After days of tweaking, experimenting here and there, long conversations over Gmail chat and hauling posts from my blog Ani-Mo! to its new home, Pinoysoundingboard.com can now be viewed by the public; and of course, by millions of my loyal devotees who camped on my blog awaiting for independence day.  Hurray!!!

 

Blogger is Like Living With Your In-Laws

I started blogging late 2007 under the Blogger platform, writing anything that comes to mind without any goal of really seriously venturing on this endeavour.  Got tired of blogging without any direction and the pressure of what to post took its toll on me; and came back only after a fierce commenting spree against Jan of Writing to Exhale over the blog of our common blogging buddy Jaypee.  That episode between two rabid commentors inspired me to go back to my blog, put down the “On Long Vacation” poster on my blog’s doorstep.

When I got back to Ani-Mo! last January, my Alexa ranking hovered around 17 million; a dilapidated theme full of dusts and cobwebs;  an atmosphere comparable only to a cemetery at night that all you could hear is the howling silence of solitude; and a blog with full of U-turns and intersections. 

 Before I moved Ani-Mo! to its Wordpress self-hosted blog Pinoysoundingboard, my Alexa rank is around 600,000; the Newspaper theme looked great courtesy of Yatot’s genius on working with Blogger and generosity of helping me out (and his patience also); a thriving community of friends and readers generously commenting on each of my post; and a blog with a clear one-way street ahead of it.

 With due respect to Blogger (for generously catering my blogging appetite), but working under this platform feels like living in the house of your in-laws.  Though you have the freedom to move and decide on some stuffs especially on matters of your own family affairs, one cannot shrug off the feeling of so many watchful eyes looking over your shoulder taking note of your movements (and especially of your mistakes that would be hurled back to you in the future);  and the fact the your (some) decisions could be altered any minute by your in-laws.  You have a limited freedom for someone holds you on their palms or for others holds their neck.  Though blogger offers a very convenient free blogging platform, you still cannot say and feel that it is your own blog.  It is still that of someone looking over your blog with watchful eyes. 

 Now, Pinoysoundingboard is something that I can call now my own.  And takes now my blogging to a new level.  I would therefore like to thank Jhay of the Four-Eyed Journal for helping me with the transfer and Jaypee for all the help regarding the theme and valuable pieces of advice on technical stuffs.

 

Ani-Mo! Still Doing a Garage Sale

 There are still some stuffs to be fixed on my former apartment, specifically, transforming it into an MMDA enforcer (minus the “kotong”) doing the trafficking for visitors to find their way here. For now, there is an on-going garage sale of stuffs there and some carpenters and plumbers are to arrive later for the last touches and hang out the post “Moved to a New Home” on its doorstep.

 

 The Theme One Could Die For

Looking for a free theme that suits a blogger’s taste and niche is crucial.  On my part, I dug over Jaypee’s great wordpress theme reviews and found this superb Isotherm News Magazine Theme developed by Zeljan Topic of bizzArtic that fitted all my requirements for this blog.  I was so impressed by the features of this theme and the superb review that Jaypee did (check his review here) I instantly fell in love with Isotherm.  

 Aside from the flexibility that this theme primarily gives bloggers for a free theme, one of its great feature is the sexy image panels featuring a blog’s 6 recent posts.  So basically, you will see 6 of my most recent posts on that gallery.  Pardon me if all you could see for now are those colourful wallpapers.  Elmot is still on the process of studying the dynamics of this feature.

 

 Kindly Help Me Do the Carpentry Works

Blogging on this new and classier self-hosted blog is a work in progress and a learning process.  Although there are still so many things to do down here, furniture and accessories to decorate here and there, and the painting of some more walls and ceilings to make Pinoysoundingboard truly a complete home, I am pretty sure that you are after my posts and my interaction with you more than all the widgets and special plugins I (will) put here.

 Therefore, I would really appreciate if you could help me out with the carpentry works on my new home. 

 Anything else that you may want to suggest regarding widgets, plugins, features and other stuffs for my blog?  I will really appreciate it guys if you could bring in some carpentry tools to help me out here.

image from Laura Howard

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I am once again trying to invoke the power of the whole cosmos by reciting a new mantra that hopefully could override the basic sad fact that I am a total idiot when it comes to technicalities on blogging.

“I know how to tweak my blog.” Hum…

You got it right. Jan’s latest post announced that I am moving this blog to its new home on a wordpress self-hosted blog courtesy of very generous blogging buddies. And though Big Bro already announced it to the whole universe via his superb post that the “house blessing” would be “very very soon”, it may once again take me another weekend to get all things fixed and before you could see the whole new look of Ani-Mo!. If only my parents endowed me with a Bill-Gates-patterned genes, the moving out could have been a breeze.

 

More often than not, first time readers and visitors get the imprint of your blog or site through its big bold blog title on your header and browse through your blog posts. And with the ultra sensitive url form and address structure, a missing letter, misspelled domain name or wrong domain name extension could usher your visitors and returning readers to another blog; to its owner’s delight.

Here are some examples:

Blog Name/Title—-Domain name plus their extension

Writing to Exhale—-www.writingtoexhale.com
The Struggling Blogger—-www.thestrugglingblogger.com
Jaypee Online—-www.jaypeeonline.net

Therefore, putting synchrony with your blog’s name and domain name could give convenience to your readers and visitors rather than giving them a maze to test their patience. Imagine if your blog has this setting: your blog name is The Struggling Blogger and its domain name plus extension is www.writingtoexhaleandinhale.net. Total blogging disaster!

