More Internet shopping: My own domain
Today I spontaneously followed a link from a friend's blog and discovered that the Wordpress account for stephbg is not available, although it looks like someone is just cybersquatting. I found myself on a page that allowed me to check the rest of the stephbg domains and discovered that they were all available, including http://www.stephbg.com. So I bought it.
I didn't buy it exactly; I've just paid for one year of ownership (licensing?), plus a few security extras. The domain came with one month's worth of a one page site placeholder, which is what you'll see right now if you follow the link. A longer term investment will probably follow, but for now I'm content with the breathing space of a year.
I have yet to choose a web host, and it appears I've done things backward - if I'd paid for hosting first I probably would have got the domain thrown in for free. Clearly I didn't think this through, and it was indeed done on a bit of a whim. But not a whim without basis.
My web knowledge and skills are based somewhere in the stone age. I cut my teeth on raw HTML using HotDog Pro 1.0 nearly 20 years ago (*gulp*). I've used a few tools since then to update pages and content for clients and have vague nightmares about using CSS, but it's never been my focus as a professional writer. My clients have actually appreciated my insistance on extremely simple programming for straight information sites. But for a while now that limitation in skills has felt more than a little uncomfortable, particularly as I might be looking for short term and/or part time contracts in the new year. Web updates seem a useful source of little home-based jobs here and there.
More stars continued to align behind this decision, because I was looking at losing my ACS professional certification next year through lack of PD hours. In practice I doubt that the loss of those letters after my name would really affect my prospects, but it would be sad to see them go. I have been thinking about ways to do enough readings before the end of the year to get my hours, but I lacked a focus. Now I have a good chance of remaining a Computer Professional as I bring my web skills and knowledge back up to speed, using my domain as a sandbox. And once I learn, I can teach!
This is similar to last year where I brought my MS Office skills kicking and screaming into the new decade. Actually there was a surprising lack of kicking and screaming in that case. I got over the initial WTF? response pretty quickly, and then the rest of the differences actually seemed sensible. I'm hoping that the fundamentals of web construction I learned back in the day are still relevant and I believe they are, although I have bad memories of frames.
What will I use my domain for after I'm finished playing with it? If nothing else a me home page to link all my social and business networking accounts together. One day I might set up a Redbubble/cafepress type account to sell prints of rock pictures, and I can link to it from there. I can host my own copies of my work samples and resume for prospective clients. I've been contemplating writing a textbook about technical writing, so perhaps I could test some of the content on my site. That sort of thing.
Depending on the balance between business and personal content I might stash some of it behind security, but for a long time I've had a policy of letting as much hang out on the Internet as I've been willing to let an employer know, so I'm not too concerned. Naked pictures of me will never ever emerge, because there simply aren't any online or off. Drunken indiscretions? Not a one. I'm perfectly willing to show off my tattoos and SF masquerade costumes, and that's possibly as exciting as I get. Details of my health, particularly my mental health? I decided long ago not to hide those (mostly), but to actively share as both therapy for me and potential help for other people. I wouldn't put those in my resume exactly, but I wouldn't make them difficult for friends to find. I don't think I need to plan for any kind of protections required for even a minor celebrity. I'm just this guy person, you know?
For the time being I'm content to keep blogging here at livejournal, but perhaps I might mirror the content over there as well. Not sure about that, as I'm particularly fond of LJ's nested commenting and not-inconsiderable friends-as-users-base. Getting a bit sick of the worse than ordinary picture hosting though, now that I take it a bit more seriously. Might think about flickr or somesuch.
It's the dawn of an ever-so-slightly new era.
I didn't buy it exactly; I've just paid for one year of ownership (licensing?), plus a few security extras. The domain came with one month's worth of a one page site placeholder, which is what you'll see right now if you follow the link. A longer term investment will probably follow, but for now I'm content with the breathing space of a year.
I have yet to choose a web host, and it appears I've done things backward - if I'd paid for hosting first I probably would have got the domain thrown in for free. Clearly I didn't think this through, and it was indeed done on a bit of a whim. But not a whim without basis.
My web knowledge and skills are based somewhere in the stone age. I cut my teeth on raw HTML using HotDog Pro 1.0 nearly 20 years ago (*gulp*). I've used a few tools since then to update pages and content for clients and have vague nightmares about using CSS, but it's never been my focus as a professional writer. My clients have actually appreciated my insistance on extremely simple programming for straight information sites. But for a while now that limitation in skills has felt more than a little uncomfortable, particularly as I might be looking for short term and/or part time contracts in the new year. Web updates seem a useful source of little home-based jobs here and there.
More stars continued to align behind this decision, because I was looking at losing my ACS professional certification next year through lack of PD hours. In practice I doubt that the loss of those letters after my name would really affect my prospects, but it would be sad to see them go. I have been thinking about ways to do enough readings before the end of the year to get my hours, but I lacked a focus. Now I have a good chance of remaining a Computer Professional as I bring my web skills and knowledge back up to speed, using my domain as a sandbox. And once I learn, I can teach!
This is similar to last year where I brought my MS Office skills kicking and screaming into the new decade. Actually there was a surprising lack of kicking and screaming in that case. I got over the initial WTF? response pretty quickly, and then the rest of the differences actually seemed sensible. I'm hoping that the fundamentals of web construction I learned back in the day are still relevant and I believe they are, although I have bad memories of frames.
What will I use my domain for after I'm finished playing with it? If nothing else a me home page to link all my social and business networking accounts together. One day I might set up a Redbubble/cafepress type account to sell prints of rock pictures, and I can link to it from there. I can host my own copies of my work samples and resume for prospective clients. I've been contemplating writing a textbook about technical writing, so perhaps I could test some of the content on my site. That sort of thing.
Depending on the balance between business and personal content I might stash some of it behind security, but for a long time I've had a policy of letting as much hang out on the Internet as I've been willing to let an employer know, so I'm not too concerned. Naked pictures of me will never ever emerge, because there simply aren't any online or off. Drunken indiscretions? Not a one. I'm perfectly willing to show off my tattoos and SF masquerade costumes, and that's possibly as exciting as I get. Details of my health, particularly my mental health? I decided long ago not to hide those (mostly), but to actively share as both therapy for me and potential help for other people. I wouldn't put those in my resume exactly, but I wouldn't make them difficult for friends to find. I don't think I need to plan for any kind of protections required for even a minor celebrity. I'm just this guy person, you know?
For the time being I'm content to keep blogging here at livejournal, but perhaps I might mirror the content over there as well. Not sure about that, as I'm particularly fond of LJ's nested commenting and not-inconsiderable friends-as-users-base. Getting a bit sick of the worse than ordinary picture hosting though, now that I take it a bit more seriously. Might think about flickr or somesuch.
It's the dawn of an ever-so-slightly new era.