Nomad Hiker Posted November 18, 2016 Report Share Posted November 18, 2016 Could some of you please tell me what your blogging, website etc method is? I have friends wanting me to do this so they can follow along with our travels and with some of our decision making as they may follow in our footsteps. Happy Trails, Jim & Ginger/Nomad Hikers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Retirement 12/2016 Full-time 04/2017 VanLeigh Vilano/Ford F350 Blog site - https://www.trailer2trail.com/ Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=trailer2trail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Greg Posted November 18, 2016 Report Share Posted November 18, 2016 We use www.blogspot.com Greg Greg & Judy Bahnmiller Class of 2007 2014 F350 2007 HitchHiker Champagne Both sold 2/19, settled in Foley, AL after 12 years on the road http://bahnmilleradventure.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWharton Posted November 18, 2016 Report Share Posted November 18, 2016 We use www.blogger.com, with a link to google mymaps to show our travels. I have also just started using Photodex/Proshow/Web for photos. Makes a pretty sharp presentation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scouserl41 Posted November 18, 2016 Report Share Posted November 18, 2016 Blogger is so simple, just pick a template and off you go! Really easy to put in pictures from your phone if you use Google Photo on your PC and on your phone. Best to keep it fairly simple and use lots of pictures with subtitles rather than getting too wordy. Check ours out below. BnB 2009 Monaco Cayman DP 38' bnbrv.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdrider Posted November 18, 2016 Report Share Posted November 18, 2016 We use Wordpress. I think Blogspot & Blogger are more popular but it's what I happened across and feel comfortable with now. Dave & Diane 2020 New Horizon Majestic 5th wheel 2018 Ram 5500 2014 Tiffin Phaeton 42LH (SOLD) 2012 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited (SOLD)http://daveanddiane.wordpress.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWqRmO1rO4cu3rFANF1iG6Q http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/4;10752;80/st/20120701/e/Went+fulltime/dt/-2/k/271f/event.png Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuneElliot Posted November 18, 2016 Report Share Posted November 18, 2016 I also use Wordpress. I disagree with one of the above statements but it is a personal preference; I prefer more words and fewer pictures when reading a blog. That may be different if it was a family or friend's blog...but I like to read about people's adventures with a few of the best pictures thrown in. 2007 Keystone Springdale 245 FWRLL-S (modified) 2000 F-250 7.3L SRW Cody and Kye, border collie extraordinaires Latest departure date: 10/1/2017 Find us at www.nomadicpawprints.wordpress.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nomad Hiker Posted November 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2016 We use Wordpress. I think Blogspot & Blogger are more popular but it's what I happened across and feel comfortable with now. Do you use the free version of WP or the paid version? Happy Trails, Jim & Ginger/Nomad Hikers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Retirement 12/2016 Full-time 04/2017 VanLeigh Vilano/Ford F350 Blog site - https://www.trailer2trail.com/ Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=trailer2trail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nomad Hiker Posted November 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2016 I also use Wordpress. I disagree with one of the above statements but it is a personal preference; I prefer more words and fewer pictures when reading a blog. That may be different if it was a family or friend's blog...but I like to read about people's adventures with a few of the best pictures thrown in. Same question as above, do you use the paid or free version. How bad is the learning curve? I will check them all out. Happy Trails, Jim & Ginger/Nomad Hikers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Retirement 12/2016 Full-time 04/2017 VanLeigh Vilano/Ford F350 Blog site - https://www.trailer2trail.com/ Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=trailer2trail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuneElliot Posted November 18, 2016 Report Share Posted November 18, 2016 I currently use the free version but will probably upgrade when I hit the road and need more storage space for pictures etc to document my travels and journey. I didn't find the learning curve too steep but I am also fairly tech savvy. I haven't used the other offerings like Blogger and Blogspot so can't compare the difference in ease. 2007 Keystone Springdale 245 FWRLL-S (modified) 2000 F-250 7.3L SRW Cody and Kye, border collie extraordinaires Latest departure date: 10/1/2017 Find us at www.nomadicpawprints.wordpress.