2. A domain name describes your persona

One should never get a domain that he loathes, for blogging should bring us total control, confidence and harmony and not a conflict over what we do. It should be indicative of the personality of the blogger behind the blog. As uber blogger Jan told me on one of our many conversations on his long and vibrant comment forms: your blog is your resume. Our blogs tell us of who we are as the blog and the blogger is only one, unless of course you have a multiple blogging personality syndrome. Coherence between our blog’s Yin and Yang gives and readers a sense of genuine identity and not some pretentious blogging expeditions and experiment on the blogosphere. It also unconsciously sends some personal trademark to all those who visits such a blog.

3. A domain name gives readers your sense of blogging style and branding

We may be blogging on different kinds of niche but in the end, the one who rises up is the one with great class and effective branding. And domain names work also to this effect. One great blog I could share here is that of the child protégé Dan Miranda who shares about self-improvement posts on his blog Command Your Time. His domain name which is basically is also his blog name automatically gives us the idea what this guy has to share and what kind of stuffs he is up to. Same with that of Jan’s Writing to Exhale and that of Problogger or Copyblogger and many more. That is why I think it is quite crucial for one who is going to start his blogging on a self-hosted blog to examine also what kind of blogging style and branding he/she wants to build over his/her blog before choosing a domain name.

Leaving Ani-mo! For Pinoysoundingboard

I may be reaping lots of traffic come the start of UAAP with the Ateneo clashing over arch-rival La Salle for having Ani-Mo! as my blog name. But after some brainstorming and focusing on those three stuffs to consider on choosing a domain name, I realized that my blog name (which is also the same in part on my present domain name on blogger) is not really that reflective of my take on things and my direction on blogging.

Though it could give maybe some setback on my ranking and present PR come my eventual evacuation, changing my blog name Ani-Mo! into Pinoysoundingboard has set clearer parameters for my blogging and has given me more focus on what direction to take. It also reflects my persona and the sense of brand I want to build over my blog. And more importantly, I have come to synchronize my blog name that of my domain name, which basically I failed to do in blogger.

Pinoysoundingboard.com therefore will be my wordpress self-hosted blog about commentaries on current events and blogging with a magazine-type wordpress theme.

I just hope that when I move out of blogger to house my blog on a new and more spacious home, I would not find myself chanting my mantra all day long all by myself. But first thing is to tweak all the stuffs that need to be fixed. Just so thankful that there are so many generous people who are set to help me out.

Hum… Hum….

Hum….

What were your considerations in choosing your blog name and domain name? How do you find my new blog name and its domain?

image by Chucks

 

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I know, I know, let us revere this day. Hear me guys? Therefore, when you go to the mall to spend your independence day, take out from McDonald’s a burger and large fries for your dear friend Elmot. Now, that is one holy act of charity.

But I will not choose to dampen my spirit having a litany of all the ills in our nation for I am still on seventh heaven after receiving a wonderful and unique gift from a friend that tries to prophesy my fate in the blogging world.

Jaypeeonline Dot Net You Rock!

As a birthday gift for myself (for all those who haven’t sent their gifts yet, they are still very welcome until I celebrate my next birthday), I won 1st on Jaypeeonline’s Top Commentator for March with the whole of cosmos conniving for me to take home $15 in Paypal, a wordpress Wordcamp shirt and wordpress schwags. And I can say that Jaypee and blogging buddy Jan unleashed the commenting prowess in me and sharpened my fangs. Meow!

And a few days ago, I received these wonderful stuffs with the king of pinoy blogging Jehzeel Laurente himself arranging the delivery of the items. I opened the package with my heart pounding so fast in excitement and kaboom!, I am now the proud owner of the unique WordCamp Las Vegas shirt and schwags! Wearing the shirt gave me the feel of being at the WordCamp, Las Vegas! Wow! I can say that Jaypee really knows how to make his readers feel so special. I can only sing hallelujah to him.

Thanks Jaypee! Visit his blog for a bigger upcoming event and he will make you feel real special.

A Blogging Omen?

On one of my previous posts I shared my plan of packing my stuffs and move out from blogger to a self-hosted blog under wordpress. With so many considerations to weigh like financing this new venture and knowing the fact that I came from the village of idiots when it comes to tweaking web stuffs, I asked for a sign from heaven (darn, so cheesy!!!). And though I was like a hopeless romantic waiting for the falling star to make a wish, but asking for a sign never failed me this time. The heaven-sent sign? Those wordpress stuffs that Jaypee sent me! Tells me to move to WP.

And for an update: I do now have a web host for my eventual moving out from blogger, but I am still contemplating on what domain name to choose.

I have been trying to summon some divine inspiration on choosing a domain name and all I came up after asking for a help from a friend who does not want to be named here lest lose his dignified stature are these stuffs: niluluhurangblogger.com, (courtesy of reyna’s previous comment on one of my posts) elmotlumot.com, quickieblogger.com (no comment), thesuperveryfamousblogger.com (half-truth), thesuperveryhandsomeblogger.com (truth), gumigilingnablogger.com (lie). Now, that is what you call divine inspiration eh! LOL!

So save me guys, from further degeneration and on tickling my silly imagination and be censored by the MTRCB. On to you now, suggest a domain name for me here. Tips: not a so dead serious name; something that reflects my personality and this blog; and exciting. Price for the winner: I will include you in my constant imagining, and give a hot domain name for your blog, LOL!

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