Almontage

I have had some sort of personal Web presence for at least 25 years, and around the time we visited Paris in 2001 I decided that a traditional website with my own HTML coding was NOT the way to go. A blog of some sort seemed preferable because I simply had to write it and not be all that concerned about website design.

My personal circumstances were much different back then. I was still working, still living in Georgetown, hadn’t traveled as much as we did later on. I did’t have the time in 2001 to devote to writing a blog every week or more often.

I got into it a bit more around 2008 and since 2014 I’ve been a regular poster. But I digress.

The Web was much different when I first started a blog. In those early days, blogging was strictly text – even photos had to be scanned from film or prints (no digital pics back then.) Bandwidth was punishingly low. Audio was rudimentary. Video didn’t exist yet. Mobile phones made phone calls. The Information Highway was more like an oxcart track.

Well, that was then. How about starting a blog today? Let’s unpack that a bit.

The first thing to consider in 2023 is whether you want to write a blog at all. A blog is still pretty much static – text and digital media. Maybe you’d prefer to make video logs and post on YouTube. Maybe you are into having a podcast. Or maybe even you’d like to stream your content. It’s all possible today. And we haven’t even mentioned social media capability. Every possibility is so much richer.

There’s another consideration – unless you are a celebrity, a major influencer, or a genuine expert in a hot category of interest – there’s no way to use a blog to make money. If you really get into personal blogging in a bigger way, it’ll cost you – though honestly not much more than a Netflix subscription – to put your thoughts out there.

If you are still interested in doing this – need I mention you’ll be investing a bit of time with no chance of reward – I’ll run through some of the ways you can get started.

Starting a Blog for Free

This would be my recommendation if you are just starting out. The price is right, you don’t need any particular technical expertise, and you can be on your way in a matter of minutes.

When I began I chose Blogger to be my host provider. Blogger is part of Google so it is a good way to go if you already use the Google suite of applications.

My choice today would probably be the commercial WordPress site. I use the open source WordPress software on my own site, and I find it to be excellent.

A third possibility is Wix. I haven’t used Wix but it has some interesting drag and drop features. Wix looks a bit more business oriented though.

Of course, we all know there is no free lunch – not even in blogging. If you go with the zero cost option, you won’t have your own domain name, you likely will have ads placed on your blog by your provider, and your content doesn’t belong to you any longer. Maybe those things are not important to you right now – but they might be later on.

Use the “Pay” Option on the “Free” Site Host

You could use WordPress’s and Wix’s paid option to get a few neat features like your “own” virtual domain or fancier themes but I’ve got a better idea than that if you want to move up the blogging food chain. The name of the game here I believe is Squarespace.

Squarespace – Just Do It

Squarespace seems to be the ideal way to build a blog if you don’t mind paying a monthly subscription. and you need the provider to take care of everything for you. I have to say that if I were starting out now. I’d just choose Squarespace, choose a suitable format and that would be that.

Squarespace does seem to be commercially focused but there are options to write a simple blog. You can start out slowly and change things easily enough if you need to get more sophisticated. It looks like a good way to go – if you’re sure you want to do this.

The Whole Enchilada

This is not what you want to do if you are just getting into the blog-o-sphere, but it’s where I ended up after about 5 years of serious blogging. I needed a place to write my blog AND host the supporting digital photos online. So I invested in my own domain name and web hosting service. The provider gives me support and WordPress blogging software, and I choose the theme for a custom look and feel.

There’s a simple enough sequence of tasks to host your own blog:

• Choose a web service provider and a plan of services.
• Get your domain name and have it registered. The provider helps with this.
• Install WordPress, the blogging software.
• Choose, install and activate the theme.
• Start blogging.

Complications start after that. You have to make sure to secure your website, check that it works OK, protect your blog from spam. The provider makes changes from time to time and you have to fix things if that happens.

Fortunately I have become increasingly geeky over the years. I learned about Linux and networks so I was not flummoxed by the technical aspects of a Web server. The Web service provider does give excellent support and can fix things if you have problems.

The major advantages to hosting your own blog are:

• You have your own domain name and Web address.
• Nobody will be putting ads on your site without your say-so.
• Your content and graphics remain under your control and ownership.

So there you have it. I am more or less committed to self-hosting now. Squarespace wasn’t around when I went this way, and I won’t go back to a do-it-for-you provider.

I now have close to 9 years and 600 posts on my current setup. It’s still a simple personal blog but it’s mine.

Since I got into digital photography I have usually had two types of cameras on the go:

• A large DSLR or bridge camera that takes great photos.

• A smaller travel camera that is pretty good but also lightweight and hassle-free to carry.

Now I usually update my travel camera every 5-6 years. My current Panasonic Lumix ZS50 is 7 years old and normally I’d be shopping for a new one.

But here’s the thing. I really cannot do so. Why is this?

First of all, the COVID-induced parts shortage has made a drastic cut in the number of travel cameras for sale. Those that are available seem to be rather overpriced for what you are getting. My particular favorites don’t seem to be out there at all.

Second, there really have not been any new models I’d be interested in that have been introduced in the past three years. In fact every major camera company has announced that they will no longer develop and introduce new affordable compact cameras.

The reason for every camera maker exiting the point and shoot market is of course the smartphone and its camera. The best smartphone cameras now are as good as my travel machine and offer some outstanding features such as computational photography and easy Internet storage and publishing. Mind you a really good smartphone costs as much as the finest travel camera and maybe 3X what I paid for my ZS50.

The cheap point and shoot camera is now history and even the more advanced travel cameras appear to be on the way out. Sales of compact digital cameras have gone down 97% in ten years. So a lot of folks out there are using their smartphones.

I get it. It’s a lot easier to pack just one camera and if your smartphone does the job why not use it? You are taking it along anyway, and the best camera is the one you have with you.

Well, call me a dinosaur but I still want to take along a small, lightweight, “real” camera. My reasons?

• An actual camera has a better lens than my Samsung A50 smartphone.
• Telephoto capability is much better with a real camera.
• I can take and store a great many more photos than I can with a smartphone.
• It’s easy to copy the photos over to a laptop for a backup.
• The camera has a viewfinder which makes it easier to use in bright light.
• A camera is more stable and easier to hold still when taking a photo.
• You may look a bit geeky but there’s no doubt you are a serious photographer – even with a lightweight long zoom like the Lumix ZS50.

In our recent trip to Syracuse I took along the ZS50 and I was able to get shots like this one with no problems at all.

Red panda at the Zoo.

At the Triple A ball game.

Both of these would have been more difficult with a smartphone.

So this dinosaur will be packing a camera for a while yet.