You may have noticed that Casteluzzo has a new look. I’ve been contemplating this for months, and finally made the big switch to self-hosted WordPress yesterday. It only took me three long chat sessions with Aravan in India and then Alexei in Russia (my hosting service is apparently an international employer. Isn’t it ironic that all three of us were up in the middle of the night together keeping faraway American time?) to get everything sorted out. Between my (virtually nonexistent) php skills and their (slightly better) English skills, I’m still not quite sure what I did wrong in the first place. But it’s all fixed now.
Why the switch? Well, I have to admit it’s more for me than for you. I adore the WordPress interface. It’s clean, classic, and non-clunky. And I love the infinite selection of plugins. Let’s face it. Are “The Daily Puppy,” or fish trying to eat your cursor really that useful? Blogger served me well for five years, but by now my template code is bursting at the seams with various little hacks and extra html bits. I’m not a geek, really. Just a control freak. I like it all just the way I want it. And I love to see the possibilities expand.
Besides, I just think WordPress is classy. It’s a great example of successful cooperation that doesn’t involve any uber-authorities or direct financial incentives. Like some kind of virtual utopia. Or Ursula LeGuin’s immortal Ekumen. I’ve never gotten to be part of a commune, and WordPress sort of addresses that inner need.
Yes, there are a few downsides. Worst first: I suddenly have NO FRIENDS! Googly google won’t let me import my followers from blogspot. So if you still love me, please “join this site” on the sidebar. Or you can do the Networked Blogs thing if you like it better. If you have bookmarks pointing to my old site, please update them. The new URL is http://casteluzzo.com. Or just grab a button off the sidebar. If you were subscribed by email before, you’ll need to re-subscribe from here.
And actually, that’s it. There aren’t any other downsides. Hurrah for WordPress!
WoNDerFuL!! You hadn’t stopped blogging. I’m so glad – it was utterly disappointing to see the ‘end’ in your archives… and not know that there would be continuation, elsewhere.
I had a WordPress, soley for the purpose of being able to moderate comments at my other blog. What a MESS that was, though – I would post the blog at my site, and then come here and link to the post, and then go back to my post and link the WordPress link as a ‘You can Comment Here’ button. For. Each. Post. It was hideous. Didn’t last more than half a year. But I was trying to thwart the evil commenters by ‘moderating’ the comments before they appeared, something my blog host doesn’t allow.
WordPress is definitely better than Blogger, though – a site I would never affiliate with. Especially since Blogger is Google-affiliated, and Google has a contract with the NSA… I don’t trust anything having to do with Google, anymore.
But wow! Now I have more to read… ((LoL!!))
aNNa
Visiting after seeing your post on the Homeschool Bloggers Haven Yahoo Group. I completely hear you on the frustration with Blogger. I’m there for now, but have played a bit with a different blog site that uses WordPress to drive it. I’m not sure which I like better, but figure I’ll stay where I am for now.
I’ve clicked to friend you through GFC, too. Italy is one location I want to visit some day. I’d love to live there, but doubt I could convince my husband to do it. He’s enjoying the less densely populated Alaska too much.