Growing Past the Plagues

January 22. Thirty five days. Five weeks. Time is all relative. If you suffered with headache for five weeks, that would be excruciatingly long. If you’re marriage lasted five weeks that would be ridiculously short (Hollywood short).

Five weeks is how long I have been posting my blog exclusively from my website. It probably comes closer to the marriage scenario though in some ways, it has been more like the headache. Anyway, I’d like to tell you that things have gone so smoothly and just as I would have hoped. However, I would prefer to tell you the truth.

So, in honor of the upcoming holiday of Passover, here are the 10 plagues that have happened since converting to a website. To be honest, many came simply due to my ignorance about the process. You would think that being a teacher I would strive to learn and ask questions before doing something. Well, in this case you would be wrong.  Website – okay sure. I guess it is time.

I hope this list will help those of you who may be considering going to a website.

1. Only those who were having the blog come right to their email came with me on the move. That was only about one fifth of my followers. I had no idea this was going to be the case.

2. I made the announcement I was moving only after the mass majority of these followers had disappeared.

3. Comments I have made on the sites of others have not consistently appeared.

4. I only see the reply to my comments if the person is a subscriber to my blog.

5. Some people have made comments that I never saw. The only reason I know is they emailed me and asked me what’s up?

6. I am not especially photogenic. Well, I actually knew that before.

7. People like a like button. However, the like button I have is not so clear. Truthfully, I don’t even know how it works.

8. My blog posts are no longer announced on wordpress.com

9. I have gotten bombarded by spam (I don’t need Viagra, discounted, or not).

10. The water turned to blood. Actually, I made that up in honor of original plauges.

Despite, these plagues, there has been many good things that have occurred since I have converted my blog into a website. First and foremost, I have had a chance to have a number of guests. I would like to thank my blogging friends, Kate (Did That Just Happen?), Elske (Elske Newman), Jessie (Jessie Clemence), and Penney (Authentic Life Journeys). I also would like my writing group members who provided me with guest posts – Ronit, Frank, and Rachelle and my friend Robert. I also would like to thank my wife, Sara, for her awesome post. Lastly, I’d like to thank the Academy. Uh, wrong speech.

I have learned a lot since I created the blog and have come to realize how much more I have to learn. One thing I have learned is how generous some people can be with their time. I have been truly touched by how helpful some people have been just because.

I have taught a book to my 9th graders entitled Speak by Laure Halse Anderson. The book begins on Melinda’s (protagonist) first day as a high school freshman and ends in June.  The book focuses on how she deals with the repercussions of a terrible incident that occurred in the summer (before h.s.) that caused her to be an outcast. Ultimately, she finds a way to get past the incident and become a stronger though different person. One way this is done is through the motif of a tree. The tree struggles in the winter months and even has to have some parts cut away so that the rest of the tree can survive.

I’d like to think of my blog and website as the tree. Many followers have been lost.  The tree has lost some limbs. However, the most loyal – let’s say the trunk or the roots have followed me over to the website. I have met some new people and feel there is potential to do so much more. So, as Spring is on the horizon, I am optimistic about growth. I thank you who have continued on this journey with me. I look forward to your responses, input, and sharing.

28 thoughts on “Growing Past the Plagues

    • Interesting thought to get them involved. However, I am not sure if I want them in this part of my life. I also don’t think the blog would appeal to them. The topics are not of their liking.

  1. Hey Larry! I really think you are doing a fantastic job with the new website. I keep thinking I should do more with mine but the thought of all the work that goes into it is daunting plus I really don’t have the know how. Also, you still show up in my reader on WordPress and I never subscribed to you through e-mail! Maybe I got a honorary IN!

    • Thanks. I do appreciate it. If and when you do go for it, I would be happy to offer any help I can.
      I am glad you got the honoary in. It has been nice trading comments and blog post with you.

  2. I’m so glad you are still optimistic about it!! I like that you aren’t going to give up, but move forward! And, those followers that didn’t make it, well, they probably weren’t those that you needed in your life anyway! 🙂

    • I am trying to be optimistic about it. Having guests, like youself, helped me through the transition. Thanks for that.
      I think you are right about the followers. I do have an ego though.

  3. I just sent you an email right before I read this. I LOVE the analogy with the plagues! It’s quite a different experience than the other free blog version and yeah … I miss the LIKE button too. The comments stuff — I’m not sure about that. You might want to check with your programmer friend who set this up. He may need to activate something. Just keep at it … you’re doing great!

