What do a blog and life have in common?
When I was in the shower (I always have the best ideas there) this morning it occurred to me that our life is a work in progress, a construction site.
My life – a construction site?
Its course is not always running to our plans, wishes or dreams, circumstances may create deviations and there is constant challenge. You need a firm foundation and without static analysis you will go nowhere. Planning, time management and discipline are necessary tools and skills to guarantee a smooth running.
The same goes for my blog. When I started blogging I had little no idea about the technical requirements.
And I surged ahead, had my domain registered, that was easy.
Now to blogging: as everybody was raving about WordPress the decision was quickly made. I need a theme? He, what is a theme? Several hours later and a severe headache on top I was convinced: I want a purist and elegant look. Theme No. 1 picked (I think it was by Tarski).
Hosting? I am a sucker for names so picking a hosting service was easy.
And I was delighted to learn that I could install my WordPress blog with one click. Here we go! BIG MISTAKE, very BIG MISTAKE. Because the one click installation has its limitations in adding widgets and plugins (what did I know at the beginning of those enigmatic things? I will deal with it later).
(I leave out the interesting fact that I started blogging in German only to realise some posts later that my three faithful readers are 100 % English speaking people.)
Easy peasy I thought, I will change this in a jiffy, install my WordPress software in the proper way and have all those wonderful widgets and plugins, which will make my blog look better and drive tons of traffic to it, at my call.
The result was a very ugly looking URL, I never thought a URL could cause me heartache or worse. Wrong again.
Did you notice anything last summer? I changed the theme of my blog to one of Elegant Themes and chose another minimalistic look. The reason for this step was to incorporate the new (there is not an old one anyway) web shop very soon. Which happened about one year later …
I also worked on and studied social media marketing and blogging in general. I do not know how many hours I have spent reading and worrying.
There comes a point in your life when seeking professional help is advised: when you have a toothache, will you not call your dentist and ask for an appointment? When your car is only running on two cylinders, will you not take it to your garage and have it examined?
When your blog is giving you a serious headache and you are at the end of your tether, will you not seek professional help?
I did and asked my friend, Kittie Walker for help. I got to know Kittie through the Facebook group Game of Like and we met up when I was in London in May. She is a lovely person, I love her sense of humour and when I thought about blog help she immediately came into my mind. Not only because of her professionalism, she has the perfect personality to deal with overwrought bloggers, calm and serene, and I can ask her anything without feeling like a complete idiot.
Thank you, Kittie!
The future of Late Bloomers looks bright once the dust will have settled. The blog and web shop will be united on one site and I will have a perfect URL – yippee!
I apologise for any inconvenience during the construction phase and make sure you follow the safety regulations, please, wear a helmet for your own benefit whilst on those premises!
Comments 37
Well done ….. and so pleased you and Kittie are working together!!
@LopezMichelle Good morning, Michelle!
Lovely to see you here and welcome! I could not have imagined two years ago that I would meet so many great people online and connect. Wonderful experience and Kittie is doing a fantastic job, cannot wait for the result!
A lovely and warmer weekend to you, btw we had quite a thunderstorm last night (and I was at an open air cinema, haha!) and temps are down to 18° C. Looking forward to my early morning walk with Chica, my dog.
Helmet donned. Apology accepted. 😉 Here’s to the future…it looks streamlined and bright indeed 🙂
@lucylastica1 Hi Lucy!
Good girl! And thanks to you voicing your distress at not being able to access LB I wrote this post! Now that one side is taken care of and in capable hands, I will dedicate myself to the other!
Hi Barbara
That was a lovely start to the day – many thanks for the shout out 🙂
/hugs
Kittie
@kittiewalker Good morning, Kittie,
You deserve all the decibels!
I am really excited about all the changes, it is so much more than a thorough spring cleaning (why has that come up? I hate cleaning but I love a sparkling home) and new opportunities are presenting themselves.
What a nice post and great testimonial for Kittie’s work. I have a VA who keeps my site on track. Otherwise, it would probably be a complete mess! You are giving good advice when you say stay away from the one-click sites and hire someone to do it “right.” Makes all the difference!
@MarthaGiffen Hi, Martha!
@kittiewalker does a great job here, I wish I had known her before starting my blog, it would have made everything easier. But I was so set upon doing everything myself. Well, lesson learnt and this way I really appreciate Kittie’s work and have all the admiration for her skills and talents.
Ah, I went through a similar period years ago. Seemed like everywhere I looked I was moving and packing. Good luck with your construction zone!
@DniseSonnenberg Hi Denise,
Lovely to see you here, there is always a place at my virtual dinner table!
Horrible feeling of moving and packing, is it not? A bit uprooted and restless. Looking forward to the finished renovations and embellishments!
LOL… Yup… That is why I LIKE Blogger, WordPress is SOOOO much more difficult to deal with LOL… and Like anything in construction a SOLID Foundation is Key…. Happy Web building…
@CarlyAlyssaThorne And a bright and shining morning to you, Carly!
I signed on with Blogger as well but never got the hang out of it (well, I think I signed up everywhere in the beginning …), WordPress offers so much more and like in real life there is always the other pole or complex side to it.
YES to happy web building! And have a great Friday!
I’ve been through these and I can relate! Good luck with all!
@TerezaLitsa Hi, Tereza!
Welcome and it’s lovely to see you here! A kindred soul, did you write about it? I will head over to your site! And thanks for the good wishes!
