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Show HN: You Don't Need WordPress – Create a Blog With Only Google Docs

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91–100 of 114 posts

Re: Show HN: You Don't Need WordPress – Create a Blog With Only Google Docs

#92

I don't know why this is attracting so much hate here. It's a novel and useful idea. Sure, you're relying on Docs, but that's an established, mainline Google service which makes them money through their enterprise work stack (so I doubt it'll get Google Reader'd). If you were using Google's cloud, nobody in the comments would know or care. Sometimes HN is just negative for the sake of being negative. I think this is…

> If you were using Google's cloud, nobody in the comments would know or care

I would. Deeply unhappy with all the fashionable reliance on external monoliths as a matter of course. Whenever I have the choice, I simply discount technologies that can't stand on its own legs. I would not trust Google with my shopping list. Why would I trust them with a website?

Re: Show HN: You Don't Need WordPress – Create a Blog With Only Google Docs

#93
I've been using same idea for years now

Using Spreadsheets instead of Docs, and it's not a product per-say, more like a go-to setup for medium size websites

Glad to see more people are using the technologies freely available instead of using wordpress for every small project

Re: Show HN: You Don't Need WordPress – Create a Blog With Only Google Docs

#94

I don't know why this is attracting so much hate here. It's a novel and useful idea. Sure, you're relying on Docs, but that's an established, mainline Google service which makes them money through their enterprise work stack (so I doubt it'll get Google Reader'd). If you were using Google's cloud, nobody in the comments would know or care. Sometimes HN is just negative for the sake of being negative. I think this is…

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: You Don't Need WordPress – Create a Blog With Only Google Docs

#95
I maintain a blog built on static tools since 2009, which is older than most people's blogs I see on Hacker News: https://alexn.org

Hosting is free if you host it on GitHub Pages. I have my own VPS on DigitalOcean. Maintenance of that node is insignificant though, as the machine auto-updates itself. And you don't need to do it if you're on GitHub or GitLab Pages or other similar services.

The initial cost was a little high, setting it up and all. But now that cost is virtually zero.

And guess what ... it's mine, my blog, my website, on my own domain. It's part of my identity, it's the link I place in email signatures. It's my creation, just like my work or open source contributions.

In 2005 when my career started I was also using a blogging service. Until my membership was revoked for some reason and I lost articles in which I poured my soul in. Never again.

Outsourcing your blog to others is ... foolish. And not having a blog, as a computer scientist, is equally foolish.

So setup a static blog with a tool like https://jekyllrb.com. The initial setup smells like yak shaving, however you'll get over it and you won't regret the investment.

Re: Show HN: You Don't Need WordPress – Create a Blog With Only Google Docs

#96

You don't need Google Docs either. Seems like a terrible decision since Google is known for randomly shutting down services and updating their terms of use at any point. It's a nice proof of concept but I'd stick with WordPress or a static site generator

I don't think Google Docs is going anywhere, but what actually concerns me more, is I seem to recall some articles last year about a number of private google docs that were deleted by google because of $reasons. (ranging from content protection, to firing on appropriateness or censorship). That would be my bigger concern.

Very true, definitely a major concern. I've heard horror stories of accounts being locked out or services cancelled on them without warning because of certain 'violations'

Re: Show HN: You Don't Need WordPress – Create a Blog With Only Google Docs

#98
post #2

Hey HN, In my opinion, platforms like WordPress can feel bloated or be intimidating to new users. For this reason, I wanted to build a blogging platform on top of Google Docs. I actually run my own blog as a side project, and I use GDocs religiously because of its excellent collaboration and sharing features. When I’m collaborating with dozens of writers, it’s convenient to be able to use a product that everyone is f…

"...I'm collaborating with dozens of writers.." You may be collaborating with more people than you know. Cause it's, you know, google. I wonder how many third parties get access to your data. Remember, when you aren't paying or pay very little, _you_ are the product.

You're saying that Google might be reading my blog posts if I use Google Docs? Somehow crawling it for content, maybe?

Re: Show HN: You Don't Need WordPress – Create a Blog With Only Google Docs

#99

I don't know why this is attracting so much hate here. It's a novel and useful idea. Sure, you're relying on Docs, but that's an established, mainline Google service which makes them money through their enterprise work stack (so I doubt it'll get Google Reader'd). If you were using Google's cloud, nobody in the comments would know or care. Sometimes HN is just negative for the sake of being negative. I think this is…

Google Docs might not go away but Google might charge for it. Or you will be locked out of Docs because you uploaded a video on YouTube featuring your toddler listening to copyrighted music.

Wordpress is here to stay and relatively under your control

Re: Show HN: You Don't Need WordPress – Create a Blog With Only Google Docs

#100

I don't know why this is attracting so much hate here. It's a novel and useful idea. Sure, you're relying on Docs, but that's an established, mainline Google service which makes them money through their enterprise work stack (so I doubt it'll get Google Reader'd). If you were using Google's cloud, nobody in the comments would know or care. Sometimes HN is just negative for the sake of being negative. I think this is…

Thanks! That's a good point. People might crap on your idea because it relies on a Google product, but massive companies like Snapchat and Airbnb use Google Cloud. Obviously GDocs are a bit different but lots of businesses are built on top of Google products (e.g. Google Maps)

*And if they forgot that, Google just reminded them with massive price hikes and limits on free use https://www.mapsmarker.com/docs/misc/google-maps-tos-changes...
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