5 Reasons to Switch to WordPress
A few people have asked me what platform this blog is running and how I set it up. I think a lot of the readers who frequent Six O’Clock Vintage primarily use Blogger, which is why there is some curiosity about my site. This post will explain (in a scattered way) what system I use, the process of setting up the system and my reasons for switching away from Blogger.
I use WordPress. It is easy, powerful and free. It also has a wonderful community of generous and talented users, many of whom supply their expertise through creating and maintaining free plugins and themes. In order to harness the full potential of WordPress you will need to host it on your own server. It is probably a good idea to demo it over at WordPress.com first, just to get an idea of how the interface works. Once you’ve decided that you want to join the millions of enlightened users who benefit from using WordPress and that you want to have total power over it as well as having a unique domain name you’ll probably want to start looking for a good host.
 Many hosts offer free domain registration with the setup of a hosting plan, so you don’t necessarily need to worry about getting a domain name first–but if you do you’re one step ahead of the game. I chose AN Hosting for my hosting provider. They’re inexpensive, have coupons readily available to make the cost even lower, and have tons of space and bandwidth. Their features are attractive too: PHP5 and automatic WordPress Install (through Fantastico), among others.  Disclosure: I’m an AN Hosting affiliate, which means if you click through the link and end up signing up I will get some money. It also means I can give you coupons [like two months free]. Just ask if you’re interested.
If you signed up with AN Hosting and got your domain you’ll be out about $60 (depending on what coupon you used) for a year’s worth of hosting. You’ll also be about 1 minute away from having WordPress installed, because all it takes is going to the Fantastico section of your C-Panel and selecting WordPress. You’ll choose a location to install it on and click “install.” That’s it. You’re rocking WordPress like a star. You’ll probably want to customize your setup after that, so I would advise heading over to Theme Viewer or Smashing Magazine and downloading some free themes. You’ll probably also want to check out the free plugins available for added extensibility and customization. If you’re converting from Blogger you’ll happily kiss goodbye the days of trolling the internets for javascript hacks and HTML snippets. Plugins are self-contained repositories that in many cases can be installed, activated and then forgotten. No tortured coding sessions needed. If you get stuck you can solicit help from forums or theme and plugin authors. Every time I’ve asked I’ve gotten a quick, polite response that usually helped me solve the problem.
Why did I switch to WordPress?
I wanted my own domain name. I wanted total control. I wanted a blog that looked really good and was easy to use. I was sick of Blogger’s constraints. And, hosting isn’t as expensive as I thought.
You Might Want to Switch If
Search Engine Traffic Matters to You. WordPress is SEO optimized, and if you want to push the envelope there are lots of tools to help you stay on the bleeding edge of SEO. Added bonus: if you have a moderately popular blog and use Adsense and you’ll probably earn back your hosting fees before the year ends.
You like Good Design. Hundreds of beautiful free themes are available, and once you hone your CSS and PHP skills you’ll be on your way to creating a kick-ass custom theme.
You like Ease of Use. A huge friendly and knowledgeable user base steps in when you have a problem, and that’s if the great documentation, intuitive design, and troubleshooting forums actually fail you.
You Want an Extensible and Powerful Platform. WordPress has a lot of power in its guts and can accomodate your needs. Use it for anything from a simple site for friends and family to a slick big-time commercial site with thousands of daily visitors.
Accessibility and Web Standards are Important to You. The WordPress Community is committed to practice light-weight and accessible coading that ensure Standards compliance. Code is Poetry.
The Bottom Line
Running WordPress on your own host requires a small investment of money and time, but the payback in terms of aesthetics, usability, power and convenience are worth far more than the few dollars that leave your pocket. You grew out of Xanga, you grew out of Live Journal, now grow out of Blogger. WordPress is it.