911 and 77 (21)
This is the point at which my blog structure is changing. Up to now my blog entries have been of the usual kind but from now on they will be 'Title' based. This suits my way of doing things, namely that I write enough, usually, to give it a title and once that happens it makes sense to be able to retrieve items by title (not by date).
In fact, at a later date, I also plan to have a 'by date' as well as 'by title' way of finding my articles and blog entries. Disposable, chatty, blogging is not really my style; I have just too much that needs saying, writing into articles, to spend time doing that but it's just not me anyway.
So this is the end of the older way of doing my blog and from here on it is changed.
(The above was added here on 19th April 2007)
I guess one important thing about blogging and making mistakes is not that mistakes are made (how many of us don't make any mistakes, ever, not that many) but whether the blogger is actively pursuing and remedying them.
This I only mention in passing as I almost suddenly realized that I haven't been using headings in my blog, none at all, not since I started. That means... Well, try it for a while and see what it means. The thing is I am now adding headlines to my blog.
That's part of the "secret" to blogging, isn't it, to boldly go and undo one's mistakes!
The idea that you should get your own domain before taking up blogging, is, I think, only a good idea IF you are already sure that you will keep it up for at least a year or two. Many bloggers begin full of enthusiasm but give up suddenly without even a parting "Goodbye". A quite sad thing to see too.
But I understand why bloggers say this. So let's see if after I finish explaining this "How to" if you still feel the same way afterwards.
If you already have a blog somewhere and you want your own domain then spend some time with different names until you come up with one that you won't later regret. That is obvious but worth mentioning in passing. Having registered your new domain and arranged a hosting server then you are ready to begin the transition which I promise you is quite painless. You need not, as seems to be feared, lose any traffic at all.
I recommend that you keep your old blog going, permanently more or less, but more on this point later.
Only when you have got the new blog up and you have it fully tested should you then move over to it, in the meantime continue your old blog and keep testing your new one at the same time. Don't make sudden or major changes at your old blog, just keep going with it, just add to it as normal.
At the same time install all the new blog stuff (on your new host or, could be, same host) that suits you and get that up and running but not publicised - do it online but make no links to it at all at this point. This way if you make a mistake it will show up as you do your testing but it won't matter because only you are viewing it even though it is there online. You could give a few friends links to it for them to test it but make it clear that you don't want those links being released, just be patient.
With no links to it, no one, not even search engines will see it. If you are using the same blogging software then you need hardly make any changes when you copy it all across. So you can carry on like this for weeks, months or years if you wanted to. Once you know that it is okay then all you need to do it put a link from your old blog home page that redirects to your new blog home page. AND, change your old home page a little so that visitors can see what is happening. That old blog can stay in place with all the existing links to it working and it doesn't cost you anything (or much) to keep it, so just leave it intact, and all your traffic will continue to arrive just like always.
No lost traffic there then. And some of the 'old' traffic is coming from there to your new blog, so that's good too. The new link from your old home page will bring some traffic to your new blog. On top of that you are now active with your new blog so new traffic starts coming directly to your new blog more directly and not via your old blog, so you now have two streams of traffic, the old traffic to your old blog some of which will funnel it's way via your old home page (with you new link) to your new blog and on top of that you have new traffic coming directly from the work you are doing with your new blog.
A key thing is keeping both blog sites going. You don't ever need to close down your old blog, why should you? Don't think this is arduous because it isn't as the old blog, although you are keeping it alive, is not being added to anymore. So your work is 99% with your new blog once you have established the changeover period as successful.
Another key thing is to modify your home page that has the redirect so it is helpful to visitors. You CAN do it surrepticiously - just a hidden redirect - but why hide your obvious progress, moving up in the world and keeping on keeping on as they say. Make the most of that advance - annouce it proudly on your old home page!
Don't abandon that old home page entirely. Don't lose your access to it. From time to time you may want to go back to it to make updates and improvements. Don't forget it's access, username, password and so on. As the weeks and months go by it will still be working for you but you may easily forget how to connect to it!
The re-direct that you put there can even be a simple click link like any other. Wil Wheaton, for instance, has been doing it that way from his old blog to his new "Exile" blog for months now. New blog traffic need never know about your old blog if you don't want them to but it makes sense usually to bring it all together and keep ownership of all your sites and blogs rather than conceal some.
See, I told you it was easy!
Now, you may say, what about the server changes, 30x's or whatever. Why make any server changes at all? The mistake is to think that you need, somehow, to shut down and end your old blog when all you really need to do it put a link and a bit of an altered home page to explain things and hey presto it's done.
There is nothing more needed. Just keep the old blog going - alive, not dead, but no further work is done to it other than updating the home page now and then.
Don't forget to copy all the bits and pieces that your new blog will use from your old blog. Some gifs and jpgs, some other files. Copy them all over. If you are using exactly the same blog then just copy the lot over to your new host. You may need to make tweaks but this is why you need to have a test time.
I don't see any snags to this but by all means raise them and, if I can, I will answer them. Just email me.
I hope that helps anyone who thought there might be a little problem when it comes to going up a gear - there really is no problem. BUT don't try to skip the testing online, in 'silent mode' without links or you will cause problems. Remember your old blog can continue indefinitely unless you choose to shut it down. Like I said above, many bloggers drop out and you come across their dead blogs but, ususally, no one, very often, takes them off line despite being inactive for months or even years.
Sunday 15th April 2007
Moving your blog to your own domain in... several ... nice and easy steps.
Some things are very simple to do but some of us find them complicated.
That little aphorism of mine is one that somebody else made up centuries ago, I don't know, I'm guessing but let me hasten to add that it isn't just the odd person this applies to but every single one of us (okay, except you of course). We all have a blind spot, literally and metaphorically too.
I read a blog a couple of days ago about the worst things you can do to it. And I thought I would take that and run with it but when I went back today to take a second look I found it was four months old but, there again, on the plus side the blogger (he doesn't seem to tell us his name) had referred to his earlier post with a fresh one and that actually dealt with the same particular point I was going to run with.
His headline is:
He wants to move his blog to his own domain but sees problems ahead. Well, in fact it is a lot easier to do than I think he realizes.
So first of all here is his post: EngTech.
I just copied his url from my browsers top bar and pasted in my typing here and added just one HTML tag and that's it done. Okay that's not quite the same thing as an automatic redirect but it's almost as simple and straightforward. He will need more than a redirect but none of it should prove very arduous.
A key point I think needs to be grasped is that you don't need to change any existing external links - its far better to leave them be.
Another key point is: Just make sure you keep your existing blog propped up.
You do have to make some changes but really they are quite minimal and easy.
This deserves some time so please come back again in about 24 hours or so and I will either have the whole process explained here or a significant part of it.
The very first step though is really this one: Decide if you really want your own domain name and if so spend a good while choosing it. A lot of bloggers start out keen and then drop by the wayside without even a parting goodbye - so if you don't see yourself blogging in the long term, a few years say at least, then why have a domain name at all. So first things first and don't try to cross the bridges until we arrive at the river! Til tomorrow.
By Paul E. Coughlin, SaneThinking.com
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