WordPress, Ugh

As a favor to a friend, I was asked to create a blog for them. Okay, I'm a nice person, yes. And, for some reasons I'm still trying to fathom, they asked me to create it in WordPress.

At the time, I thought, "sure, wherever" since it made no difference to me. But, after several days of tearing my hair out, trying to work out their messed up system, I had to come running over here just to rant about it a bit. (Blogger is going to love this.)

One thing that is very annoying about it is that you cannot even include an image tag within a post. Another is that, while it offers a multiple page area, apparently, each page must be one post long... oh, gee. Well... that's NOT a page! That's a special post-- duh.

I mean, Blogger doesn't have multiple pages, I know... but they don't pretend to offer them, either. Maybe I'm getting old... but I suspect it's more likely I'm just spoiled by Blogger.

Speaking of which:

I have noticed that since Google took over blogger.com (yeah-- didn't you know? Add it to the list of Google's ubiquitiousness), they have made the template "user-friendly." Friendly, that is, to anyone who doesn't know how to code-- annoying to anyone who does.

The introduction of a php feature called, "Widgets" (hey! isn't that something you use to scrap paint off of windows?? Or is that S**T off your heels?--LOL!) which isn't unique to them but a generally annoying php invention, makes it almost impossible to by-pass the "oh-so-user-friendly" template system.

Why do I have a problem with the new templates? I don't know... maybe I'm just paranoid. But then again, maybe I have something I want to add to my blog that doesn't conveniently fall into one of their pre-set categories... what do I do then? Although they do, in theory, offer a way to edit the template in the "classic" way, the bloody thing is so filled with Widgets that it's impossible to guess exactly WHERE my edits will show up??

See... in my typical paranoid state, I just feel like I'm being herded... guided by Big Brother to create "acceptable" blogs that don't include anything THEY deem inappropriate. Hmmmm. I mean, I understand that there must be some restrictions... but when those restrictions also restrict creativity, then I start to feel frustrated. And you KNOW what happens then! Another Rant! LOL!