It is easy to get that feeling of “deja vu all over again” when you revisit a decision you made in the past. Looking at this blog with new eyes, I suddenly realized that I should have pursued the self-hosting route from the very start. That was my initial inclination, but I waffled since a Blogger site was so much easier to launch.
Changing from Blogger to self-hosting is not trivial and should not be done casually. As I experienced the process, there were a number of steps. I list them here in the event that they may be of some help to others.
The steps include:
- evaluating the options - Changing a blog location will not endear you to the search engines. The history they have established with your address will be lost, and your readers will have be to guided to find you. Blogger is NOT happy with double postings, so you have to leave them in place, at least for awhile.
- choosing the blog software - There are about three dozen different blog software packages out there for self-hosting, but WordPress and LiveJournal are the ones you hear the most about. WordPress seems to be the clear leader, and the price (free) fit the budget.
- choosing the hosting provider - There are hundreds of these at various price points. As in most things, you seem to get what you pay for. I was already very pleased with the host I was using, so I just installed the blog on a sub-domain.
- declaring the administrator - WordPress installs quite easily. When you declare yourself the administrator, you realize that you have a bit more control than previously. To tailor your settings, log in as the administrator and enter the title, description, clock time, date, etc. as you would with a blog service.
- choosing your look and feel - One control aspect is that you can pick from hundreds of free themes/templates/skins to refine the look and feel of your blog. While selecting, stick with those that offer the features you need. The theme chosen for Still Clickin offered 3 columns, an attractive color palate, right sidebar, adsense ready, image support, widget ready, fixed width, and (SEO) search engine optimization. The copyright display was not intrusive.
- making the final adjustments - Check the overall results of your choices and perform any necessary fine tuning. Once you are pleased, click the “write” button and start creating your first post.
Once you have launched, you may want to continue the fine tuning. The reality is, that as a self-hosting blog author, you have the control and the option.
Good luck!