So, after a full year on this new blog I have decided to get rid of the old blog…
I started amanoj.blogspot.com in July of 2003. Back then, I was still “Wet-Behind-the-Ears” about the whole blogging thing… but I decided to give it a shot. Who knew that 6 years later, I would still be updating a site from time to time.
Blogger.com is a fantastic service for people who are just starting out (how I was) blogging. There is very little to worry about on the administration side, and its free to start & maintain. I created my account & site before Google acquired blogger late in 2003. I didn’t see any short-commings with the site, nor any problems with the domain.
A few years later, I had started to get very serious about blogging. Still not for any sort of monetary reasons, other than establishing a place for me to write about what I know & encounter. Almost like a living journal, something for me to leave behind for family & friends.
Eventually I realized that a blog really is more of a representation of you & what you have to offer. If you intend to use the blog as a launch-pad for your personal or proffesional cerear, it helps to look more professional! Towards the summer of 2008, I began to realize that very fact.
It was then that I began the process of making my blog more professional. I quickly realized that I would have to register a domain & find some reliable hosting. So far I have the domain. :D
Cheap hosting is pretty easy to come by, but cheap & relyable hosting is almost a myth! From June 2008 to Jan 2009, I had switched the blog’s host between several different hosting providers. It has been a nightmare. I lost about 15 posts in the process, and realized that I would not be able to recover them. At that point I started backing up my blog on a weekly basis!
Most of the cheap hosting companies would have a great looking site, but then the servers would die… and you would not be able to call for support. I do not consider myself an average person, but I do expect a reply if I call or send an email to support. One hosting company just vanished in thin-air (along with my $12 a month).
I am still concerned about host stability, but I know now that I would be unable to return to Blogger or even WordPress.com. There is so much customization & plugins involved on my site, that I would never be able to go back. I am ok with that, I just backup my site more frequently! :D
But what about the content on Blogger.com? Well, I just remedied that today!
I spent the better-half of the day trying to import my post from the old site, to the new Wordpress site. This is extremely difficult if your hosting provider does not play ball. Mine didn’t, so in the end I had to manually enter about 8 old posts from 2003. It sucked, but it was worth it.
For the forceable future, this is my home on the web! Please don’t go back to amanoj.blogspot.com !
Your patience will be rewarded!