Important Notice

I wanted to make a short, but important announcement today.

This blog has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years. What started out as an innocent hobby has grown into a full-blown passion for me. And I hope it has for you readers as well.

Due to this, I have decided to move from Blogger to WordPress. And there’s a couple of reasons for this change.

First, Blogger hosts my content for free in exchange for ownership of the content. Although it’s exceedingly unlikely, Google (parent of Blogger) could, at any time, decide to shut my blog down, or distribute my content as they see fit. I don’t truly “own” my content here at Blogger. And after writing more than 500 posts, responding to thousands of comments and emails, and building countless relationships I think that needs to change. So I have purchased a hosting package with HostGator and I’m currently knee-deep in setting up my shiny, brand new blog with a “virtual url” on WordPress. Don’t know what a virtual url is? Me neither.

Second, I thought it was time to put something really professional together for both you readers and myself. I’m proud of what we’ve done here together over the last few years, and a great way to celebrate that is with a fantastic looking, super proficient platform.  I want something that can grow with us, and I think I’ve found that. I purchased high-end framework and a matching theme and I’m really excited for what you guys think about it. It’s a bit minimalistic compared to what I’ve been doing here at Blogger, but it’s really clean and super easy to use. It’ll have all the same content as you’re used to, but some of the more than 12,000 comments may not transfer over (half of which are mine).

So at some point in the next 24 hours I’m going to try and put the finishing touches on the new site and make the migration. There may be some slight downtime when this is occurring, but I’ll be back up and running shortly. I’m hoping to get this done overnight so that it causes minimal issues.

I’m also likely going to switch email platforms from FeedBurner (the current service providing subscribed readers with emails) to AWeber. This is because the former doesn’t allow me to communicate very effectively with readers and there’s been some chatter that at some point in the future it’s going the way of dinosaur. Perhaps it’s time to make that switch as well. If I do – and this is important – you’ll likely get a new email opt-in because AWeber wants to make sure they’re emailing and serving clients that want to be served. I’ll make sure to update everyone if this is a service I decide to take advantage of, but I’ll only do it in the best interest of our relationship. If I get negative feedback on this I won’t do it.

Finally, thank you! I wouldn’t be doing this if this blog wasn’t growing the way it is and if I wasn’t very serious about continuing to write and inspire. So thank you for the support and allowing me to grow as a writer.

I’ll be around all night, so if anyone has any tips or tricks on this migration I’ll be glad to take them. I’ve received a lot of help (and inspiration to make this move) from Avrom over at Dividend Ninja. Thanks, Avrom! Also, any feedback is really appreciated – positive or negative.

I look forward to seeing everyone very soon on the new platform!

Thanks for reading.

Photo Credit: WordPress.com

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60 Comments

  1. Smart move Jason! Owning your content is the only way I see fit. If you have any questions about which plugins work the best or anything else don’t hesitate to contact me.

    DividendVet

  2. I think this is the right move. I look forward to looking at the new blog. I think you’ll have a greater degree of control going forward.

  3. Congratulations DM! I’m happy to see make the move to own your content. It is something I encourage all Blogger users consider. Definitely looking forward to the new look and streamlined site.

  4. Great idea. I can’t say how much the move helped Narrow Bridge Finance after getting out of Blogger. You’ll be tapping into great potential to grow and thrive even more.

  5. Good choice going with Hostgator, I’ve been with them since 2005. I’ve enjoyed 9+ years of top-notch customer support, among tons of other advantages. You’ll love ’em!

  6. Divi Me Up,

    Thanks so much! I’m working extremely hard at it. I’m very, very excited for it to go live here. It’s very clean and easy on the eyes. 🙂

    I hope you like it.

    Best wishes!

  7. Joe,

    You ain’t kiddin! I’ve been at it since Friday after work. It’s almost 4:30 in the morning and I’m done for the night. The amount changes to make sure everything looks good is crazy! I tried to get the nameservers changed tonight but it just didn’t work out. Hopefully tomorrow before the week starts!

    Thanks for the support. Let me know what you think when it goes live. 🙂

    Best regards.

  8. DividendVet,

    Ahh, the world of plugins. It’s all new to me! Blogger was so easy, but the drawback to that is that you can’t really do anything with it.

    Thanks for the help. I’ll make sure to shoot you an email if I have any questions. I’m a total newb with this stuff.

    Cheers!

  9. Squeezer,

    I’ll try to make sure nothing changes. I should be able to easily edit all RSS feed info and it should be seamless. 🙂

    I’ll definitely let you know if anything changes, though.

