Tumblr blog verses WordPress blog

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   Dale Hydeposted 11 years ago

   I recently created a Tumblr blog for articles that have been idled here. I move those hubs offsite.  I was using WordPress.
   
   The reason I have switched to Tumblr is the ability to incorporate Google Ads via AdSense.  I am able to have one 250x250 ad (sizes can vary, your choice, as well as placement) in the prized upper right of the screen.  Plus, I am able to incorporate ads into individual articles.  They show at the bottom of the article and my choice is a small banner ad.
   
   I do make earnings via Google Adsense with a recent $103.00 payout.
   
   Now that I have a few unique posts there, I do feel I will start the process of having Google take down the URLs on the WordPress and then move the material to the Tumblr blog.

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      JimTxMillerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      While I prefer writing on the WordPress platform, I , too, recently moved my primary blogging to Blogger for the same reason, access to AdSense.

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         Arielqiaoposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I never knew that I can use Tumblr blog to earn money. My Tumblr account has been baaned. It said that I was too promotional because I submitted too much content that I published in Hubpages.

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            India Stoneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I never knew you could be too promotional on Tumblr. That's a lousy thing to ban someone for.

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      jenuboukaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Dale,
      
      Hey I was just about to post a question on how to add adsense to my Tumblr blog. I already have an account for adsense but can't figure out how to put an add on there, and what is the limit for ads on tumblr. I assume one is for free?  Or do we have to purchase the domain first.
      
      I have had a Tumblr and Adsense account for over a year, and I am starting to see Tumblr getting some traffic and good syncing with other sites.
      
      Any help is greatly appreciated!!!!!

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         Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         In all honesty I can not remember, lol.  I do remember in order to do it, I did a Google search.  Sorry about that, it is just that I have been setting up various blogs to see how things work out on each and can not remember specifics.  Right now I am working on Blogger as others in this thread had told me things have changed there, and I do like that layout and the ease of adding ads to the page.
         
         On Tumblr, you have to insert code into the html.  A pain, I assure you.  I display two ads there.  One on the side bar and one at the bottom of each article.  All involve  pasting code.
         
         On Blogger I set it up once, simply by clicking once or twice, and presto, each blog will display an ad at the bottom and then I have the ad automatically inserted in the right side-bar.

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            jenuboukaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Ugh, I was afraid of that. It is a pain to add the code in the html. Usually adsense has a limit for ads on sites that are not run by them and that you do not own. Blogger is a breeze for setting up and arranging all sorts of ads there as it is run through Google. I don't know if you are aware but you can also sign up for various companies that are affiliates for Google. For example: since I mainly write about food I will get invited to put an ad for Nestle or other food related sites and get paid when someone clicks and goes through the motions for that ad.
            
            Blogger has really allowed users to personalize their main blog page, you can put ads on either sides, or wherever you see fit. I just go around and see other popular blogger accounts and see how they set theirs up.
            
            You can really get side tracked on trying to configure the best set up, but since is it a Google thang you do get indexed quick if the content is good and you post everyday.
            
            Thanks so much for the info. I will have to research that for tumblr, coding is a real pain, but in the name of earning:)

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               Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Thanks for sharing the additional information about Blogger!  I will check into what you have suggested and be sure to browse other blogs on Blogger for other ideas.
               
               Good luck on Tumblr!  I still have a blog there, but not sure just what I will do in that regards.

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                  jenuboukaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  Anytime Dale!  If you like designing and tweaking your own visual effects for your content, then you will have oodles of fun on Blogger. Tumblr is basically the same thing, but I am finding out you have to do your own coding, but they are starting to sync with certain freelance writing sites and that is great for me for any new job prospects.....Just make sure and Have Fun!!

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                     Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     I am having fun.   One of the things I did do, was go to GoDaddy and purchase a .org domain in my name for five bucks annually.  I have applied that domain to my Blogger blog at no charge, and Blogger continues to host the blog.  I do like that ability as well.

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                        jenuboukaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        Great, great idea Dale!  All the best, and put a link in your profile here if you can!

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                           Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                           I do have the link under the little icon up there at the upper right, Also Follow Me On....

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                        Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        Dale, I know you're experimenting to find the right place for your blog, but I just want to caution you about starting up too many.
                        
                        Assuming most of your sites are broadly on the same topic - spirituality, Paganism, Wicca - then they have so much more potential if you bring them all together, and build a site which can become the go-to site for that subject. 
                        
                        The old model - which was still the best option only a year ago - was to build several sites, each on a different aspect of your main topic, and cross-promote/cross-link them.  That's old hat now - Google has said it wants "authority sites" so its algorithm is likely to go more and more in that direction. 
                        
