my torrid affair with WordPress
IT’S PROBABLY NO SURPRISE to hear me say I love blogging, and I also love WordPress, the blogging platform this site is firmly rooted upon. I’m a believer. So much so that Margaret Roach Inc., the purveyor of A Way to Garden and lots more top-secret media monkey-business-to-come, is co-sponsoring the first WordCamp in New York City, set for Oct. 5. It’s a one-day workshop where bloggers and software developers and the like gather to hear expert lectures and network with others who are likewise hot for this empowering technology. I’m honored to give back this little bit for all that has been given by WordPress.
Melinda says
September 7, 2008 at 4:59 pmMargaret–my husband has been on WordPress for two years and has one of the most recognized sites in his field. He’s amazed by the different appearances between users. Wish we could make it!
margaret says
September 7, 2008 at 5:05 pmI love how few degrees of separation there are between all of us, Melinda. I do. The LiDAR video by Radiohead that’s on your husband’s blog…that’s the second time today that I have been shown it! First time was on the blog of a supergeek I “follow.” Thank you for sharing our “other” common thread.
Karen says
September 7, 2008 at 5:43 pmI’m right there with you. New to all of this but glad I heard that WordPress was the way to go. When I have more time, I’m hoping to learn enough about the DIY aspect to go for a .org site over my current .com one! Someday…
– Karen
http://greenwalks.wordpress.com
Karen - An Artists Garden says
September 7, 2008 at 6:13 pmMe too – I really like wordpress.
Karen
margaret says
September 7, 2008 at 6:22 pmHello, Karen #1, and don’t be afraid of WordPress.org. Once you’ve mastered the dashboard of .com, and found a hosting company, it should be an easy switch, with lots more possibilities. I’ll be there waiting for your arrival…
Welcome, Karen #2, a garden AND WordPress colleague. How nice to hear from you. And now, a trip to your blog is in store for me…
Peg in South Carolina says
September 7, 2008 at 7:05 pmThough I admire WordPress, I am still a Blogger fan!
margaret says
September 7, 2008 at 8:17 pm@Kathy: What I was told is that my portion of the sponsorship will help pay for Podcast by Charles Stricklin of Dallas, who will be able to come. Not official…just what they hoped when I signed on last week. So I think the answer is yes. Did you see the play-by-play from Ziff-Davis reporter who went to San Francisco WordCamp recently?
margaret says
September 7, 2008 at 7:21 pmHello, Peg. Blogger does indeed make expressing oneself easy and fast, and many friends use it with great pleasure. Thanks for visiting!
Kathy from Cold Climate Gardening says
September 7, 2008 at 8:00 pmDo you know if they will have transcripts of the talks available? Or recordings?
Melinda says
September 7, 2008 at 10:17 pmIf anyone is a super geek Margaret, it’s my husband. It’s amazing how the internet makes everything seem small now, isn’t it? I suppose I should get cracking on my own blog (via iWeb and my Mac), but I really prefer relaxing and reading someone else’s work for now. Thanks for sharing.
Jamie says
September 8, 2008 at 7:40 amI’m a total WP newb. I’ve only gotten as far as choosing a theme. You’re inspiring me to believe this journey is worth it!
margaret says
September 8, 2008 at 8:49 amWelcome, Jamie. Having taken a quick trip to your Blogger address, I think you have plenty of experience already and will find WP more exciting and powerful, well with the learning curve. Keep us posted on your progress!
Jim/ArtofGardening says
September 8, 2008 at 11:57 amNOW I find out how much everyone likes WordPress. Just this weekend, I moved my blog from iWeb to Blogger. Oh well, next update…
margaret says
September 8, 2008 at 12:18 pm@Jim: Oops. You know, I almost didn’t post about this because it’s not gardening…but apparently it’s another subject many of us share an interest in. We will see you on WP soon… :)
Jim says
September 9, 2008 at 10:11 amThanks for co-sponsoring this event! I attended the San Francisco WordCamp in August and it was fabulous!
margaret says
September 9, 2008 at 11:41 amWelcome, Jim. Thanks for visiting A Way to Garden, and for the encouragement. I guess it would be safe to say you, too, are a true WP believer? :)
Jim says
September 10, 2008 at 12:10 pmYES! I’ve started using WP during my day job at Johns Hopkins, to help doctors communicate with the public at large about current hot topics in patient care.
And, in my free time, I’ve begun working on developing new plug-ins. Good stuff!
I love WP.
Kit says
September 18, 2008 at 9:55 amGoing to Word Camp with y’all ! YAY !
Your site is just blooming with fun and color Margaret ! Really awesome job !
Kit
Kit says
September 18, 2008 at 10:20 amWell, just got off the phone with my writer Mickey Friedman of http://penguinsunited.com/ – but he is a self admitted curmudgeonly sort – being counter to almost anything organised, but Pam Keuber of Retrorenovation will be there.
Thanks for being one of the sponsors, you are a gel that really puts her money where her mouth is – heh – that is a compliment.
;)
margaret says
September 18, 2008 at 10:07 amWelcome, Kit. Glad you are coming to WordCamp…hope your bringing the Berkshires contingent. Round ’em up and stuff ’em in the car.
Nancy says
September 19, 2008 at 5:36 pmMargaret, Just trying to get a website (blog) started with wordpress since I saw you on Martha (how great) Your domain is awaytogarden-com.ptn3h8t4-liquidwebsites.com without the wordpress.com in your domain. When signing up that was the choice I had domain.wordpress.com, I would rather drop the wordpress.
margaret says
September 19, 2008 at 7:59 pmWelcome, Nancy…and great question. This is one of the confusing bits at first. I use http://wordpress.org, because I have my blog hosted elsewhere (not by wordpress.com, which provides free blogs and hosting if you desire). Martha and I use the .org version; it’s still free (except the hosting), but you can use someone like http://bluehost.com for under $10 a month, including registering your own domain name (without the wordpress suffix that the dot com version includes).
Have a look at the dot org homepage, and I think it will help clarify.