Last time I felt like this was when I got a super short hair cut after having had hair past my shoulders for 17 years (I'd just quit ballet and finally didn't need it to be "bun" length!). If you're reading this in a browser and glance up at the web address, you'll notice that I've dropped "blogspot" from my domain name ... that's because I finally own angloyankophile.com, which is super duper exciting!
When I started this blog five years ago, I didn't think about getting my own domain - simply because I didn't think my blog was big enough or important enough or "worth it" (and also because catch-phrases like SEO, DA, etc. were not in my vocabulary!). But in the last two years, my readership has grown, my audience has evolved, and I'm beginning to think that maybe what I do on here actually ... matters.
I went to blogger meet-ups and workshops and heard all about why owning your own domain is important (blogger Jasmin Charlotte writes a great post about it here) - which I always knew was true in the back of my head. But there was still that doubtful voice that said, "Why bother? Your blog isn't anything special! It's so not worth it." Yet, I always felt a little unsettled that I didn't "own" my own site and that my blog ended in "blogspot.com" rather than just ".com".
It wasn't until one of my all-time favorite bloggers and blogging icons, Joanna Goddard, switched over from blogspot to her own domain, that I started thinking seriously about the change. And you know what? It feels good to "own" it. In every sense of the word.
Thank you x a million for reading!
xo
Awesome! Congratulations lovely :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Angie! And thank you for all your wonderful support, both online and offline too! xo
DeleteCongrats Jaime! I love reading your blog - it was one of my major inspirations to start writing my own :)
ReplyDeleteLauren xx | The Lifestyle Diaries
Thank you, lovely - that is so sweet and kind of you to say. Made my day! xx
DeleteYayy Jaime!
ReplyDeleteIt's yours. All yours. Somebody once said something about first impressions. In Internet-land, there's no better first impression than directing a new friend/client to your very own website.
Enjoy!
Agreed, Iain! Thank you, and thank you for your support!
DeleteCongratulations, Jaime! :) It's a great feeling, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteSince you talk about "owning" your blog, did you know that Blogger actually "owns" your content? I learnt all about this when I was looking into transferring to Wordpress (which I did in the end, and it was one of the best decisions I made regarding my blog!). A lot of bloggers have explained this "ownership" thing better than I would (ex: http://www.aroyaldaughter.com/2013/01/04/blogger-vs-wordpress-content-ownership/), and you might already be aware of this, but I thought I'd share it here anyway, just in case! :)
Have a great day!
Hey Charlotte! Thank you! And thanks so much for pointing out this difference between Blogger and WordPress, though I hadn't interpreted it this way, so it was very interesting to read A Royal Daughter's post!
DeleteThe licence I grant to Blogger seems to be necessary in order for me to use the functions that Blogger provides. WordPress users grant a similar license to Automattic when publishing on the WordPress platform: "By submitting Content to Automattic for inclusion on your Website, you grant Automattic a world-wide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, modify, adapt and publish the Content solely for the purpose of displaying, distributing, and promoting your blog." Though I think the wording in WordPress's T&Cs appears to be less stringent than Blogger's (because Google - ha!) ... anyway, definitely good food for thought so thanks for bringing that to my attention!
Congrats Jaime! :) xxx
ReplyDeleteAndrea's Passions
Thanks, love! xxx
DeleteCongrats, Jamie!!! Your blog is definitely worth it. Though to be honest, I've always blanked out the .blogspot part of your web address...this space has always felt like your special corner of the internet. Happy for you that it's official now :)
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU!!!
DeleteWlecome to the .com club! It'll be one the best decision's you ever made regarding your website! =)
ReplyDeleteTahira | http://ramblingsofafoodaddict.com/
Thanks, Tahira!!!
DeleteWoohoo, congratulations on the next big blog step :) I felt the exact same way!
ReplyDeleteThank you, dear Emma xo
DeleteYay!!! It most definitely matters. You are simply rocking the blog lady!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jess!
Deletewoohooo! thats definitely an exciting feeling. congrats darling...own it! xxo.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Annie!!! xoxo
DeleteI remember how excited I felt when I had a .com change over as well but I too had felt like it wasn't important enough or popular enough to bother with but I'm glad I went with it anyway as like most bloggers, I felt that I work hard on it and put lots of time into it so the .com was kind of like my treat to myself ��
ReplyDeleteThank you, Shikha! Your blog is one of my favorites :) xx
DeleteHell yeah - owning IT! Good on you.. it's sometimes a bit nerve wracking to place a greater importance on something through fear of having greater expectations from it, but I would say it is a choice well made - your blog deserves it, nice job hun :)
ReplyDeleteC.x
www.survivalsurvival.com
Thank you, Cat!!! xoxoxo
DeleteThis is great news! Congratulations!
ReplyDeletecongratulations for having your own piece of the inter webs. I bought a domain name pretty early, mainly fuelled by the fact I wanted a .com domain name because a friend had one. Funny the impact other people have on these decisions!
ReplyDelete