Change is Not Easy
If anyone asks you how many posts it takes to run out of things to write about... It's 300...
I'm just kidding. This just happens to be my 300th post on the Working at Home on the Internet Blog. It started life with at different name, "Self Improvement by Working at Home".
I never really liked that name, but I tried various titles for the blog even before that. Work at Home in any form was taken and I was trying to find a way to fit into the niche. I thought that Working at Home was an improvement over working for someone else in an office, so I grabbed the first name available.
I had registered the Blog with every service that I could under that name, from FeedBurner to Technorati. The problem was, I still didn't like the name. I found that changing the name on Blogger was quite easy, so I made the transition to Working at Home on the Internet.
That's when I found out the hard way that change is not easy. I had a small following... of loyal readers, some of whom I haven't seen since the change. I attribute this to the way I just changed and didn't really promote it correctly.
I made all the changes on every feed and subscriber service I belonged to, but I neglected to do a pre-change promotion. Even thought I didn't change the URL, people had subscribed to various services by the name of the Blog. This lead to a loss of readership for which I was not prepared.
I have more that recovered from that original loss and have actually built a decent following since. The reason I bring all of this up is, I am considering another change. Actually, it is Two Major Changes.
SEO has stagnated. I think the major reason for this is my URL mcbsconsulting.blogspot.com has nothing to do with Working at Home as far as searches are concerned. I do get some results with the Blog name since the Title contains the right Keywords and I have so many posts floating around the internet.
I have found a few possibilities for a Domain Name, workingathomeinternet(dot)com/net/biz that I feel could help in the area of SEO. It doesn't cost too much to buy the domain(s) but it is a Major Change.
The other consideration is that Blogger (Blogspot) has been having major problems with their server, uploading, saving drafts and publishing. This is not a small thing when you try to pre-write posts and publish at least once a day. That leads to another possible problem, will a new hosting service be any more reliable than Blogger?
These have to be addressed, sooner rather than later. I do worry that, since these are such major changes, I would have to start over from scratch. I have invested a lot of time trying to get established. I don't want it all to be for naught.
I also can't see waiting too much longer and just hoping for the best. That will just augment the problems and be worse in the long run.
A Blogger friend of mine, Chris Cree over at CREEations has just made the move from a Blogger Blog to his own domain. I hope he doesn't mind me watching how things go with his move before I make my decision.
Stay tuned for further developments. If you were on the new Home Page and got transferred here through a link in an article, Please Click Here to Return to Working at Home on the Internet (the New and Improved Version). For your convience: E-Mail Questions Good Luck in YOUR Endeavors
posted by Joseph at 12:12 PM
12 Comments:
Joe,
Oh, I don't mind! ;)
I just discovered a new wrinkle too. While everything imported just fine from Blogspot to WP, All of the links in the posts stayed pointed in the same place.
For most of them that is perfect.
However if you put links in your posts that point deeper into your blog (I've got bunches) or images in your posts, all of these will still point to Blogspot after the change.
So I have to go through and transfer all the photos to my new host and then go through and change all the internal links to point at the new blog posts.
It is time consuming, but worth it. I won't have to worry about blogspot eating my stuff because it stays inactive too long or anything like that.
Hey Chris,
I just posted a comment and it didn't take. More reason to consider the move myself.
Joe
See ya at Liz'a
J.
Hey Jesse,
I know everyone is right in saying that I should really move. That's the reason for the post, I know it will be difficult, but has to be done.
Thanks for poking around, I need something that has to do with working at home, I just have to find something I'm happy with.
Hey Jess, stop by Liz's tonight for the open mic, it's fun. It usually starts around 6pm Chicago time
Joe
Hey Chris,
I sure hope things are different with WP.org. I have had nothing but problems with trying to get one of my blogs on WP.com.
I got the email that activated the account, but when I try to sign on I keep getting a not found error.
It took forever, and using a contact through the other listed blog to even be able to complain.
There is nothing on the homepage of either .com or .org for contact.
I am already questioning if WP is the right way to go if I can't even get help in signing up!?!
Joe
Joe,
I had some confusion with WordPress.org too, even though I am paying for hosting elsewhere.
When I was trying to get the Askimet plugin up and running (it helps control comment spam) I needed to get a registration number from WP by registering directly with WP.org.
Their system kept trying to force me to start a blog with them even though I checked the box for "I have my blog hosted elsewhere and don't need to start a blog today."
WP.org's documention is not very clear as far as their hosting goes. (The code had been sent via email but nowhere did it tell me that.)
I think that is a function of WP being open source and relying on users for much of the documentation. Most of which deals with the WP blogging platform itself and it is very good. I've been able to figure everything out just by poking through it. (Time consuming, for sure, but the info's there.)
The WP hosting, on the other hand, I'm guessing mostly is being used by less experienced users. I figure they may not have the sophistication to help with the documentation as much.
Hey Joe,
what about workingontheinternetathome.com?
Or have "Working At Home" stay together?
Tania, :-)
Hey Chris,
My problem at this point is they sent an email for activation and they were supposed to send one with a code for access.
I got the first one, and never got the second.
I haven't found a way to contact them yet to tell them to resend the second email.
I may just cancel the account and start over...
Joe
Hey Tania from Germany(I still like saying that),
I really am looking for something shorter, less for people to remember and type in.
Working at Home has been taken for years, no way around that.
Joe
I haven't checked on it but how about something like "InternetHomeWork"? Or maybe you could throw a hyphen in somewhere.
My opinion is that, while the domain name is important, it is not going to be the determining factor that makes or breaks the blog. There are plenty of examples of really sucessful blogs with screwy domains.
Like a wise person once told me - don't get bogged down on the details and forget to concentrate on the content. :)
Hey Joe again,
(I like it!)
What popped up is taking just your name. You've already considered this, I guess...
Or "Professionathome.com". May be it's a little to grave...
I continue spinning.
Tania :-)
Hey Chris,
I hear what you're saying, but my numbers seem to be stagnating as of late.
I'm not sure if the domain will help or not, but I think it could help SEO.
I did try the "-" thing, but a friend with a forum already owns it and I don't think he'll share LOL
Thanks for all your help on this.
Joe
Hey Tania from Germany again,
I did try my name, but the object in any change would be more to identify with the Workin at Home on the Internet theme.
Keep the ideas coming though, I can always use the help.
Thanks,
Joe
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