🙂 Great news, Barbara. I have been through those pains – though my pains seem like nothing at all. I too love the minimalist look and am seriously contemplating a blog with ONLY posts and comments 😀 If only it were that easy! Also, I am still with Blogger although my friends insist I should move to self-hosted WordPress. Who knows, I might. I have someone reminding me practically every day.
Still, nothing like the peace of just writing. Learning is a time-consuming process and sometimes, when the basic infrastructure is in place, it is easy to do what we do best – write.
I am eager to see how your blog will look like – and am sure it is going to be gorgeous! Much love, Vidya
@Vidya Sury And a lovely new week to you, Vidya!
I have an attitude with those pains: in the beginning I am not worried and think “I can do it”, then the real pains start and I go into denial, wishing them away but no, they persist. This is the point of where it shouts out ACTION, and afterwards I forget all about it! I am sure there is the name for that attitude …
My blog will not look any different from the outside, it is the insides which will be beautiful, invisible for the human eye but easily detectable for all the devices and services surrounding us and spreading the gospel. Or so I hope!
Thank you, my dear friend, always a pleasure to talk to you!
I have my hardhat on, and am ready to help you through the construction, my friend:) I’m a big fan of the minimalist look too (even my tumblr site is entitled “minimalist”, and my website is clean and spare). You will triumph through it all. Cheers! Kaarina
@KDillabough Good morning to you, Kaarina! That hardhat suits you and I love your tumblr theme! Clean, lean and mean will persevere!
Have a wonderful week, done any wood chopping lately? I saw that picture on tumblr and imagine you sitting in front of the fireplace in winter, a book in your hands and a warm drink handy!
@Late_Bloomers We have two fireplaces in the house, and during winter, both are usually roaring. And how did you know that a book in hand and a (warm) drink handy are staple accompaniments. Cheers my friend:) Kaarina
@KDillabough two fireplaces – I am drooling with envy! Sheer guesswork or more: this is a dream come true visualisation!
Have a lovely evening, the heat is back here and I am invited at friend’s for dinner, looking forward to a cool drink in the garden and some lovely food.
I think we’ve hit on something here…..being able to post your blog in your native tongue but have a ‘widget’ so whoever it reading can convert it to their language of choice………..
This is probably just me and probably because I’m a guy, but I couldn’t describe even two people’s sites that I visit. Regardless of the design and what they have going on, just don’t make it hard for me to read the post and comment. Maybe I need to take more time to enjoy the view and surroundings, huh?
I went the free route, added some of the widgets they provided and change my theme every few months. Pretty brilliant, huh?…………Ok, ok, pretty lazy, but I was trying to put an intellectual spin on it……..
Good luck.
@bdorman264 Hi Bill, good morning to you! Would that be such a great idea? I mean we already have the translation “widget” and it is not such a good tool. And I love languages so much and I think each languages has its special sound and untranslatable peculiarities, it would be a shame to subject it to automation.
I have a similar problem when somebody changes the look of their website, unless it is a dramatic one from flower power to lines or such.
I like your looks (of your site I mean), it is pretty minimalistic, is this what you mean by “intellectual spin”?
Have a great week!
@Late_Bloomers Yes, and it’s ok to like my looks too………..:).
@bdorman264 Oh, I have your unplugged video ……….. :).
I think that your blog is great, and I love the design. Just like you, I believe that we are learning all the time and that’s why our life is a work in progress. I thing that I am deep today! Enjoy the journey!
@JSJ2020 Thanks, Muriel, for the flowers. The next bouquet will go to you!
You are very deep today, but I guess not only today, we belong to the same species of constantly thinking, do we not? Once we stop looking at life as a work in progress, we are in a pretty dark alley. YES to enjoying the trip, may it never stop!
always best to avoid those one click installs. WordPress has a huge community and lots of wikis and how-tos documenting almost everything. if you have any WordPress questions, feel free to approach me. I’ve installed, maintained and migrated my own WordPress site since 2004.
All the best Barbara! I hope you don’t have too many other teething issues 🙂
@JanineRipper Thanks, Janine. Do not mention teething issues, please, this reminds me that I should go and see a dentist!
Have a great week and I love your new profile picture!
Tell me about it! I hate the technical aspect of blogging. Only because I am so, so bad with it. I wish there was someone right next to me who could just make the changes while I order them around! And I don’t know why these things stress me out to no ends!
Well, looking forward to whatever changes you bring along. Good Luck!
@Hajra Good morning, Hajra! How are you after Eid Mubarak? Got everything you craved for?
You know you could just do that, delegate the technical aspects and go and play or write more!
Thanks for your good wishes, I am on my way!
@Late_Bloomers @Hajra All well! Got a lot of money as Eidi so really happy! 🙂
@Hajra Great, this will take some pressure off, I hope!
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I am SOO glad to have been on this journey with you, Barbara! I remember how I instantly connected with your global heart and I also remember that funny URL. =) It’s so amazing where blogging has taken us and I love knowing that we’ll continue learning and evolving. Congrats on achieving so much with your website! =)
@Samantha Bangayan Hi, Sam, those were the days, my friend! And muchos gracias for the “global heart”, what a lovely expression and you gift it to me!
Yeah, funny URL – I really hated that thing in the end. But now everything looks fine like a fresh morning with the sun coming up, the sky washed clean by last night’s rain (I am looking out of my window right now).
You also remind me to take a look back now and then and be proud of what we have achieved.
Thank you so much and I am happy to see you back in full swing!