I have a couple of blogger blogs that I've been able to design quite well but I now intend to go into blogging full-time and I intend to host my blog with a customized domain name. From my observation, top bloggers (like Brian Clark and Darren Rowse) use wordpress platform. Is there any search engine advantage or traffic benefit or something else for wordpress users? Or, why is this unexplainable love for wordpress.
Is having a blogspot platform good for serious blogging ? The answer is 'Why Not'. Have you ever visited succesfull blogger user such as Amanda Fazany & Dante araujo and another? At this time, I love to use blogger can can optimized it features more than standard user. I even can build/convert provesional theme from wordpress to blogger...no problem at all. Full control? What the full control? If you can build your own CMS (not only use CMS), that the full control. The only problem, why user dont use blogger, coz they dont know how to explre blogger features and max it as they wish.
I think wordpress more benefit that blogspot. You can control all of your content, but in blogpost you're not. Secondly, wordpress have a lot of plugin SEO that can help us to gain our SERP, blogspot not. Wordpress can customize the permalink, blogpost not. Remember permalink have affect to SEO. But if it's the first time for you to start blogging, i suggest you to make it with blogspot. Nothing to lose. And then if you have already know about blogging trick, you can start with wordpress.
Serious blogging depends on the blogger and not the platform. If you are passionate about blogging and the topic that you choose to blog on, then you can do wonders with either WP or blogspot.
In my opinion, it is because WordPress has so many extends, like free/premium plugins, themes that will support your blog to the maximal goal. I also like blogspot platform, but considering plugins and all those stuff, WordPress is more advance. Just my two cents.