Web Presence

Posted Wed Feb 16, 2005 in

Having a web presence is not inexpensive. It has been relatively cheap for me because I have been using one of my linux servers (at the university where I work) for a webserver. So, my only cost has been the cost of registering my domain name, which only a few people use to mark my site. But, I have a domain name and it does currently point to my weblog.

I have been thinking about moving my personal web site away from the university. It is not that there is anything wrong with what I am doing. My weblog uses a very small amount of bandwidth and certainly qualifies as an academic experiment. But, it seems that, as I write more, that perhaps I should host the site somewhere else, just to keep things totally tidy.

Furthermore, I fully expect that at some time in the not too distant future, the university will want all websites to come under official control and have a consistent presentation that is specified by the university. When that happens (and that it will is just my opinion), I will move all of my web-based activities, including my professional website, off campus. I am that particular about my own designs. I am also that independent.

I have been interacting with the folks at Textdrive about hosting my site there. The company is run by people dedicated to publishing on the web. One of the principals, Dean Allen (Textism), is the author of Textpattern, the content management system that I currently use. I think that they are in this business for the long haul, and I will not want to move from one hosting company to another. I like stability. I also like the fact that they do daily incremental backups and weekly full backups. Data security should not be an issue.

So, when will I move? Well, I do not exactly know. I might make the move sometime over the next few weeks. Or, I might wait a bit longer, finish editing the entries on my weblog that have images in them, and then move it (and start the editing process all over again). I am still thinking, hard, about whether I really want to make the move or not.

I am also planning on migrating my images from the current software to another. I am starting the research process into what would be a better gallery software for my site. I will also want to move my galleries to the new host, should I move. One advantage of the move is that I feel that I could offer archival prints of my images for sale, should anyone care to purchase some. I might generate enough income to offset the cost of the hosting.

And then again, it is my hope, someday, to retire and use my writing and photography skills to support myself during my retirement. It may just be a pipe dream, but it’s my pipe dream.