    Hopefully you enjoy the new site and content. I’m excited!

    Best wishes.

  10. Spoonman,

    Thanks for the support. Yeah, I think this is a good thing. It hasn’t been easy, I’ll tell you that. I’ve gotten probably five hours of sleep since Friday. It’s a lot more complicated than it seems, but I’m determined to get this done and go live! 🙂

    Cheers.

  11. w2r,

    Yeah, I probably should have done this sooner, huh? I guess I just didn’t think it was necessary. To be honest, Blogger has been good to me and still is to this moment. However, I’m looking toward the future and I think I’d be better off owning my own content, even if it comes at a cost.

    Thanks for the support! I hope everyone enjoys it. It’s super minimalistic with a focus on the content – which is really what I wanted all along anyhow. Let me know what you think when it goes live. I’m looking forward to feedback – good or bad.

    Take care!

  12. Julian,

    Glad to hear you’ve had a better experience than me thus far.

    It’s been a little rough going from the start with them. They suspended my account mid-import because I have so many comments. I’m still not done with importing everything and I started it at 9:30 pm. Hopefully, the rest of the comments will be in tomorrow. I’m using shared hosting, but I may need to upgrade that. We’ll see how everything goes. 🙂

    Take care!

  13. FI UK,

    Thanks! I hope you enjoy the new look. Once I have this behind me I can start working on the 50+ drafts I have going right now and get some freakin’ work done. I tell ya, I’d much rather write than work on website design for two days straight. 🙂

    I guess I’m just hoping this is a really good move. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

    Best wishes!

  14. Congratulations Jason. I am also looking to get on WordPress and off of this blogger platform in the next couple months, so I’ll have plenty of questions for you when you’re done. The biggest reason for me…..access to my email lists!
    -Bryan

  15. That is a good decision.
    WordPress is the blogging software No. 1 in the whole world!
    I use it too.

    There are a lot of designs, features and other cool things!
    Good luck with the new software!

    Best regards
    D-S

  16. I use Protopage to get your updates–so long as you post your new URL at this site, I’ll be able to keep up with you.

    No real tips, but congrats on taking the next step!

  17. Mantra,
    I recently made the switch from WordPress.com to .org. Similar in that its a pain and there is a temporary URL to build the new site. Then you flip the switch. It was hard to find clear information out there about the whole thing. But definitely worth it in the long run. I also hear good things about Aweber.
    -RBD

  18. Dividend Mantra,

    Good job! I have been contemplating for a while when I find some time to try to build my own content and site. I like to remain anonymous at least now and looking for what ways would be able to monetize a blog without having all my information public.

  19. Mantra,

    WOW look at all the positive comments here! You definitely made the right decision to move from Blogger to WordPress!! 🙂 I sent you an email today, and will help you with the header, and background etc. – this will be a gift.

    Also don’t be in a rush here. Please take your time. Cross all your T’s and dot all your i’s before you make the move. I’m excited for you, and think you will be glad you did 6 months from now! 🙂

    PS
    LOL this is why people pay us to do this stuff…

    Keeping my fingers crossed for you buddy. 🙂

    Cheers
    Avrom

  20. Congratulations on making the move to wordpress DM, it is the right choice, the plugins alone are a gift. There is so much resource and free stuff for enhancing wordpress blogs, it’s kinda ridiculous 🙂 Look forward to seeing it soon.

    cheers
    T

  21. D-S,

    I really like WordPress, but dealing with hosting companies is a real drag. I just want to write and inspire, and the back end stuff is kind of a buzzkill. So far it looks like HostGator cannot help me import all of my content without purchasing a bigger package. They get you in the door with shared hosting and then tell you that you need one of their more expensive packages just to get content migrated over.

    WordPress is really cool though. I enjoy the design, set-up and all of the features. Way better than Blogger in that regard, that’s for sure!

    Best wishes.

  22. Bryan,

    WordPress is really cool. I like all of the features and plugins, but Blogger is nice and easy. Definitely benefits and drawbacks to both sides of the coin.

    So far, the transition is being held up because HostGator cannot import all of my comments without locking my account up from too much CPU use. Then they offer no solutions other than a dedicated server (which is expensive, of course).

    I’ll be glad to help if you have any questions, though! 🙂

    Take care.

  23. J. Money,

    Thanks! I’m excited about doing it, but so far it has not gone smoothly. WordPress is great, and I have the virtual url all ready to go, but comments will not transfer over. Apparently, there are too many and HostGator wants me to buy a big dedicated server plan to get them all transferred over. Of course, by doing that I lose everything I’ve worked for three days on – because it will be a new url and everything. Dealing with hosting companies is a nightmare. 🙂

    Thanks for the support and the emails. I really appreciate your insight!

