This weekend, not only am I going ALONE to Denton, TX to visit my BFFs, I will be making my official move from wordpress.com to wordpress.org. Chris, one of those friends, is a complete computer genius, so he’s going to do it for me hold my hand while I convert. I’m excited on the one hand, but on the other I am horrified. Completely freaked out I tell you! My biggest problem is I know absolutely nothing about coding, hosting, or any of that other computer mumbo jumbo. Just so you know, if my blog no longer exists after this weekend, it’s because I’m stupid.
To go ahead and make a long story short, I need a favor. From you. Yes! YOU!!! If you are a .org-er I would very much appreciate your input on the transition. Comment and tell me what you love, what you hate, your hosting service, and most importantly what you wish you had known before making the switch.
I have a little secret. I attempted this once before, and I’m afraid I failed miserably. Very shortly after purchasing the hosting service I went into shock. Everything I saw from that point forward appeared to be hidden behind that swirly glass stuff. It was like reading a foreign language. Like I said, I am the exact opposite of a computer geek. As I frantically requested a full refund from the hosting service (to tell the truth I got overly snarky with the poor guy at the other end of the phone) and pleaded with/ groveled at the feet of WP support to put everything back the way I had it. Pretty pathetic right? I need help, folks. Anything you could offer me (in english/layman’s terms) would be like little golden nuggets. Thank you in advance!
{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
No help here…sorry. I’m just trying to figure out if I should move from Blogger to Word Press!
Oh, you definitely should!!! But, if you do, my suggestion is to get it all over with at once. Dont go to .com and then (like me) figure out you hate it because you can’t do anything, and THEN go to .org. Kill two birds with one stone and all that.
YAY!! I’m SO glad you’re making the switch. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Well, if your experience is anything like mine, you’ll probably regret it 80 bajillion times, as you mess up a tiny tiny part which due to your lack of any computer knowledge causes your site to just be a page of bad code, or in my worse case scenario, ended with a blank white screen. But then I cried and screamed and wailed and spent a lifetime on the WordPress forums and the forums for my theme (Suffusion) and finally got it all settled. And then I was terribly, terribly happy with how awesome it is, and how much better, and then I felt all adult and serious inside for not having killed someone during the process.
Clearly I’m the person to take advice from on this subject.
But if you use Flickr for photos, Flickrpress has saved me actual days of my life in time.
OOOOOkay. Not thrilled with the possibility of a “white screen.” I’m getting more frightened by the minute.
But…I do like the notion of feeling all adult and serious. Problem is, I probably will try to kill someone before it’s all said and done. Wait…I mean…No I wont.
I made the switch from Blogger to WordPress.org on the 6th. Once I got my whole layout dilemma taken care of, I love it!! I’m getting more spam comments now, but that’s also on me as I haven’t gotten around to installing a plugin to fix it. If your friend is MIA and you have a question about anything, feel free to ask me!
You know, you might have opened up quite the can of worms with “feel free to ask me.” I can be pretty damn obnoxious when given the opportunity. Thanks for the support. I might take you up on your offer
Yay! I switched from blogger to WP a couple months ago. I use BlueHost and like them so far. I wish I remember a lot what I wound up doing. I do remember about 2 weeks of headaches. It’s kind of like giving birth. You’re really excited about it, then you go into labor and it hurts and you really wish you had thought about that before you got knocked up. Then you have your new little website and you love it and you forget the pain somehow.
There was a one step transfer to move all my posts for me, so that was great and easy. I think most of the hosting companies have one. I also remember I couldn’t figure out how to take my followers with me. Still can’t, but I’m sure there’s a way. The best thing I did was look up how to do a redirect so when someone goes to my blogger site they get bounced to my new site. I just did it, and I wish I would have done it when I first switched.
Ahhh, one step transfer sounds euphoric. Yeah, I’m gonna have to figure the follower thing out before hand. Good thing I don’t have a lot of them
That was quite the fantastic analogy. Except if labor lasted two weeks the world would have come to a screeching halt a long time ago, right? Ha Ha!
Can’t wait!!! I’m going to do it later this year. You’ll be able to coach me by then!
OMG whatever you do don’t use me as a sounding board, because I suck. When you get ready I’ll probably still be just as green as you are…
OMG! It is great reading these responses. Totally agree with Jessica Anne on the labor and delivery parallel. Gonna have to try Flikrpress….
BlueHost has been great and they have an instant chat thingy that I have used a couple of times and gotten help immediately.
And I seriously have that book up there – wp for dummies. They didn’t have wp for catastrophic technical idiots, so I settled for this one. I sleep with it under my pillow at night since I can’t understand it – hoping to get the info by osmosis.
Just kidding – it really isn’t that bad.
It’s going to be so awesome watching your journey from a little wordpress.com caterpillar into the cocoon of technology purgatory and out into the bright shiny world a worpress.org butterfly. (I almost gagged myself with that lovely illustration)
Don’t forget to take pics when you get a fatal error or white screen so us viewers at home can see!
Good heavens, the money we could make off of “wp for catastrophic technical idiots.” I’m just sayin’. I would buy it!
Who you callin’ caterpillar? ::wink wink:: I have already taken over, it’s just no one knows it yet. Yes the illustration was quite lovely;)
Thanks for the suggestion. I absolutely will take pictures of myself crying. And throwing things. And running over people with my car.
