Sunday, July 26, 2015

From Blogger to Worpress...Why and How I made the switch!

Hey there!!


Welcome to my little corner of the world wide web! My name is Meg and I am here today to answer your questions of why and how I made the switch from Blogger to Wordpress. 

First...you may be wondering what the difference is between Blogger and Wordpress. The short answer is blogger is owned by google and is a great place for beginning bloggers ,while Wordpress is an intense blogging platform that allows bloggers to own their content and has a better SEO (the way people find your content).  

Image from MJ Favre. Click image for direct link to this blog post. 

Check out this post from Megan (pronounced ME-gan) on the difference between Blogger and Wordpress...it has some great information! 


I decided to explore Wordpress because I wanted to explore my opportunities as a blogger.  After meeting so many amazing bloggy friends on Periscope and talking with so many amazing people I really wanted to take ownership of what I was putting out in the world.  I have always been curious about Wordpress, but have never been brave enough to take the leap....until now. So, here begins a new adventure...and I am excited, nervous and scared all at the same time...and I find it exhilarating! 

Now, I moved transferred my blog all on my own (and I am not a coding guru...like, AT ALL!). I did a lot of research and found this great tutorial CLICK HERE...that lead me step-by-step to moving my blog.  The greatest thing about this tutorial is that Julie (the owner and creator of this marvelous tool) will answer any questions you have by email OR she will move it for you..and for a super reasonable price! 

I am not going to lie...transferring my blog on my own was a bit stressful. It took at least 6 hours (mainly because I over thought the clicking of buttons..or my ADD kicked in) to get it transferred. The last step of moving my domain took me the longest because I didn't realize that my domain wasn't able to be transferred because it was new and I had bought it through google. Whoops! I crashed my blog trying to move my domain...which created quite the panic, but not to worry...everything worked out. 

Fun fact: If you are thinking about buying your domain and possibly exploring Wordpress...make sure you use a godaddy.com or blue host..it will make our life much easier! 


There are a lot of great articles out there talking about how to transfer your blog and the opportunities it can give.  My words of advice are as follows: 

If you are new to blogging stick to blogger! Make sure blogging is something you enjoy doing...you don't have to be uber consistent or be a "large fish" by any means. Just make sure it is something you love doing.  If you get to a point where you want to expand your opportunities...THEN...you can make the move. I do not suggest jumping into Wordpress...there is a "learning curve"


IF you decide to move your blog from blogger to wordpress you need to make sure that you BACKUP YOUR CURRENT BLOG DESIGN!!!

Go to your blogger Dashboard >> Template and look up in the right hand corner! CLICK IT and SAVE!



From there you can follow the tutorial I have linked in this post and all will be good! Just remember to take deep breaths!


So, there ya have it. I have jumped into the Wordpress world to explore. I am nervous, scared and have made myself vulnerable in more ways than one. I hope you will join me on this journey and all of my wild and crazy ideas! 

Please feel free to contact me with any questions at megsboxofcrayons@gmail.com , in the "Ask Megan" tab at the top of this blog or any of my social media outlets!

Thanks for stoppin' by! 


Friday, July 17, 2015

I'm a .com! Why it has changed!

Hey there!
I know it has been awhile, but I wanted to touch base with all of you and let you know of some new (and exciting) changes! 

First, I am now a .com!!! WOOT WOOT!! When you look for my blog you will know be redirected with a new URL www.megsboxofcrayons.com!! WOOT WOOT!! I am still looking to see if bloglovin' will function with this. If it does not, please contact me ASAP.  

With my .com-ness I have brought a new "face" to my blog! Say "hello" to Meg!




I made this Pal myself thanks to Polka Dots and Pals-Build a Pal pack on TPT! I am hoping I can get a custom one made one day! (click the image for the product)

There are 2 reasons my URL has changed:

1) I have been all over Periscope and have found that with people knowing me as Meg they have been saying the title of my blog Meg's Box of Crayons. I kinda was lovin' it , so I went for it. (also...anewboxofcrayons.com was already taken...poo!) I kind of like having my name in there though! What do you think?


2) When I began blogging I wasn't really sure where it would take me, so I created a very generic blog name never really knowing what would happen.  Recently, I have found that I was kind of "hiding" behind my blog name. I want to put myself out there! I want to take ownership of my ideas and make my blog more personal, because I LIKE PEOPLE (...sometimes..)! So, I am going to be slowly making changes to my cute little blog! 


Second, I recently got married and will be teaching in a VERY LARGE district this upcoming school year! I enjoy keeping my blog a secret simply because it was meant to be my creative outlet and a way to connect with all of you! I have also found that when people discover my blog they look at my sideways and back away slowly.  I still have not quite figured out why they react that way, but OH WELL. 
So, I will slowly be removing "my face" from my blog and things to help with that. Now, that I think of it...I may limit my selfies on Instagram as well...whoops! Who knows...maybe a new design is in the future...or not...the possibilities are endless (but the funds are not...ha!)

So, there ya have it! I am a married woman exploring my .com-ness  with a million ideas (some that may happen and some that may not...my imagination really likes to get ahead of me) for this sweet little blog of mine! 
What do you think of all my changes? Are you as excited as I am? Leave a comment and let me know!! 
Make sure to follow me to keep up with all of my crazy antics:



Have a great weekend!

Thanks for stoppin' by!




P.S.  My blog email has changed! Please contact me at megsboxofcrayons@gmail.com!