                        I know you already had a couple of sites and I'm wondering what your objective is in starting more?   If you discipline yourself to concentrate on one or two sites, you'll build them much faster and it will pay off more in the end.
                        
                        Having a blog with your own name is a good thing, but it's only of value if you use it to build your reputation as an author and start creating ebooks which you can promote on the site.  That's not as hard as you think, and I bet you have a lot of material you could use.  It's fine to reuse articles already published online - I have one which gathers together all the articles I've written on flamenco on various sites, for instance.  A good length is around 20,000 words.  Lissie has a blog on the subject:
                        
                        http://lissowerbutts.com/

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                           Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                           Thanks for sharing.
                           
                           The WordPress blog is deleted and the Blogger takes the place.  I have imported the material off of WordPress into Blogger, and publish from that library of material on Blogger for right now.  The WordPress and all articles were submitted to Google for removal of URLs and cache in search.  I have checked and this has been done.
                           
                           The other sites I have are not blogs...the one spiritual site is strictly Pagan related and educational.
                           
                           Another site is a Pagan news site, that share articles from others....not a personal site of mine.
                           
                           I also have a commercial site that is Pagan related for pagan items and that is not a blog.
                           
                           The Tumbler blog is up but I will probably take that down as well.  So actually, I only have the one active blog, the Blogger blog.
                           
                           I have been tweaking the Blogger blog all day today. The Google ads have been in place as well as an affiliate link to my domain provider.  Today I added an Amazon capsule to it. 
                           
                           Then I went back and started tweaking all that I have published so far from my imported material from Wordpress.... Checking links, adding photos and videos, etc.
                           
                           Actually I have no interest in more than one blog.  At one point I had let the blogging go and focused on HP and did well, however now that I have had 40 hubs idled here I needed to revamp and get a blog up and running and have transferred my idled material there.
                           
                           eBooks have been considered and as I am an Amazon seller, I have a place to put them rather easily....however, somewhere I have lost some time....did days not used to have like 29 hours in them or something?  Or.....*gulps* could I actually be slowing down in my abilities, lol.
                           
                           However....I, the Virgo that I am, am shocking myself.... I CAN NOT come up with a name for the blog... I mean Dale's Rants, Raves, Reviews and More simply is not going to make it, lol.  I need something spiffy, unique and sharp to pull those people in and make Google jump on it, lol.
                           
                           It is not "just" pagan related, as I do blow off steam at times and share other things...So I can't go with just a pagan related name..... *scratches head*.... Wait!  I need to stop scratching the head!  I used to have hair up there before I started scratching!

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                              Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                              Sorry, I should learn to be clearer in my terminology! 
                              
                              The important point is that these days, there's very little distinction between a website and a blog.  If you're going to build an authority site on a subject, then it should have both a website and a blog on the same site, and maybe other sections such as a calendar, a shop, a directory, etc etc. 
                              
                              In your case, you could have, say, one section which is open to contributors and one which is purely your own.  Then a commercial section for pagan items and a section for your blog.  If you set them up as sub-domains, then you can have them on different software (e.g. you can leave your website on whatever it's on, and have the other sections on Wordpress). 
                              
                              I've just finished consolidating my separate belly dance sites into one site - I have a shop, a blog, a directory, a Tribal belly dance blog, a DVD reviews section, and so on.  And I've been told (by internet experts I respect) that I'm not going nearly far enough - I really ought to be consolidating all my dance sites into one.

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                                 Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                 Thanks for the additional input and advice.

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   Healthy Pursuitsposted 11 years ago

   Thank you for the info, Dale. Could I ask you why you don't use Blogger? Does it limit you too much?

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      Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I have used Blogger in the past and still have two blogs there, just not updated.  I went from Blogger to WordPress and now to Tumblr.  It was a real problem, back in the day, trying to implement Google ads on Blogger when I was there. I hear it has changed for the better now.  Out of all three, I like the feel of WordPress much better than the other two, but no ads there.

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         Healthy Pursuitsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for the info. I had paid for a domain and had WordPress on that with ads. But I hadn't considered doing free Blogger or Tumblr.

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            Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I had contemplated the WordPress domain and using their software for a site.  It is used by many companies as well as individuals, but until I win the lottery, that one is on hold.   I do have sites up that I own that is hosted on Bravenet out of Canada.  We pay right at 100.00 year hosting for various sites/domains on the same account using websites built by my wife.
            
            I will see how the Tumblr works out and maybe provide an update in six months or so.

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               Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               I would never recommend the free version of Wordpress.com to anyone and I'm surprised you even considered it, since there is no way of ever monetizing it.  The ideal is to use Wordpress.org software on your own host.
               
               It would be worth checking how much bandwidth you're using on your Bravenet hosting.   I have several sites on my Hostgator hosting. They're classified as sub-domains even though they each have their own domain name, so I don't pay any extra for hosting them.