    Best regards.

  24. SWAN,

    I don’t think you have to release anything publicly to go on WordPress. At least, not that I’m aware. It’s just a different platform. Other than that it still pretty much works the same.

    WordPress just offers a lot more than Blogger, and the content ownership is really great.

    Best wishes!

  25. Debbie M,

    Thanks! I definitely don’t want to lose any readers. 🙂

    For now, I’m sticking with Blogger until I can figure all of this out. The website is all ready to go, but they can’t handle the traffic load it takes to import the comments. Switching to a service that can means I lose three days of work. I’m at an impasse, but for now I’m going to take a breather from it and focus on what I actually enjoy – writing! 🙂

    Cheers.

  26. RBD,

    Good stuff. I wonder if that’s a lot different than going from Blogger to WordPress?

    I already built up the virtual url and the entire blog is up and running, but HostGator cannot transfer comments. To do so I’d need a bigger package and I’d lose the site I already set up. Of course, I could forgo the comments but that just isn’t something I want to do after all the great conversations I’ve had with people here. I value relationships pretty highly.

    We’ll see what happens! I published this post because I thought I was on the homestretch. The importer was done with posts and moving on to comments….and then right after I posted this update the whole thing ground to a halt. I guess I jinxed it? 🙂

    Anyway, I’m glad it worked out a lot better for you. It might be more difficult to go from Blogger to WordPress, and of course I have a sizable blog now so that probably makes a difference too.

    Thanks for stopping by. I still may go with Aweber whether or not I switch as I keep hearing rumors about Feedburner.

    Best wishes!

  27. Charles,

    Thanks! I appreciate the heads-up. If this switch goes through I’ll make sure to get both of those plugins. WordPress is really cool with all the customization. Of course, to be honest, I just enjoy writing and talking to people. All the website stuff – building, customizing and all that – really isn’t my thing. I just like inspiring people.

    Thanks for stopping by and offering the tip! I really appreciate that. Sounds like good plugins. 🙂

    Is Akismet free? I think I tried that one and they ask for a credit card?

    Take care!

  28. Avrom,

    Thanks for all of the support, and also for being my shoulder to cry on!

    I tell ya, I’ve always enjoyed writing, inspiring and conversing with people about financial independence and dividend growth investing. The stuff behind the scenes could just disappear for all I care. And it looks like self-hosting carries a lot more of the latter, and I already find myself pretty tight for time as it is.

    I’m in no rush to go live, but if my comments can be imported over then I’m not going to do it.

    And paying someone wouldn’t make a difference. It’s the fact that HostGator advised me that the shared server plan they offer would do the import no problem, and it actually doesn’t. They get you in the door with the cheap plan and then advise you that you need more juice after the fact. Of course, this is after I’ve spent three days building the virtual url and setting everything up. Paying someone else would have just been pouring alcohol on the wound. To get more juice they would set me up with a brand new url on my own server, so I’d lose everything I’ve done.

    I just want to go back to writing articles. 🙂

    Best wishes!

  29. Avrom,

    Whoops. Didn’t see this comment here. No problem on the mention!

    Although, I’m taking down the link for HostGator. Haha! They get no mention from me.

    Oh and I meant to say “can’t be imported” in my above comment.

    Best wishes.

  30. Tales,

    Thanks so much for the support. I’m hoping I can still get something done, but it definitely won’t be as soon as I anticipated.

    I seen all the plugins for WordPress. It’s insane. Although, I hear that some of those plugins really slow down your site and allow for hacking? I’m not sure, though. I’m not good at this stuff. I just enjoy the writing side. 🙂

    Glad you enjoy WordPress. The software is indeed pretty impressive!

    Take care.

  31. FerdiS,

    Well, you can monetize both Blogger blogs and self-hosted WordPress.org blogs. I don’t think that’s the main advantage. I was actually just looking at it from a content ownership perspective, and also to provide a better experience. But you’ll see ads on my site and that’s because Google Adsense is integrated pretty nicely within Blogger because both are owned by Google.

    I hope that helps!

    Cheers.

  32. Awesome Jason look forward to you coming over to this side. Get Yoast for SEO and Akismet to catch junk mail.

  33. I’m curious. On the linked page, The Dividend Ninja mentions a new blog, The Web Ninja. However, I couldn’t find it anywhere…

  34. Thanks for announcing your plans! I think it makes sense for you to think about content ownership. I’m not there, yet, but I’ll follow you’re migration with interest to see how things work out.

