This post is to share and note down a little history about the blogger platform. Many might know about this already and some might find this new.
Do you know that
Back in the earlier days of Blogger, users were able to self-host their blogs using FTP (File Transfer Protocol). This allowed them to maintain greater control over their content, hosting it on their own servers while still using Blogger as the CMS.
However, this feature was discontinued in 2010 due to complexities and challenges with maintaining the service.
I first learned about this on the IndieWeb.org site, and upon further surfing, I found evidence on the Internet Archive of a dedicated blog explaining Blogger's FTP feature: blogger-ftp.blogspot.com on the Wayback Machine.
I don't know if the blog was put down by the owner or it was taken down by blogger MXM here is the internet archive link
It's fascinating to see how Blogger have evolved and how they once supported more decentralized web practices until Google decided to make it centralized as a publishing platform only. MXM the platform is forever free.
And if you do not know
Originally, Blogger was not a Google product, it was launched in 1999 by a company called Pyra Labs, founded by Evan Williams and Meg Hourihan.
Back then, it was one of the pioneering tools for online self-publishing, offering early bloggers an easy way to share their thoughts with the world.
In 2003, Google acquired Blogger, which marked a significant shift. I wasn't even born then.
Under Google’s control, Blogger saw many transformations, including deeper integration with other Google services, more robust hosting options, and eventually the discontinuation of some features like FTP-based self-hosting in 2010.
Before these changes, it was possible to self-host Blogger blogs using FTP, allowing users to maintain full control over their content while still benefiting from Blogger’s user-friendly CMS. Just as how WordPress is today.
It was fun to browse different timeline of the blogger home page on internet archive. I wasted the whole of today on it. Blogger used to have the vibe neocites gives today.
Where is the blogger community where blogs follow each other. Seems like most people moved to WordPress.
Happy knowing
