Moving to WordPress.com

October 13, 2011

Moving to WordPress.com

New host today, and I’m testing the interface to see if it connects to Facebook, Twitter, MySocialEgoIsHuge.net (that website is unregistered so you can claim it if you wish) , and so on.

I had been using Blogs-About.com since April 2004. I setup the original Chasingthewind.net webpage as a place to share my faith in Christ and let me learn HTML. Well, while the faith in Christ has grown (though my service to Him has not, alas, due to all the travel the last couple of years, my enthusiasm to learn HTML has diminished. I no longer want to spend time tweaking code.

I’d been happy enough at Blogs-about, even though my WordPress setup has hiccuped once or twice (not their fault!) during an upgrade and I had to ask them for help to fix my blog installation. Well, several weeks ago I upgrade WordPress again, it hiccupped, and I left a trouble ticket.

It went unanaswered. I sent a followup, also unanswered, and then an email bounced.

So I spent some time researching where I want my blog hosted, and I’ve moved over to WordPress.com. I may lose a little flexibility, but the options here do everything I want. And the reliability will be higher since the upgrades are automatic and I won’t munge them up on my own.

Lisa from Blogs-about : thanks for 7 great years of hosting Chasing the Wind. If you ever stumble across this blog entry, say hi.

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Michael

Follower of Jesus, conservative, freedom-loving patriot.

6 responses to “Moving to WordPress.com”

coffeeswirls

October 13, 2011 at 2:13 pm

Give it a week or two. Then can you tell us your impressions on the overall value and experience? I’m considering a similar move, or I may just move all of my non-blogging over to Google+

LOL

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1. Michael
  
  October 13, 2011 at 2:54 pm
  
  Waitasec… you’re already on WordPress.com.
  
  ???
  
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Michael

October 13, 2011 at 2:50 pm

Hey, Doug, I’ve mentioned this in the past, but blogging isn’t as popular as it once was. Facebook (and now Google+) have taken the social connectivity away from blogs, and therefore not as popular anymore.

But I’m seeing a resurgence, especially with API calls available to Facebook (Google+ ought to build some if they want success). That means platforms like WordPress enhance Facebook instead of competing with it.

For pithy one liners, I can post directly to Facebook or Twitter. For a bible study lesson, I’ll use WordPress.

So far, no issues with WordPress.com, and I have to admit I don’t miss installing plugins manually and trying to get them to work. It’s nice having all that built in already.

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1. coffeeswirls
  
  October 13, 2011 at 7:27 pm
  
  I use the free version, and they don’t have most of my favorite plugins. There is one for G+, but I doubt it’s available. Are you using the pay version?
  
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coffeeswirls

October 13, 2011 at 7:54 pm

OK, here’s the deal. WordPress.com won’t let you use plugins. Self hosted blogs can have them.

http://en.support.wordpress.com/plugins/

You can post to WP with email though. So you could make a G+ circle with that email address and post to WP through G+ that way quite easily. I wonder if I could set it up to include the G+ URL in the post on WP and direct commentors to G+ or is that too cumbersome to the user?

I have a limited time to decide if I will let my coffeeswirls.com address expire. I’d like it for posterity, but is that cost effective if it isn’t being used, and will be/has been replaced by other services? What do you think?

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1. Michael
  
  October 14, 2011 at 8:05 am
  
  I think you should keep the domain, even if you don’t blog. It’s cheap, and with the traffic you have, you don’t some malcreant taking it for nefarious redirection.
  
  I’m using the free version except for mapping the domain. I don’t *think* I’ll miss the plugins as much as the Websense blocking, but I can use the WP by email to workaround.
  
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About Me

Michael, a sinner saved by grace, sharing what the good Lord has shared with me.

Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes, said, “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

If you’re not living for the glory of God, then what you’re doing is meaningless, no matter what it is. Living for God gives life meaning, and enjoying a “chasing after the wind” is a gift from God. I’m doing what I can to enjoy this gift daily.

Got questions? I’m not surprised. If you have any questions about Chasing the Wind, you can email me at chasingthewind@outlook.com.

Chasing the Wind