Start somewhere

You have to start somewhere, I suppose. The journal of a thousand blogs begins with a single keystroke.

This first post is to test whether I can update this site simply and effectively. I’ll subsequently need to link to my home page, maybe. But which is better… WordPress or Blogger? Only one way to find out… fiiiigght!

• Blogger: Most of my pals (for example Mr Grrr and Paul and Tara) use Blogger. Karel knows a great deal more than me about visual design and ease-of-use, and tells me that Blogger is pretty much walk-up-and-use. 
• WordPress: Rich observed that WordPress has GPL open-source software for self-hosting and the free web-based service that I’m using here for creating a customised blog. He has further useful advice here. And Helena recommended WordPress, too. 

As it happens, I stumbled upon WordPress first and had a play around, and so here we are. In two months, I’ll no doubt regret this impulse buy choice, but that assumes I bother to keep this up-to-date, anyway. So far, I like the Visual editor. The Themes (design templates) are useful, though I’d like more with flexible widths. 

I spent more time working out a title for the blog than I did actually writing it. In the end, I chose something that was (a) related to writing and (b) already had a spiffy Theme I could get immediately from WordPress. It’s “Rubric” by Hadley Wickham, “a flexible and clean two-column theme with a pen on top”. The classic red biro, in fact, beloved of writers the world over. 

For reasons I’m sure you’ll spot immediately, I was working with the following kinds of alternatives as blog titles: 

• The Pleasing Deer: Because I had a nice 2001 photo from Tupper Ansel Blake and United States Fish and Wildlife Service  But what does that mean?
• The Renegade Lips: Seemed appropriate, as I am speeking my branes, but in the end I decided that I’m an unlikely revolutionary, so I kissed that goodbye. Along with anything containing “anger” or “rash”
• Three Leaden Pigs: The dullest fairy tale you ever heard.
• Speeding Leather: I am not a Hell’s Angel.
• Helper Designate: I liked this because of my previous work as a technical author, but decided it was too specific.
• Earthed Peelings: A blog about compostable waste.
• Penis Glee Thread: Well, perhaps we’ll stop at this point.

See all the alternatives for yourself at the splendiferous Internet Anagram Server.