I always get a particular sort of joy out of writing reviews of products that feel oh-so-very timely. Today I’m showcasing an e-book that is designed to help those of us who use Blogger as a blogging platform move ourselves over to WordPress.
If you use Blogger, then you know why this is so timely. We had a MAJOR outage this week, and found ourselves unable to write, edit or publish ANYTHING on our sites, and our readers were unable to comment. Bloggers live and breathe on the comments they receive, and in my particular niche of product reviews and giveaways, when my readers can’t leave comments, they can’t win, and my sponsors are left feeling as though nobody was interested in their product. Everyone loses, basically.
I’ve known for at least a year now that I’ve needed to make the switch. I’ve read countless posts about how great it is to have so much control over your blog, and to not be at the mercy of Google, facing the potential of losing your blog at a moment’s notice, as so many of us experienced a few days ago. Additionally, WordPress is perceived on the internet as a professional platform, for those who see their blogs as more than simply a hobby.
So, I’ve known that I SHOULD move for a really long time. But I haven’t done so, for two primary reason.
- I can’t really afford to pay someone to move me. The prices I have found have just been beyond my budget, and to be honest with you, the people who don’t charge very much make me uncomfortable….what if they screw it up and then can’t really help me fix it?! Sometimes you get what you pay for, and I’ve just been really nervous about “going cheap” when it comes to my blog.
- Option 2 is to do it yourself. The reason I signed up for Blogger in the first place is because it is designed for people who know absolutely NOTHING about web design. While I’ve learned a few HTML tricks in my time as a blogger, I still know almost nothing about web design. The amount of time I would have to spend in chat rooms and various forums, painstakingly making my way through the process and screwing up an infinite number of times is just too much to bear.
So here I am, still with a “.blogspot” address and still with Blogger. Sigh…
And then I heard about an ebook written by a self-taught web designer who has moved over 100 blogs over to WordPress from Blogger. The book is appropriately titled, How to Move from Blogger to WordPress by Sharon Hujik. It is a GEM, people. This is a step-by-step guide, with plenty of pictures, and in plain English (all tech-speak is clearly explained!).
When I first got the book to review, my plan was to hand it over to my husband to read and handle for me. But as I kept reading, I realized that Sharon wrote this book for me, and people just like me…the ones who are scared out of their minds to do this on their own. She holds your hand the whole way through, and breaks every step down for you, from getting your blog self-hosted all the way to the coolest bells and whistles that you’ll want to add to WordPress once you are rolling.
The book is 94 pages long. I’m telling you that so that you can understand how detailed Sharon is in this book. She’s not trying to fool anyone into thinking that making the switch takes just 2 minutes. It can be more complicated than that, for sure. But she does show you exactly how to do everything you need to do, with no missed steps or assumptions made along the way.
The book is $35, and if I had not received a copy for review, I’d definitely be ready to spend the money on this, now. Additionally, there’s a coupon out right now to take 20% off the price (use code time4wp at checkout). This is far less than the quotes I’ve had to get it moved for me, and will save me hours and hours of time piecing it together on my own (which in all honesty, would just never happen). So really this book is saving my blog from being taken hostage by Google again in the future. I’ll be taking the leap in the next month, and I feel SO equipped with the knowledge and tools I will need to do this. Plus, when things mess up with my blog in the future (as they do, from time to time), I’m going to be so much more savvy about diagnosing the problem and finding the solution! And yeah, I’m going to feel sort of like a rock star when I MOVE MYSELF from Blogger to WordPress. Thank you, Sharon!
Win it!: Want to join me in leaving the dark side? Here’s your chance to win a copy of How to Move from Blogger to WordPress! The contest will run until May 25th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.
Mandatory entry: Tell me why you want to make the switch from Blogger to WordPress!
Additional entries:
Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