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWharton Posted November 18, 2016 Report Share Posted November 18, 2016 Blogger is owned by Google and all storage is free, you need to be minimally careful with your pics to load them to the free area vs part of your 5G(?) amount. I went to the Geeks on Tour Seminars at Escapade and found they give a lot of info, plenty to start up a blog. I personally don't believe in paying for something that I don't use very often and I generally like Google products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vermilye Posted November 18, 2016 Report Share Posted November 18, 2016 I use Google's Blogger for a daily post with one photo, and my own website at LakeshoreImages for for the same journal with multiple images, my many pages of photos, and many RV related links. The website is at 1&1, and the pages are posted using Adobe's Dreamweaver. Travel photos RV Blogs Journals & Travelogues at:http://www.lakeshoreimages.com My Travel Blog - Jon's Journeys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandsys Posted November 18, 2016 Report Share Posted November 18, 2016 I started out with a free one that shut down and took all my posts with it. Now I use Wordpress but Dave set it all up and I just write the posts and add the pictures. We use the free version which we self-host--whatever that means. Linda Sand Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/ Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdrider Posted November 19, 2016 Report Share Posted November 19, 2016 Do you use the free version of WP or the paid version? We use the free version however after you use it a while and use up your free space you will need to at least pay for a storage area upgrade. That comes around after they have you pretty well lockedin LOL!!! But it's a very small amount per year. Dave & Diane 2020 New Horizon Majestic 5th wheel 2018 Ram 5500 2014 Tiffin Phaeton 42LH (SOLD) 2012 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited (SOLD)http://daveanddiane.wordpress.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWqRmO1rO4cu3rFANF1iG6Q http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/4;10752;80/st/20120701/e/Went+fulltime/dt/-2/k/271f/event.png Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nomad Hiker Posted November 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2016 Thanks all...Will look into both! Happy Trails, Jim & Ginger/Nomad Hikers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Retirement 12/2016 Full-time 04/2017 VanLeigh Vilano/Ford F350 Blog site - https://www.trailer2trail.com/ Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=trailer2trail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripKitty Posted November 19, 2016 Report Share Posted November 19, 2016 I use the self-hosted version of Wordpress with Bluehost as the hosting site. This means that I have full control over my site. Wordpress is free, but I do pay a small amount to Bluehost for the hosting. (The link for my site is in my signature line if you want to see how it looks.) It's a little confusing because wordpress.com hosts the site for you and you get a domain name like myblog.wordpress.com. More info on this here: https://ithemes.com/tutorials/wordpress-com-vs-wordpress-org/ If you go for self-hosting you can pick whatever domain name you want and not have the wordpress.com in the URL. I like knowing I have control over all content and don't have to agree to any site's user agreements, risk if they decide to shut down the service, or have ads on the site generating revenue for somebody else. Downside is that it takes just a little more work to setup than some of the other options. Still, it's not difficult and there are plenty of tutorials online. (I used these instructions when I started. http://www.theminimalists.com/how-to-set-up-a-wordpress-blog/ ) Now, it kind of depends on what your goal with the blog is. If you just want to share it with family and friends, using Blogger or wordpress.com solution. If you think you might eventually really get into blogging, have a decent sized following, want to sell photography from your site, etc. then I'd highly recommend the self-hosted option. Plus if your site is some day really popular, then you can monetize it with ads, affiliate links, or selling your own stuff. Invest the time up front to figure out what the best platform for you is. Likely whatever you start with is what you'll end up sticking with so it's worth the time to research what's best for you. Class B, 1984 Dodge Xplorer van by Frank Industries. Follow my life and travels at my blog, Live Hoppy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nomad Hiker Posted November 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2016 if you think you might eventually really get into blogging, have a decent sized following, want to sell photography from your site, etc. then I'd highly recommend the self-hosted option. Plus if your site is some day really popular, then you can monetize it with ads, affiliate links, or selling your own stuff. Thanks TripKitty, One question, how do you protect your pics from being pirated? I do have some gorgeous pics and anyone who wants can probably figure out a way to use them as their own. Of course in this day, they would probably be able to do the same with a watermark(which I hate). Is there a safety on wordpress for this? Happy Trails, Jim & Ginger/Nomad Hikers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Retirement 12/2016 Full-time 04/2017 VanLeigh Vilano/Ford F350 Blog site - https://www.trailer2trail.com/ Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=trailer2trail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripKitty Posted November 19, 2016 Report Share Posted November 19, 2016 As far as I know, no matter what you use for blogging, people can steal your pictures. There are some things you can do to make it more difficult. Here's a link with some more info: