Rethink the blog, you must!

Let me preface this by saying that I am a serious Star Wars geek and most of my titles (and some content) will  make a reerence to one of the movies. With that disclaimer, let’s move onward and upward!

Over the last three years I have experimenting with blogging and specifically the VT blogging resources housed through Blogs@VT. Honestly, they have been sufficient to share my ideas both in classes and a few other endeavors. However, I recently started to have a few issues with Blogs@VT and decided to branch out based on some advice from Dr. Nelson.

Since I am (hopefully) *fingers crossed* getting close to the end of my PhD studies, I am looking to create a more robust online presence. Little did I know that I have been selling myself short when it comes to attaining a personal domain for all manner of things. I decided to try out Reclaim Hosting per Dr. Nelson’s recommendation. For $25 a year, I could secure a domain, get 2 GB of space (pretty sure that is a decent amount), and access all sorts of tools and plug-ins for a website.

It all started off by getting my first domain choice, which conveniently corresponded to my name! From there I was able to set-up a WordPress blog which would be hosted on my personal site. After a few clicks to install the application, I was up and running with writing on my personal blog. I even had a small issue with getting my email confirmed and within two minutes their support team solved the problem. Pretty spiffy customer service when you compare it with most software support.

So far I am really enjoying my experience with personal hosting. While Blogs@VT was suitable for my needs, I appreciate the flexibility Reclaim provides. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what can be included in the site. Many of my peers have begun creating e-Portfolios and I intend to do the same as the year progresses.

If you have been thinking about taking the plunge and moving away from Blogs@VT, think about giving personal hosting a try!

May the force be with you, always.