On hearing of the turbulent journeys I’ve taken in life, my friends would often comment that I should write a book about my experiences, but I never felt inclined to even attempt such a thing because:
- getting a book off the ground is a tedious and costly experience not to mention finding a publisher
- unless you are re-publishing regularly once you’ve written your screed, it is set in stone
- contrary to popular belief you are not going to make money out of it especially if you’ve only got a small readership
For these reasons my scribbling was put on the back burner for many years until two things coincided: (1) The pandemic struck which gave me the opportunity of time to dwell on what to do with my current and future pieces and (2) I was fortunate to win a WI bursary – the purpose being to enable a member to gain knowledge and learn a new skill including computer skills, so the stars were finally aligned!
Lesson no. 1: Website vs Blog
I was moderately computer literate but didn’t know anything about websites or blogs so collared someone to help me. I dithered briefly about a website versus a blog but plumped for a website which would allow me to present content any way I wished along with text, images, videos, versus a blog which was predominantly text orientated and operated in reverse chronological order.
Lesson no. 2: Decisions, decisions!
I had to consider what my objective was and who my audience might be. Did I want to know the number of hits (yes, of course I’m a writer) and gain feedback good or bad?
Lesson no. 3: Domain name
Getting your domain name right, is essential. Ideally you need something snappy that embodies the nub of your site and is available to register. I thought cathyscatharticcorner had a certain ring about it, gently implied my reasons for writing and miraculously it was available.
Lesson no. 4: Platform choice
I needed a platform on which to create my website, so I briefly researched options and almost inevitably plumped for WordPress which is responsible for 40% of the websites on the Internet. I worked my way through ‘WordPress for Beginners’ by Dr Andy Williams and was torn between having learnt much and simultaneously realizing I knew nothing!
Lesson no. 5: Hosting plan
Evidently, I required a secure hosting plan to incorporate storage, band width, server location, security, technical bits and pieces. This was all a bit beyond me, so I gratefully left this to my Web Designer. However, I did manage to get an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificate which ensures that data passed between the server and browser remain private – look out for that ‘s’ in https:// in your browser which confirms this!
Lesson 6: Layout
It turned out there were a tonne of different layouts I could select, so I was somewhat baffled as to know where to start. In the end we plumped for the Porto theme. Don’t even mention colours and design options – the world is your oyster!
Lesson 7: Unforeseen
Inevitably there were a mass of things I hadn’t considered such as creating a Home Page, a ‘Get in Touch’ button linked to Webmail, considering how pages would appear on difference devices – mobile, laptop, tablet, desktop etc.; sizing images, posts versus pages, updating plugins, maintenance and of course cost – no it’s not free!
Lesson 8: The enjoyable bit
Finally, I was taught how to create a page and download a written piece – oh, the excitement! Eventually I managed to master new tabulated sections and add the odd image or photograph. Several months down the line I was able to bore my close friends with the link to the website Home Page or a specific page. Business cards soon followed for those who thought they’d got away.
Lesson 9: Maintenance
Alas the website couldn’t look after itself and needed maintaining by ‘you know who’. I discovered:
- that it was essential I updated my plugins (extra software offering additional features) on a regular basis, or things would freeze up
- that my photos would vanish if my WP Bakery Page Builder plugin had temporarily become inactive and required to be turned back on!
- that videos were best downloaded to YouTube then linked to the site. As this involved a clip of Ken playing his piano accordion, I named the site ‘Ambidextrous Squeeze’. In future I hope to link many other musical clips!
- I noticed by chance on my mobile that alarmingly an error message was appearing on each page of the website. Evidently this was caused by an error from the WP statistics plugin, so I needed to deactivate!
- Owning a website isn’t free. Maintaining my Domain Name costs £30 + VAT plus £240 + VAT per annum for my Domain Hosting
Settling the annual fees and meeting the demand of malfunctioning plugins means that when I pop my clogs Cathy’s Cathartic Corner will die with me. To ensure friends and family succumb to absorbing my scribbles one final time, I’m considering having all the pieces printed out in a booklet format to dole out at my funeral so everyone can smile, smirk or sniff at my life’s experiences!
To sum up, despite many complexities at the beginning of my website journey, I’d strongly advise forging ahead if you have the itch to spread the word about something you feel passionate about. It is very satisfying sending a specific website link to my Facebook friends or to someone about something relevant to a situation or for their amusement.
Good luck!