I haven’t done the switch you are going to do. Just from Blogger to WP. BUT, I was joking with the woman who did it for me that I was going to need to use Lamaze breathing to get through the actual moving of my feed!
Lamaze breathing. Perfect. I’ll have to look into meditation and all that other junk, too. You can’t over prepare for this kind of thing!
I don’t understand, you’re moving from .com to .org? I’m WordPress, but my hosting is through inmotion. Is your site hosted by WordPress?
Yeah, I guess that’s the way it works. What I’ve heard is .com=.org for dummies. I hope I survive the impending carnage.
I think you will be just fine!
You were right!…thus far…
I’m also going to make the switch from Blogger to WP.org. I’ve already purchased my domain name and have it hosted and set up with wp.org and I have the tutorial on how to do the switch and install the code on my Blogger blog to redirect to the new one.
I realized after I did all this that I should have waited until my boy was back in school so I’d have the peace and quiet to deal with any technical issues that will probably crop up. So I’m bidding my time for the next 25 days with redesigning my header, link button and other graphics and layout changes I’d like to make to have them ready for the transfer. I’m excited and terrified both at the same time.
I don’t exactly know that this is going to make any sense at all because I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I’m keeping my domain and transferring it to .org. At least I think that’s what I’m doing…CRAP! Now I’m all worried that I’ve gone about it wrong again…
keep in mind I still don’t know what I’m even saying…
It’s totally easy breezy. I didn’t know a stinkin thing and I am getting it, so you will do. Just keep asking everyone if you get lost. That’s what I do and now I was able to do my whole page myself! woot!
Okay, so you’re the first person to say anything about it being easy. I’m feeling a little better now. Yeah good thing for twitter, huh? That will be the easiest place to get help I think. Guess we’ll find out!
HAHAHAHAHA!
When you are finally up and running again?
I look forward to the tales of chaos and rage and drama.
So much.
I’m sure there will be all kinds of blowouts and gore. I’m going to try to get as many pictures as possible. It’s gonna be epic.
Glad to see your shining face around here again. I missed you, dahling!
ppssstttt….i paid someone to do it. because i can hardly put my shoes on the right feet. hope it works out for you!
I may be paying my friend if my blog is still alive on Monday.
Thanks, me too!
oh and hello from blogflow’s monday mclinky! and yes i realize it’s friday :p
What were you thinking not coming over here and saying something on Monday! For shame! It’s not like you have anything else going on! Jeez.
good luck! since i have absolutely no freakin’ idea what any of you are talking about i guess i’ll have to google…
Thanks Cathy! I’m glad I’m not the only one professing to being clueless with this stuff. Have fun googling.
It’s not hard Roxanne. Note your current settings, theme etc, and do not kill it, leave it up and normal.
Set up Wordpress on your server, which should be a point and click affair if they are decent, then you set the theme and settings to match your old setup.
Then go to tools, import, and import your old wordpress stuff to your new one. Everything should transfer. You may have to go and manually transfer a few things like added gadgets and code. You MIGHT have problems with images and have to load all your images into your library, which is also easy to get to through your WP dashboard.
Regarding your domain. If you have your own domain and want to transfer it to your new server, you are going to have to contact your domain registrar and have them point the domain at your new host.
Officially? You were right. I figured you probably thought it was easy because you knew more than I did, but it was fairly painless. For the most-part anyway!
Glad you made it ok. Sorry if I seemed a little to dismissive. I do tend to forget how daunting things can be if you’ve never done any of it before. NOW the hard stuff starts. Getting graphics and settings how you want them, choosing a theme if you want a quick and eay setup etc. It DOES get easier as you work on ith though.
Paul Novak recently posted..CommentLuv Suicide
Ha! I’m still not sure if I “made it ok.” I think I’ve royally screwed myself. I downloaded the thesis theme to the computer instead of the ftp and I can’t figure out how to fix it. I also downloaded wordpress to the computer instead of the ftp. Uh. Oh. Anyway, no you didn’t seem dismissive, I can’t fault you for knowing what you’re doing. I’m pretty sure things are going to get much harder when I do dig in and try to fix the mess I made. Maybe I can FedEx you my computer and you could do it for me! No? Hey! Paul!!! Come back! Where are you going?!?!
If you need a walk through let me know. I’ll help you set up and tell you what does what. My e-mail and contact page is on my site.
paul novak recently posted..CommentLuv Suicide
I just might take you up on that, dear friend.
Huh. Weird. I remember reading this, so why didn’t I comment?
Yeah, I’m no help because I got someone to do it for me. I’m a chicken. Good luck!
Story of my bloggy life. I can’t ever remember where I did or didn’t comment. Mom-brain I guess. I do love you Adrienne.
I would highly recommend using neither but instead running wordpress on your own site. A bit more work but there are guides. And it means you have complete control of everything
OMG do you have any clue how frickin thrilled I am that you came and commented on MY blog?!?! You’re one of my faves!
I would be totally useless and probably take down the entire internet with me if I had control over anything. I didn’t even know what cache meant until yesterday. I should not have divulged that information. Oh well.
LOVE YOU! Thank you for coming by!