Why I Switched from Wordpress to Squarespace

About a month ago I switched from Wordpress to Squarespace.  I couldn't be happier with the move and thought I would share some of the story behind the process.  I had intially heard of Squarespace from David Sparks of MacPower Users podcast.  If it was good enough for David, it might work for me.

Most serious bloggers go to Wordpress rather than away from it so I had to really consider the consequences of such a move.  

 

  • Would I regret the move?
  • Is Squarespace reliable?
  • Would I be able to import the hundreds of posts from The Daily Saint without losing my material?

 

So why the switch?

I was using Standard theme for Wordpress and had no real complaints except for the fact that it was limiting if you didn't know code- which I don't.  I like to write and keep things simple.  

Some guys want to tinker and customize.  Tinkering is cool but customizing code is not something that warms my heart.  To my geek friends, I mean no disrespect.  

My RSS and iTunes components of the old site were messed up and it felt like duct tape and gum were holding it together.  

So I tried the free version of Squarespace and liked the many, many different themes that you could use to publish a professionally looking blog.  

Here's what I like:

  • Aesthetics.  It's important that I love the tools that I use and if you haven't seen Wordpress behind the scenes, it's pretty basic.  Squarespace was built with an eye to making a nice looking website.  The fonts are precise and the color palates make sense.  
  • Metrics.  Built into Squarespace is a quick view of your metrics.  Before I had to use a third party site to track my site's progress.  
  • Security.  No longer do I worry about the site host (some outfit in New York) getting hacked or going down.  Squarespace has real staff that respond quickly to your questions.  
  • Ease of use.  I go to the Squarespace website, log in and get to work.  It's that easy.
  • Import-ability from WP.  I had something like 800 posts from The Daily Saint to import over the Squarespace. They make it very easy and no joke, 100% of my posts were imported in less than 3 minutes.  That's amazing.

 

So far I couldn't be happier.  The real question is, do you like the new site?

 

Photo courtesy of

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1708

How You Can Turn an Idea into a Blog Post

You have great ideas and so do I.

The problem is, we often think that ordinary people are excluded from making those great ideas into something more concrete. For me, writing has been one of the best ways to take a rough concept and turn it into something that people can use in their daily lives.

So here's how it goes for me:

  1. I capture all of my ideas into a list called "Blog Post Ideas".  Using Nozbe as my task manager of choice, this list is where I dump all of my ideas for the blog.  
  2. When offline, I capture ideas according to the following, "BPI: How to Get More Sleep at Night".  When I do my weekly review, just seeing "BPI" before a phrase or title reminds me to include the idea the next time I can access Nozbe.
  3. At night when I write, I just go to my list and write.
  4. Using Squarespace, I draft the post and then publish it. 
  5. The post then triggers Twitter to send out a tweet to my followers with a link to the post.
  6. Finally, I use Buffer to remind people to read the post the next time that Buffer schedules a tweet.  

That's how it works for me.  I love taking an idea and then seeing how far it can go, all with the help of the blog.

How are you bringing ideas to the marketplace or to the internet? 

Off on Sabbatical for Lent

As Lent is upon us, I'm taking a small break from The Daily Saint.  I'd be lying if I said that it was for primarily spiritual reasons- it's actually due to the fact that TDS is about to get a 100% new look and site redesign.

These things take time but not too much I hope.

In the meantime, my team is using Wunderkit for the first time and as for what will be my new blogging platform, Squarespace it is.

The Kindle Fire After One Month of Use

Like many holiday shoppers, I greeted a new Amazon Kindle Fire with enthusiasm.  I had a few questions before I opened the box:

Would it rival my iPad 2?

Would the 7" screen be more ideal for reading?

Since it arrived, I've tried it as a productivity device and my conclusion is simple: the Fire disappoints if you're trying to get work done.  The apps look terrible for email compared to those on the iPad.  In addition, the smaller keyboard just doesn't feel right for typing.

Sure, I can access Twitter just fine but again, I'd rather use my iPhone or iPad for a more elegant solution.

As for games, the Fire is a suitable device and my kids love the free "app of the day".  I'm not a big gamer so this isn't really a big deal for me.

Battery life is quite good and overall the form factor is both portable and solidely built.  It feels good in the hand and is very durable.

While the productivity aspects of the Fire lag, I like the Fire a lot when it comes to reading via the Kindle store.  I always felt like the iPad was just too big to read on and the Fire offers a better overall reading experience.

How are you using your Fire whether as a productivity device or one just for media consumption?

My Three Words for 2012

I've spent the past week thinking, praying, and writing about the year that was and the year that is now 2012. It's an opportunity if you think about it. How blessed am I to have a job I love, a wonderful family and friends to call my own?

As the San Francisco 49er football team says in the locker room, "who's got it better than we do?"

Taking a cue from social media thought leaders, I decided to skip the resolutions (like Jeff Goins, writer) and work with three (yes, only three) words for inspiration:

-community
-brand
-discipline

I'll explain more about these in upcoming posts but I'd like to hear what your points of motivation will be in 2012. Feel free to connect via Twitter (@thedailysaint) or via the comments section below.