hiring someone to start a blog?

I'd like to start a blog for my digital scrapbooking. I've looked at blogger, typepad, and wordpress. Blogger apparently is the easiest, but a lot of people have said that wordpress is better and more flexible once you're up & running. Right now this is just a personal hobby, but some of the better ones offer free downloads, or even sell stuff. If I ever get good enough to do anything with it, will I wish I hadn't gone with blogger?

I'm considering hiring someone to do the initial setup AND teach me the basics of how to add posts, change the background, etc. Then I figure I can learn as I go. I have a wordpress setup book, but the learning curve is just a little too steep.

How would you find someone to do the initial setup? Do any of you have web sites that were set up by someone else?

Maybe it's better just to jump into it with blogger, since right now this would just be to share pictures with family & friends, and it's likely that's all it will ever be. The problem is that if I ever do decide to switch, I will have wasted all that learning on a completely different platform.

BTW, this is an example of the kind of thing I'd be posting. I didn't know what digital scrapbooking was until a couple years ago. I just thought it sounded nerdy. It totally is! (eta - changed photo to one without key journaling)



Thanks in advance.

[poky]

I wouldn't hire anyone, honestly. Just start using wordpress. There are a ton of tutorials out there (just google "wordpress tutorial"). You can start with a free blog hosted on wordpress.com (just like you can on blogger): http://wordpress.com/ though you'll probably eventually want your own domain and to find a host (some are pretty cheap; you could just start out finding a host if you want).

[Sheherezade]

I'd go with wordpress.org and buy a domain. If you go through any major host, they will install the wordpress files for you as as "add on". The reason I recommend wordpress.org is that the number of plug ins that are available is limitless. I've worked on a friend's wordpress.com site and it is a PITA compared to my wordpress.org sites. The downside is there is no official tech support via the org. I have set up blog/wordpress sites for several people now - and even been paid - and you can learn it on your own. Trust me.

[SoonerTexan]

There are actually some bloggers out there who give some advice on their blogs. Of course their names all escape me right now

My understanding is that with wordpress.com, you can't make/add your own backgrounds, like you can with blogger.com. Is that true? That was part of the reason I was thinking I'd go with my own domain on wordpress.org, plus the ability to expand it later.
This wordpress book got me totally lost when they were talking about PHP & FTP right at first. I think I could ignore that part and just pick a host, and see if they'll do the initial setup for me.
I made the mistake of talking to DH last night, though, forgetting that he has a few old-fashioned sensibilities. He thinks blogging is akin to reading tabloids. He doesn't see the point in writing about life instead of just doing it. He did have a point that this might be a case of overkill, though. At least until we move, I think I'll go ahead with blogger, which is pretty easy to use and will allow me to change the background. If I actually get it up & going and it seems worthwhile, maybe I can justify paying for my own domain.
In that case, Angie, I might be sending you a pm! I think I could learn the code ok if it's already set up and I can just go in and substitute what I want.

[Sheherezade]

You barely need to touch code. The important difference in wordpress.com vs. the .org is that in the .org you CAN touch the code. All of it. In the .com, they don't let you do much and you have to pay for the privilege of touching even the smallest bit of the css. They also limit all your templates to things they've approved. In the .org, you have a seriously large world full of themes and plug ins designed by anyone and everyone. Also, many of the theme providers have there own tech support. It is just more DIY computing vs. having a general contractor.

Blogger offers lots to do as well. I've been using Wordpress as a CMS for websites and for that it is superior. For an actual blog, I think blogger has the flexibility you'd want.

For the future...consider asking for gift certificates to web hosting sites for Christmas. Domains and Hosting for a year are almost as cheap as a pair of boots. Or a nice sweater. MUCH cheaper than a standing mixer.

[scrub-jay]

We have wordpress.com because it can be password protected. It is true that you cannot make your own background, but we chose a template that let us make our own banner and we've been satisfied with that for the time being. Also - with wordpress.com, you can easily move your data later if you want to have your own domain, etc.

[Sheherezade]

I believe that wordpress.org is also password protected -- at least I always have to enter passwords for each of my "roles" on the site. You can have administrators, authors, etc. with different levels of access to the back end all controlled by passwords. If you are sef hosted (via Hostgator or GoDaddy or Yahoo Small Business, for example), you will have access to all your files via a Hosting Panel. You can make back ups easily and use the back ups to transfer to a new host later. This is a little more complex but not really. It's just moving large quantities of files from one server to another.

I think the descriptions are a little intimidating because you have to learn a new language to get a lot of the terms thrown around - but the actual execution is not so scary. I have a "test blog" install of wordpress on a domain I own if you'd like to play around with it sometime. I can PM you the log in and passwords.

For the future...consider asking for gift certificates to web hosting sites for Christmas. Domains and Hosting for a year are almost as cheap as a pair of boots. Or a nice sweater. MUCH cheaper than a standing mixer.

Haha! DH isn't quite that old-fashioned. He knows I hate cooking, so he's happy to buy me techie stuff (software & camera lenses) for gifts. He did buy a stand mixer, but it was for himself. His old-fashioned quirks include things like carrying a real, cloth hankie in his pocket (when I first met him - he doesn't anymore) and building a trellis for climbing roses, which I think is cute. And thinking blogs are a waste of time, which is not cute.

Because we have such different hobbies, we keep separate budgets, so the issue isn't where to get the money to pay for a host. It's more an issue of how much to invest in this right at first, when I haven't tried it out before and it might not be worthwhile. But even so, a gift certificate is a great idea from other family members! My brother is a computer programmer, and I bet he'd love to get me something like that. I've been thinking I should give him a call about setting up this blog... He's just always super busy with work, and we don't call to chat very often.

Angie, the wordpress software is free, right? So I could download it and try out a sample page without having a host? I'd feel a little shy about working with your test blog when I've never seen the code at all before!

Ok - I'm going to forget about having my own templates for now and just go with wordpress.com, especially if I can move my data later. If it's an option to learn wordpress.org without a host, I'll try that, too. Maybe by the time I'm ready to pay for a host, I won't need to pay someone else to set up the site, too.

[Sheherezade]

Oh - the test blog is really a test blog. I'd doubt you could mess anything up. One of the extreme luxuries of being a Dawkter's Wife in the attending phase, I guess. I've got a domain I don't use. I purchased it with hosting for 3 years (special package rate that ended up being under 100 dollars). I have installed all kids of stuff on it in the past to fool around with it without crashing a site I actually need to keep visible. It's my playpen. So, if you ever want to use it, just let me know. Once it expires, I hope I'll have enough knowledge to dig myself out fast if/when I mess something up on a "real" site.

Wordpress.com site is up & running! The templates allow more flexibility than I thought. Some allow adding your own background photo. You just can't change other things around, which is ok for now. I have enough to learn, just with finding the best way to edit my photos for web.

One of the extreme luxuries of being a Dawkter's Wife in the attending phase, I guess. I've got a domain I don't use. I purchased it with hosting for 3 years (special package rate that ended up being under 100 dollars).

Oh, for that golden land of unlimited wealth! That is a VERY good deal. The one I was looking at was closer to $250/yr. But I just checked into the self-host sites. Wow - $60/yr or less! I'm glad I didn't go with the other one already.

All right, if you're sure... I'd love to see that test blog now! Just send me a pm. Thanks so much!