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Misadventures in Digital La La Land

My first post in 2017 -- after a long break from blogging -- is ironically enough about my misadventure in digital La La Land.

Sometime just before the launch of my latest book I decided to overhaul my Wordpress website and give it a spiffy new look. And like all my "projects", I went on a mega research exercise. I checked out websites of romance authors and believe me there are some REALLY impressive sites out there. After much deliberation I decided on the "look and feel" and got a web developer to design it for me. The site was launched and those who have followed my blogs might agree with me when I say it was one good looking site.

Problem was it was too pretty for its own good!  I'm a bit embarrassed to say that it intimidated me. 😂My blogging went downhill and my excuse was: lack of time.

When 2016 came to a close I was appalled to see that my blog was languishing in its perfectly pristine state. And I was getting tired of seeing the same images and posts day in and day out. Just proves that too much beauty can also be boring!! Determined to get back into blogging mode I started tinkering with my website when disaster struck... the website crashed. Yep! Panic time.

Meanwhile, the website designer had decided to switch careers (I kid you not!) and I was left high and dry with a website that wouldn't work. Time for a complete overhaul -- I got rid of the Wordpress site and opened a no-frills Blogger site.

So, here I am. This time, no fancy-pants website but a functional blogging platform where I can share my thoughts, a few images, some trivia and fun stuff and above all, reconnect with my readers. All designed by yours truly.... maybe I will get the hang of designing a good-looking website. Maybe not. But who cares...functionality and not just aesthetics is what counts at the end of the day. And as you can see, it's still a work-in-progress. Lesson learnt: there's nothing better than D-I-Y.

Have you had any such disasters in digital la la land? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. (Also, bouquets and brickbats for my maiden website-designing effort are welcome.) 😀



Comments

  1. Congratulations on the new site, Adite, looks spiffy. I hope you were able to save your old content.
    Keep blogging, keep writing.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Indy. Fortunately, have been able to retrieve the content. :)

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  2. Well, functional always works! Its indeed spiffy and different. Looking forward to some good reading in 2017!!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Ruchi. It's a new start and hoping for the best. Keep visiting. :)

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  3. Very well done! Love the banner and the colors.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks a ton, Reet. Here's to a new beginning! :)

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  4. Yes I can relate to what you are saying. I earlier had a blog on rediffiland. Then they transferred all the blogs to a new system. Many blogs were lost in the process and mine was one of them. Just imagine my plight. Having lost everything for no fault of mine. Then I moved to blogger. Accustomed to rediffiland, I found blogger very unfriendly and my blog lay unused for a year. Then I started writing again. Now with five hundred posts I have come a long way on blogger. I hope the same happens with your blog. All the best

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Losing all your content must have been such a nightmare! The best part is that you chose to move on and learn a new skill. So kudos to you. Thanks for sharing your experience and your good wishes. :)

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  5. Good luck on the new site. Looking forward some more good writing in future. keep writing :)
    http://www.quickcustomessaywriting.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. You know what, Adite? I love Blogger. There are so many bloggers out there who say that WordPress is the only way to blog. I totally disagree. I shared my thoughts with a writer/blogger from Canada, Sagan Morrow and she told me that one of her friends did very well out of a blog on Blogger and even got a book deal out of it. Sagan herself recently returned to WordPress after a not so wonderful experience with some other blogging platform. Her advice was, stick to the blogging platfor with which you're most comfortable. So there you are. I have to get myself a domain now and I think I'll get one for the book blog, which is more business oriented than the 'gaelikaa's diary' one.

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    Replies
    1. You're so right, Maria. I learnt that the hard way. Good luck with your adventures in digital land. :)

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