblog theme". Premium templates offer a higher quality and are reasonable priced. My favorite site for premium wp templates is Theme Forest. Most themes are less than $40.

I use wordpress (self hosted) on my site, and for a lot of my clients. It really is kickass.


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## HikinMike (Feb 3, 2011)

loopy said:


> fabthi said:
> 
> 
> > BTW since you are using Wordpress, can you tell me what's the difference between WP.com and WP.org?
> ...



Yep, what he said...LOL!

I use the self hosting for my site too. As far as SEO, that is a better option then using either Wordpress.com or Blogger. Blogger is set up the same as the Wordpress.com.


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## loopy (Feb 3, 2011)

HikinMike said:


> Yep, what he said...LOL!



She


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## HikinMike (Feb 3, 2011)

loopy said:


> HikinMike said:
> 
> 
> > Yep, what he said...LOL!
> ...



My apologizes...:blushing:


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## dnavarrojr (Feb 3, 2011)

loopy said:


> I use wordpress (self hosted) on my site, and for a lot of my clients. It really is kickass.



Ditto that...  And I use the free Atahualpa theme which I have found to be THE most customizable of the free themes.  Haven't found anything I can't do with it (but I was a web developer for 14 years).


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## fabthi (Feb 4, 2011)

dnavarrojr said:


> Ditto that...  And I use the free Atahualpa theme which I have found to be THE most customizable of the free themes.  Haven't found anything I can't do with it (but I was a web developer for 14 years).


I am not really that much skillful but on the other hand I don't think I need complicate customizations to fit the blog layout to the look of my site


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