    • Thanks. I appreciate that.
      I figured some things out (with the assistance of the programmer) regarding the comments and I think it is okay now.

  4. Hi Larry, I read your plagues at least 3 times because I went through similar experiences as you back in October when I went self-hosted too! It wasn’t easy, I didn’t think it would be but hubby convinced me it would be! I have a degree in computer science and I was not able to figure out everything, even today I still haven’t been able to fix everything. For your #3 , #4 and #5; they are very familiar to what I had in January: I was not able to leave comments when logged in with my “wordpress acc”, for two days I was trying to figure out what was going on, until one of my blogger-friends told me that my comment went to her “spam”, I googled about this and realized I was tagged as a “spammer”, why? , what have I done? I kept asking me these questions and then sent an e-mail to the support team of “askimet”, explained them my situation, asked for their help and less than 24 hours later they replied to my e-mail; explaining me they had fixed my account. I asked them what caused this but never got a second reply. Just happy to know they fixed my situation! I am not saying, is the same thing but if your comments are not appearing, you should try to e-mail the blogger and ask if they see your comment in their dashboard or not and from there you might find the problem. If you try this please let me know, I might be able to help you, I will google about it this evening and see if I can help you with this! Btw, at the beginning I had stopped receiving your posts and glad I found your new site but to keep receiving your e-mails I had to subscribe by e-mail. It happened to me too, I lost a lot of followers and the traffic of the site went down but then realized that my loyal readers still came to my new blog and that’s what counts! 🙂 I might also be able to help you with your “like button” ; you might need to add some code to it! As for #10; sorry I can’t help with that! ha!ha! 🙂

  5. I just have to chime in that I have been reading but have been rather slackish in commenting. Usually when I am a lazy blog reader, I can simply click the “like” button so you know I liked it and that I am here, reading but as you said your like button is where? I am pretty sure I still get notification in my WP reader when you have a new post and I honestly cannot remember how I originally started following you. You are in my RSS feed favorites and when I remember to check that, I pop on over.

    May your blogging tree burst forth in growth and bloom come spring!

    • Thank you for the blessing and for letting me know that. I do appreciate hearing it.
      One more time to you – push that blog!!!

    • It is. I do appreciate you saying that. It feels slow here. I have had something on mind to work on for close to 10 days but am struggling to push myself to do it.

  6. I have been debating going to my own website for sometime and getting ready of the .wordpress.com on my website, if for no other reason than to be able to add widgets that I can’t currently do and customize the design. But I’m afraid of losing people. There aren’t that many to begin with, I don’t want to lose those I have.

    Is it too late to have your old page redirect to this one?

    • It’s not but there are only few subscribers. So, it’s kind of pointless. I tried once or so to little affect.
      One thing I would like to believe is that those who were really interested followed – the tangential ones slipped away.

  7. Wow. I had no idea that switching servers would do so much damage.
    Although, I admit, that the first time I saw your site after the move, I was wondering how WordPress followers would still follow it. And I didn’t see the Like button, either (there’s one for Facebook, but *gasp* I don’t have Facebook, so I can’t ‘like’ your posts).

    I wonder why you’ve been bombarded by spam?

    And yeah, it would have been a good idea to announce, on your old blog, that you are moving, and leave that blog up for a few weeks after this one was set up. As they say, next time. 🙂 I say put an announcement up anyways, and let it do its work, however much that will be.

    Oh – and replies to my comments don’t appear in my WordPress notifications. So I have to sign up for email notifications, and I HATE email notifications.

    Sorry this comment is so negative.
    But maybe plagues are negative, too?

    • Except the plagues affected the Egyptians and we are the Jews. Well, I hope I will soon receive the Torah and enter the Promise Land. I figured I would continue the metaphor.
      Anyway, I do appreciate the feedback. I would rather hear it and be able to work on it than not know about it.
      Thanks so much.

  8. May your tree continue to bloom and prosper! Great post – I love the ten plagues and the tree metaphor. I’m confident you’ll have no problem attracting new and old followers – here’s to Spring and new beginnings!

    • Thanks for the blessing.
      Right now -feeling a bit low. Some tought stuff going on. I am at a bit of a loss. My post later will be about it.

  9. It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button!
    ӏ’d certainly donate to this excellent blog! I suppose for now i’ll
    settle for bookmarking and adding уοur RSS feeԁ to my Googlе acсount.
    I look forwaгd to fresh updates and will share this site with
    my Facebοok group. Таlk soоn!

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