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               mistyhorizon2003posted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Don't understand why you would need to 'win the lottery' to use Wordpress.org. For one domain it might cost you as little as $7 per month for hosting (through Hostagator) and probably not much more than $9 for a domain name for the year. Definitely no need for a lottery win to pay for this, and the Adsense revenue should more than cover the cost if you put enough effort into the content on the site.

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                  Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  A templete cost is what I was talking about.  Not hosting.

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                     psycheskinnerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     I just use one of the hundreds of free templates, and then customize the colors and pictures.

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                     mistyhorizon2003posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     Exactly what Psycheskinner said, there are hundreds of excellent free templates available.
                     
                     http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/
                     
                     http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/browse/popular/

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                        Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        Then you have to pay to have it on a server.  That is an average of an additional 100.00 a year.  Trust me, I have checked into it, lol.  I have websites I own and have them on servers and I know the costs involved with hosting your own domain.  I own eight domains.

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                           mistyhorizon2003posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                           Just to clarify, in your earlier post you said that it wasn't the hosting you were saying was expensive, it was the template, which was why both Psycheskinner and myself said about all the free templates available. It seems that your last post infers that it wasn't the cost of the template you were worried about after all, it was the cost of the hosting/server, which I said in a much earlier post here is only about $7 a month so didn't require a 'lottery win' to pay for it.  I confess I am now rather confused Dale. I have two websites, both using free Wordpress themes and both hosted on Hostgator (the Server).  When I said it only costs about $7 a month I was referring to Hostgator's fees (which I opted to pay for a two year period at the time). I don't pay anything else at all, and on the 'Baby Croc' package I am on I can host as many sites as I want and it won't cost me any extra. So apart from the approximately $9 each that I paid for my two domain names, in total I only pay about $84 a year for the hosting, and that is it (apart from the obvious costs for my personal Wi Fi internet access at home). Basically you could have all 8 of your websites on the Hostgator server for about $84 a year total and have no further fees to pay apart from domain name renewals.

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                              Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                              I use Bravenet as a host.  Due to bandwidth I have had to create various accounts due to there is only so much bandwidth a host will allow counting all domains listed on an account.  My views/bandwidth on two sites required seperate accounts, each at 99.99 annually.
                              
                              As for the confusion, sorry for that.

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                                 Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                 In that case, I suggest you change to another host.  I have six domains on one account on Hostgator, and I'm on their baby Croc plan (which is their lowest-level plan).  I used to have nine domains on there.  I've never had a problem with bandwidth.
                                 
                                 Like you, I had a bandwidth issue with my previous host, which is why I switched.
                                 
                                 If you want to use the same account for all your domains, you need to choose one as your main domain and set the others up as sub-domains, but that's just a "back office" thing - each domain has its own domain name.

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                                 mistyhorizon2003posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                 In that case I totally agree with Marisa, you seriously need to change your hosting as soon as possible because right now you could be saving yourself a considerable amount of money if you were getting your hosting through Hostgator instead. Honestly, you could have 50 websites (or more) if you wanted on Hosgator and it wouldn't cost you any more than the fixed monthly fee of around $7 to $10 per month (depending on whether you pay for one year or more in advance).
                                 
                                 This is what the Hostgator Baby Croc Package offers (copied and pasted from their site). It also starts from as little as $6.36 a month (Baby Croc is actually the middle package the cheapest is the 'Hatchling Plan', but that only allows you one domain):
                                 
                                 
                                 Unlimited Web Hosting
                                 Web Hosting made EASY and AFFORDABLE!
                                 
                                     Unlimited Disk Space
                                     Unlimited Bandwidth
                                     Free SiteBuilder (Try Demo)
                                     Easy Control Panel (Try Demo)
                                 
                                 
                                     1-Click Script Installs
                                 
                                     4,500 Free Website Templates
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                                     45 Day Money Back Guarantee
                                     24/7/365 Technical Support
                                     $100 Google AdWords Offer
                                 
                                 You might find this link that compares their three packages very helpful:
                                 
                                 http://www.hostgator.com/shared

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                                    Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                    Thanks Misty.   I bought my package three years ago and I think Baby Croc was the minimum then.

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                                       mistyhorizon2003posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                       Thank you too Marisa. It always helps to have someone back up what you are trying to explain as their way of expressing things might be clearer I feel for Dale though, as he has possibly parted with hundreds of dollars more than he needed to through simply using a ' restricted bandwith' host as opposed to Hostgator who have no such restrictions and are (I believe) the world's most used hosting service at this point in time.

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                     Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     You're probably confused because so many internet "gurus" say you must buy the Genesis theme or the Thesis theme etc etc etc.  Some of the recommended themes are good, but if you can't afford them, it's not the end of the world.
                     
