Oregon Coast at Gearhart
Hey there! As some of you have noted, I have been pretty quiet in the past eight months. What’s up? Answer: Two things. First, I got a new wonderful job…..2,000 miles away! I’ve been doing the wacko commute to see the Other Half and furkids, and I been busy navigating how to get our family in the new (and vastly more wonderful) location.
Second, I have been learning the ins-and-outs of transferring this blog over to a self-hosted site and learning web design. Now THAT has been more of a challenge than moving! I have learned a LOT along the way, unfortunately, most of it the hard way. <insert sad face!> Fortunately for you, I’m going to post everything I have learned so if you have been thinking about doing your own blog, at least you can skip through some of the painful parts for free. Yeah, I have come to the conclusion that it’s dumb/greedy/short-sighted to not share, so look for posts on how to get ‘er done!
Right now I am in Texas packing, packing, packing, blogging, packing, and getting ready to get the sofa, dog and Better Half moved to Oregon. Yep, I am moving home. <Now insert a jubilant face!> Meanwhile, I have moved my blog to a self-hosted site and can be found at theverdanthome.com.
Short commercial break: For those readers thinking of starting their own blog, I cannot recommend the folks over at BlueHost.com highly enough. I started out at another web host and about lost my mind in seismic-grade frustration (hence the loooong break from blogging.) Then I did some research and discovered BlueHost. Yes, you read that right; I did my research AFTER driving myself crazy. So here’s the skinny: BlueHost has tons of videos on YouTube that walk you through just about any question you can come up with PLUS they have amazing staff with even MORE patience that answer even MORE questions, including massive hand-holding and reassuring noises (No, you aren’t stupid. You’re doing great!). And their IT department? AH-mazing. And they go the extra mile….for free!
Finally, a short note on why I decided to switch over to a self-hosted blog. Wasn’t WordPress treating me well?
Yes! WordPress is awesome and I am using WordPress on my new site, but BlueHost is now hosting my site (in other words, I am now a self-hosted site.) If WordPress hosts your page, you can’t run ads or make any money on your site, although they can run ads without your permission at will. If you host your own site, you are free to run ads, monetize your site, have full control of the content. My turning point was the moment I discovered that a 14-year old girl of my acquaintance is currently making more than $400 a month blogging about boys, clothes, school gossip, and makeup….. which she spends entirely on clothes and makeup. Yes, you read that right! My FIRST thought was “Are you kidding me?!” followed by,” ARGH! If she can do it, I can do this.” And guess what, YOU CAN TOO. Details to follow in the days ahead!
IMHO, this button ought to include “Smoking Customer Service”. 🙂
