Now that the new blog is up and running, and mostly bug free (you never really know for sure until you turn it live no matter how much testing you do), I’m getting all reflective and stuff about blogging.
I don’t regret starting with Blogger. In fact, if not for Blogger I probably would not have started blogging. It was so simple to start and use that even I could do it; I don’t think I could have handled anything more from a technological perspective. And it was free, yet allowed me to post ads.
Free is good when you are not sure what you are doing or where you are going. Whatever problems Blogger had or has, it’s a great place to start.
I think it’s also important not to invest in a new website until you have a significant amount of blogging experience. I considered a move away from Blogger a year ago, and I’m glad I didn’t do it then. The good, the bad and the ugly of blogging helps one focus on what exactly one is trying to accomplish. (Notice I used the term “one” rather than “you”? I think he would be proud of my proper usage.)
It’s also important to know your limitations and to get professional help when you bump up against those limitations. For this conversion I used Ed Burns at blogrescue.com. Blogger is a funny thing, and I suspect that there will be a continuing need to clean up the remnants. I know that others who have tried to do it on their own have had to abandon their prior archives to Blogger.
The other thing that amazes me is the conservative blogosphere, and how supportive successful bloggers are of newbies. Early on I was fortunate to have been helped tremendously by Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit, Michelle Malkin, and Ed Morrissey and Allahpundit of HotAir (and a lot of others), with links and exposure. No matter how brilliant you think you are, if people don’t know you are out there, it’s hard to get traction.
Most successful conservative bloggers are happy to help others, and take pride in helping small bloggers get their footing. I don’t see this in the left-blogosphere, or if it’s there, it’s not as obvious.
The other surprise about blogging is how difficult it is to sustain the effort. Many other bloggers who started around the time I did have abandoned the effort. Blogger burnout, waaaah.
That’s it for now, there’s only so much reflecting I can do without professional help.
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