                     I have always used free themes - there are thousands of them out there.   I have bought a few themes but in all but one case, regretted my purchase in the end. 
                     
                     There is one very highly respected theme framework which is free:
                     
                     http://themehybrid.com/
                     
                     It is less well known, but the themes built on this framework are mentioned in the same breath as expensive themes like Genesis.
                     
                     If you want support, you need to pay to join the club, but the support is so fantastic and extensive, it's worth doing.

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                        Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        Thanks Marisa.  I shall check into it.

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                           Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                           I can't say enough good things about them, frankly.  I am useless at coding, so the $29 for membership of their club is priceless to me.   If I want to change a font or tweak an aspect of the design, I just post on the club forum, and back comes the answer with the code written, ready for me to paste in.

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                        jaymillsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        Every theme that I use for Blogger is free. I use one called WPzine from http://btemplates.com it has one with slider and one without in the same file. Almost all wordpress themes have been adapted for blogger now so if you type in  free wordpress themes for blogger. you will have more choices than you can think of.

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            Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I'd stick with that, if I were you.   I got banned from Tumblr for linking too much to my other websites, even though I didn't think I'd overdone anything.  In fact, I assume that's why I got banned, but I don't really know - they just blocked my access and refused to explain.  It's always a risk, putting your blog on a platform you don't control.

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         molometerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Blogger is much easier now, to place adsense and other ads. There have been some major improvements. You should give it another look Dale.

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            Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Do have one now.   I have been in the slow process of uploading my WordPress articles there.  I created a file for import, however some did not load properly.  Will take some time.  Then I need to do the Google Webmaster thing to remove the url and cache from Google, and then delete the posts as they become live on Blogger.

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   CMHypnoposted 11 years ago

   Don't know whether it is just my perception Dale, but I associate Tumblr with teenagers blogging about One Direction and being a Belieber, so I never bother looking at any of them. I would go with blogger or use wordpress on your domain.

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   Healthy Pursuitsposted 11 years ago

   When I had the monetized WordPress, I had to pay very little each month for my domain (less than $10) on HostGator and I felt that they did a very good job, both in helping me sign up and in support while I was running the domain. I'm thinking about a different domain now. I want to have my own domain because I want to be able to name it according to its content, without Blogger or WordPress in the URL.

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   psycheskinnerposted 11 years ago

   For text I would suggest Blogger over Tumblr.  Tumblr is really more for pictures and very short texts.
   
   Blogger now has Adsense fully integrated.

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      Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I may look at Blogger again before I put too much up on Tumblr. It sounds like it may well be worth a shot. thanks.

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      Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      A new blog was born on Blogger this evening.  Have spent several hours simply getting it hooked up to Google Webmaster Tools, Google Analytics, Google Authorship and such... Amazing how much is needed along those lines.   So I now have three active blogs that I can track for a while and see what works best, the WordPress, the Tumblr as well as the Blogger.
      
      I do have to agree, Blogger has changed a lot and Google ads are most simple....just click a radio button and presto they are live.

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         jaymillsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Yes and there are all the same themes that you can use on wordpress made fpr blogger so you do not have ot use the blank themes that blogger offers.

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   jaymillsposted 11 years ago

   Hello, I have used all of the above accept Wordpress.com to me it is pretty much useless. If you are a heavy blogger that really has alot of content and are trying to market products I would suggest getting your own domain and hosting and using Wordpress.org.
   
   With the changes that blogger has made to it's formatting and the ability to easily add adsense to your blogs it has become a great free option. You also have the ability to grab free themes from many sites out there and load them into blogger giving your blog a better presentation and look.
   
   I use Tumblr as a spot where I share my youtube videos and post just for the linking that I will get and maybe a little traffic.

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   WryLiltposted 11 years ago

   I see Marisa Wright and Pscycheskinner have posted some great info above. I'd like to wade in with the following:
   
   On Hostgator I pay about $7 a month for unlimited bandwidth and domains. I currently have approximately 35 hosted Wordpress websites on that account. Then each domain costs me $9-$12/year. That works out to less than $1 per site per month, and even less as I add more sites.
   
   Wordpress allows me to easily (and freely) integrate almost any affiliate or advertising program I want, plus SEO, responsive (works better on mobile) and heaps of other things. Some of my sites are eCommerce (shops), some are directories and some have forums. With the exception of very specific membership sites, nearly everything I use is free.
   
   Tumblr is like a highschool blog - not a moneymaker. And free Wordpress doesn't allow advertising so it's a loss. Blogger is very limited in what you can do without serious tweaks.
   
   Get a hosted Wordpress site. Trust me. Only way to go unless you plan to become a coder.

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