Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Department of Redundancy Department

When I got into this game, everyone told me (and don't make me explain who 'everyone' is) that I need a website so people can find out about my books. So I spring for a domain name and a host, then spend umpteen hours (and copious amounts of frustration) designing a site.  Next, 'everyone' tells me I have to blog ... so I register with the great Internet blog administrator, wrack my feeble brains for a blog idea, and commence to bloggin' (the good news here is that this blog thing appears to be free ... ya gotta love that part).  So now here's the question: with all these Internet marketing tools to maintain ... like Fazebook, emails, and ... God forbid ... Twitter ... do I really need a blog AND a website? I mean, don't they both do the same thing, more or less ... sit in Internet back alleys, waiting forlornly for some innocent web-surfer to stop by and 'get to know me' ... especially when one of those things is actually costing me hard currency (okay, it's credit ... but you understand)?

7 comments:

  1. A lot of people are combining their blog and website, especially now that Blogger lets you have pages on your blog. I, like you, have both. I've had the website for years and it's easy to maintain, so I'll keep it

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  2. I was going to say very much what Helen already did. The option I went with was installing WordPress on my website and running my blog from there. I prefer WordPress to Blogger, too.

    Elsa Neal
    HearWriteNow & Blood-Red Pencil

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  3. Helen: The other thing is the printed material I have squandered on ... er, invested in with the website URL ... not if that makes keeping it the same as throwing good money after bad, but it does make it tougher to shut it down.

    Elsa: hmmm, WordPress, eh? That sounds interesting ... I'm going to investigate that. Thanks for that tip.

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  4. I know what you mean, Christopher. Sure as you do a combo blog/website, you'll discover you need them to be separate and will have to start all over again. I've had mine so long, I just keep it. I update it once a week.

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  5. Dang, Helen ... you update your website once a week? I haven't updated mine since ... well, I can't remember. Do you think that might have something to with the fact that my last visitor is was in '09?

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  6. Welcome Jennifer! So glad to have you aboard ... and you're not just a number here!

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