Blog Migration in Moderation

I’m back. Well, sort of… I never really left. I just moved a little. I’m in to process of switching my blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org to give me more flexibility and to move my blogging forward a bit. Not wanting to go it alone, I paid for a guided migration. Now that I’m on the other side and the transfer has been complete, nothing seems to be working right. I tried to select a new theme and after one preview something was disabled and no other themes would work. I attempted to activate 2 new plug-ins, they would not work either. I tryied everything I could think of. I feel totally out of my depth on all of this. That is why I paid for migration support.

Migration support can only be contacted by email and only for a 2 week period. This is not helping me. The weird part is I feel actually anxiety over things not going the way I planned. Weird, its not like this is my job. Its not like this is my income. My blog is somewhere I go to share my thoughts and interact with like-minded people. I do this on my schedule, at my own time, so why has it become anxiety producing to not have it function the way I want?

I have come to realize thought this process, this blog has become more a part of me then I ever anticipated. It has filled me with great joy and pride. But just like bringing a sick child to the doctor, you feel pretty helpless as you wait for them to get well again. That’s how I feel, kind of helpless and really… well…stupid. I always thought I was technologically savvy enough to figure most things out but I am uncharted waters and the support team occasionally throws me a life preserver. I still feel like I have no clue what is going on or where to go with this new site. I guess I didn’t think it would be this confusing. So here are 3 tips that have been working for me when technology is not being your friend.

1. Step away -I know we have all heard this before that is because it works. Sometimes getting a little distance between you and the computer might put things into a more logical perspective. At least it gives you a change to step away from your frustration and maybe look at it later with fresh eyes. So if you feel deadlocked and frustrated. Put the laptop down and go for a walk.
2. Go to YouTube University – We are blessed to be in a world where most answers are at the click of your mouse. YouTube has tons of tutorials that can help guide you thought most technological hiccups.
3. Ask for help – When you have tried everything and you are still encountering problems find someone knowledgeable that area of technology and enlist there expertise. You might have to pay them for their time but the amount you save in frustration and wasted hours might make it a worthwhile investment.

I’m still struggling through this conversion thing but each day I learn something and get closer to where I want to be. Today I felt like giving up but a friend left me a comment to “Never give up, never surrender.” That was just the encouragement I need to keep at this and overcome my technological obstacles.