    I’m curious… aside from the ownership issue, what are the other benefits of WordPress? Are you thinking of somehow monetizing your content? What does WordPress offer in that regard, versus blogger?

    Good luck!

  35. I sent you an email, the site looks great, but running slow – hence your import issues etc. LW is a better option for you mate. 😉

    LOL now you know why the top bloggers have tech people to do this for them. This is my world buddy! 🙂

    Cheers

  36. I think this is a great move. My site is much, much smaller but I use WordPress and have been very happy with how easy to use it is and the customer services is spot on.
    Content ownership is a big thing and I’m happy to see you protecting all of your hard work – keep it up!

  37. If you need any help with host gator or wordpress, I’ll be happy to help out. I’ve been using hostgator and wordpress for as long as I can remember.

  38. Matt,

    Yeah, content ownership is a pretty big thing. I have aspirations of one day writing a book – perhaps when I reach financial independence. And so pulling content from what I’ve done would be imperative to a project like that. Not owning my own words would not only make something like that impossible, but would just plain be ridiculous.

    Thanks for the feedback. I love the look and feel of WordPress’s dashboard. It’s very nice, especially compared to Blogger’s relatively rudimentary setup. And there’s nothing particularly wrong with that, as Blogger is incredibly easy to use. No need to worry about plugins and what not because Google handles most of it for you. Benefits and drawbacks, of course, but content ownership is a biggie.

    Best wishes.

  39. BuySmart,

    Hey, thanks for stopping by. Hope the gaming is going well!

    I appreciate the offer for help. I’m convinced at this point that I’m moving away from HostGator. The experience has unfortunately been really bad. I’m still in a holding pattern, and I’m currently investigating hiring out the whole transfer process as I became a bit overwhelmed when trying to do this myself and the importation of content locked up on me due to the large amount of data coming through the pipes. I think, at this point, I’ll be better off with a VPS. This is still happening, but a bit slower than I wanted.

    I’ll keep the updates coming as I have them! 🙂

    Best regards.

  40. You’ve made a wise decision!

    I have to get my service moved from Feedburner as well at some point. Maybe a 2014 project!

    Great call man.

    Mark

    PS – Avrom is a pro, he’s great to work with.

  41. Mark,

    Avrom has been a huge help. He’s offered a lot of helpful advice through this difficult process. He advised me to contact Andrea @ NutsAndBolts to help with the transfer because I have a lot going on, and he’s been really great. It was actually Avrom who talked me into switching to grow the blog and reach an even bigger audience. It was something I’ve been thinking about, but he definitely pushed me over the edge.

    I hear you on Feedburner. Something that I’m going to have to do as well.

    By the way, did you transfer from Blogger to WP go smooth? I remember you did this a couple years ago and it seemed to go pretty good. I’ve had issues, but mostly due to the size.

    Cheers!

  42. Pursuit,

    I’ll be more than happy to help! Although, I’m really struggling through the move. I love the feel of WordPress, but I want to make sure the content imports correctly. I’m getting some help from my buddy Avrom right now, but it’s a process that definitely requires some patience. 🙂

    Best regards.

  43. Hi DM,

    Just a quick question for you about the blog and page cache. I have seen many blogs use either W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache to enhance the blog speed etc. Any advice regarding picking one over the other? Thanks!

  44. DivHut,

    I’m no guru on the back end stuff, so I may not be the best person to ask. However, I did some research on this subject when initially setting up my WordPress stuff and I found WP Super Cache to fill my needs, and that’s what I currently use. I’ve been happy with it thus far, so that’s what I would recommend. 🙂

    Best wishes.

  45. I was a regular reader. Since your change, i get just the first link (just one link, not the past ones). So if I miss catching up on postings, I don’t know if there had been other posts. Took some break and back to reading and active investing. Want to see if anyone else asked abt this to you. Maybe just the protopage issue. I also used you feedburner link, same result, just the topmost link. Every other site pulls in right. Any knew the answer pls post here. thanks

  46. richardsharon,

    I think you’re speaking to the RSS feed? If so, I have that set to just the most recent post. So on an RSS feed, you’ll see the most recent content. I don’t really know if I want a large archive being stored out there in feeds. If so, why would anyone ever visit the blog again?

    I do, however, allow the whole post to be published to feeds, rather than just part of the post. I know some people just publish part of posts in feeds or email subscriptions, which means people have to visit the blog to read the rest of the content. And regular readers will probably do so anyway.

    I hope that clears it up for you! 🙂

    Cheers.

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