No one skip Christmas, as my brother would always remind me. Well, he had to. Because in the last 3 Christmases, after my bitter divorce, I spent those holidays working. This year, he was so determined to pull me out of that rut. Moreover, to do just that’s, he booked on a weeklong rocky point vacation in Mexico. Darn! Who could possible resist that?
Anyway, it was a much needed vacation, or else I might break.
Free blogging platforms and hosting are great. However, if you are really serious about blogging, other than having your own domain name, getting a paid web hosting is nest best step to take. So, what are the practical benefits of hosting your blog paid web hosting, you might ask? Here are a few:
Blogs on free hosting platforms may be shut down or deleted arbitrarily by the host providers without prior notice. And believe me, appealing for reconsideration is more often a waste of time and futile. In fact, some of my blogger friends’ months of well-written articles disappeared because their blogs were labeled as ‘splogs’ by a popular free blogging host. I have one niche blog too that has been labeled the same. Fortunately, I kept copies of those posts so it was easy for me to rebuild the blog on another blogging platform and this time to paid hosting site. You have complete control of your content and site’s build on paid web hosting that you will never enjoy otherwise on free hosting.
No doubt, that blogging is most popular online medium today for expressing your thoughts. In addition, to some, blogging is a new way of making or earning decent money online. And probably, one of the most important steps to take when you want to take your blogging into a serious level is having your own domain name. However, how do you choose a domain name? Here are at least three practical tips that you might want to consider when choosing a domain name:
Most of us started with a personal blog, where we virtually discuss anything under the sun. That is good at some point, especially where you have no intention of monetizing your blog. Otherwise, it is better to choose a niche or a particular category for your blog; because that would be your first consideration for choosing a good domain name. More so, take into account your blogging intentions here.
Gone are my idealistic days and my quest for the ideals in everything. Most probably, at least I think, idealism was born out of my youth and my enthusiasm to take on hold of life’s finest. However, life confronts us with surprises that question those idealisms and set our thinking on the essentials and practicalities of life. No wonder, at the height of my career I moved from an idealistic worldview into a more pragmatist stance. Hold on to those thoughts.
A long holiday sometimes can trigger some reflections that are hard to evade. Hence, when you are temporarily detached from your work, you suddenly have that urge to think in a different direction and wish if you could change everything and start anew.
In a modern society, somehow driving becomes a indispensable skill. Car is no longer viewed as an added luxury but of a necessity. Albeit, the continued rise in the price of gasoline, spare parts, and maintenance is something that is not easy to bear, especially now that the world is succumbing on a recession brought about by the financial crisis in the US.
Bracing for the worse, I forego and sold my car. Anyways, unlike before, I spend more time working at home. A taxicab would suffice for calling on client twice or once a week, besides it is more economical than maintaining a car. In less than a couple of months, I got accustomed to a life without a car.
There is so much information available on the internet right now that more often it is hard to sip through the file of junks thrown at your doorstep. While I appreciate what the search engine companies are doing to improve the returns of SERP (Search Engine Result Pages), it is still a bit confusing to be confronted with so much data that you do not need. Likewise, when you are looking for tips or guides on running your online business, pseudo-experts will offer you tricks that they claim to work only to realized that you have been had with your hard-earned money.
Online business looks profitable. Well, it is actually profitable if you have the right knowledge and skills to run one. If not, you’re dreaming. Sorry, if that sounds harsh. But, I really mean it.