http://www.dwuser.com/education/content/stop-the-thieves-strategies-to-protect-your-images/ Personally, I put a small watermark at the bottom of my pictures that says "Copyright 2016 Kyla Bendt". I went for something that was fairly unnoticeable as I didn't want to distract from my images. But it's still definitely there. Somebody could still download the picture and easily crop that part out, but it's a matter of just making it more work for them. I also only upload versions that have been resized, so nobody has access to the original, high-quality pictures. Somebody might take the image and re-post it online, but they're not going to be making a high-quality print from it. Beyond that, I just don't worry about it. If somebody likes one of my pictures enough to steal it, then I'd be flattered. Class B, 1984 Dodge Xplorer van by Frank Industries. Follow my life and travels at my blog, Live Hoppy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR "Scott" Cundiff Posted November 19, 2016 Report Share Posted November 19, 2016 On photos, I use a watermark too, but I know that anyone who wants can crop the photo and remove the watermark. I think it's just the price you pay for putting things out to the public. I started off with Blogger, but moved to a hosted Wordpress site. I think Wordpress gives you just a tad more "creed" as a professional operation - but it's really not that big a deal. I do use Google Photos to host all my photos (and insert them into the wordpress posts. My practice is to sprinkle a few photos into the post, and then post a lot of photos at the bottom of the post. That way the photos don't get in the reader's way. Our "Here and There" Blog 2005 Safari Cheetah Motorhome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scouserl41 Posted November 19, 2016 Report Share Posted November 19, 2016 Thanks TripKitty, One question, how do you protect your pics from being pirated? I do have some gorgeous pics and anyone who wants can probably figure out a way to use them as their own. Of course in this day, they would probably be able to do the same with a watermark(which I hate). Is there a safety on wordpress for this? Post really low resolution pictures so they look OK online but terrible if they try to blow them up. BnB 2009 Monaco Cayman DP 38' bnbrv.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2gypsies Posted November 19, 2016 Report Share Posted November 19, 2016 I feel this is one of the best full-timing blogs out there. I guess it helps to be a good writer, too. They are Escapees members. She wrote three blog articles. Check them out: http://wheelingit.us/?s=blog+program Full-timed for 16 YearsTraveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Quiet Assassin Posted November 19, 2016 Report Share Posted November 19, 2016 I use the free Google Blogspot for one single reason. I feel that it is the company least likely to fold. I used two other free blog services and both folded loosing a lot of memories. Yes I should have backed it up but failed to do so. At least I still have most of the pics. FT since September 2007 Safari Trek + M/C http://johncarolandcharro.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris-n-Dennis Posted November 19, 2016 Report Share Posted November 19, 2016 Like most, we use Google's blogger. We also use a program called Open Live Writer so we can do it offline and then post up when we have internet. So far, its working really well and my only regret is not devoting more time to learning all the ins and outs of both the Blogger and the extra program. Check it out, we have a slightly humorous entry up now: http://cndtravels.blogspot.com Berkshire XL 40QL Camphosting and touring Our blog: cndtravels.blogspot.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripKitty Posted November 19, 2016 Report Share Posted November 19, 2016 One thing to think about is what your real goal with it is. Are you just doing it so friends can follow your journey? Would Facebook or another social media site meet your needs for that just as well? Or texting/emailing pictures to close friends? Or having real phone conversations if they have questions about the RV lifestyle? Or are you passionate about wanting to start your own blog? Will you really want to dedicate time to writing & posting & the other stuff that comes with having a blog? Just a few things to think about. I think having a blog can be a great thing if it's something you're into. For others, they start doing it for a few months and then don't have the interest to sustain it. Class B, 1984 Dodge Xplorer van by Frank Industries. Follow my life and travels at my blog, Live Hoppy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TireHobby Posted November 20, 2016 Report Share Posted November 20, 2016 We've been using Blogger for more than 12 years. It's simple and easy to use and we keep it simple. We have about a dozen active blogs about various things we like to write about and others where we post and write about pictures we take of interesting things. Having worked in Naval aviation for more than 40 years I take pictures of aircraft I find on display around the country. If you're an aviation buff the link to that blog is enclosed below. http://militaryaircraft-by-fasteagle.blogspot.com/ 38' fiver - Dodge Dually AKA: FastEagle USN Retired - DOD Retired - SSA Retired Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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