Moving a Wordpress Blog
Now that you are here, please BOOKMARK this location as all NEW blog entries will be here. :-)
Quick update: My TracyReaderDad.com blog on Yahoo Hosting has been having problems the past two days. Can’t get to it. Yahoo support is working on it, but, so far no long term success. If they can’t fix it long term, I will have to move it. Today (10/5/09) it’s been down for hours. Update 10/6: Gotta love Yahoo support. Been working now for today and an engineer called me with some other suggestions. Sweeet.
I have been pondering a Blog move for the past few months.
Both of my existing Wordpress.com blogs are increasing in readership. The Technical Blog has a solid following (you!) and the Book Review Blog is increasing in readership now that I am on many Authors list to receive books to read before they come out.
Firstly, I wanted my blogs to be able to generate a few dollars for me as the economy turns around a bit, and secondly, I want to be able to purchase really cool themes for my blogs as I generate $$ so I can become a FORCE to be reckoned with in the blogging world…..oh, ok…I’m dreaming, but, hey, that is what life is about, right?
For those who may be considering the same Blog move from the wonderful, comfortable, world of Wordpress.com to the wilds of Wordpress.org…fear no longer…it is EASY!
Let me give you a few quick steps…
1. Find a Host
I looked all over for a host, and was offered a great location here in Tracy. But after much pondering…I realized, yes, a bell went off in my head, that I am already on Yahoo with the TracyVirtualOffice web site. Maybe they can handle Wordpress.org. As it turns out…they can! AND, to boot, they have the latest and greatest update to it and have always been great for support.
My host is Yahoo.
2. Grab the Domain Names You Want
I already had TelBitConsulting.com, but, someone could have made big bucks (yeah right) picking up TracyReaderDad.com and re-selling it to me.
Too late….I grabbed it.
I now have three domain names, two are “web hosted” on Yahoo: TelBitConsulting.com, and TracyReaderDad.com. The third: TracyVirtualOffice.com just points to a page buried within TelBitConsulting.com.
3. Set up Wordpress
You will need to set up a Wordpress Blog at your new location (in my case Yahoo). Again it was very easy…I also selected the option for the Wordpress Blog to be the front page.
NOTE: I was not sure how this would work with the TracyVirtualOffice.com pages buried in the background, but, everything works really well.
The blog is the blog and TVO is still TVO. :-)
4. Grab your Wordpress.com Blogs
On your Wordpress.com Dashboard under “Tools” is an “Export” capability.
This allows you to download ALL of your blog entries (mine have been growing for over three years now) to your personal computer. It goes so fast, and is so easy, I barely realized it was done!
4. Upload your Blogs
Now go to your new Wordpress.org site and “Import” the file you just downloaded. In a few seconds (I must have had a bug for this blog since I had to repeat the process several times to get all the blog entries uploaded) your new blog is ready to go. The TracyReaderDad blog uploaded the first time in only a few seconds.
5. Select a Theme
In your new Dashboard under “Appearance” you can select one of the standard boring (oh, sorry) themes or you can “Add New Themes” from a list of almost a thousand!
NOTE: I found a really nice theme but it put the wrong dates on my blog entries, so I found this one and modified it via the built in options to work for me. So far I’m liking it 
6. Add your URL so it can be found
I have been adding the new URL’s in various locations so it can be added to search engines and whatnot. Apparently that process takes awhile, so I will remain patient. :-)
7. Clean up the links and add plugins for media, etc.
Much of what Wordpress.com handled for you, you now have to do for yourself. I had to find a good media plugin for my YouTube videos, and am now in the process of finding all of the videos and making them work. I also have a ton of work yet to do re-linking my links to the new location. Someone should really design some code to do that automatically…..
On the Dashboard under “Plugins” you can install the preset plugins (I did) and you can “Add New” plugins from thousands! I am pretty happy with the combination I have, but, as new cool plugins look appropriate, I’ll add them.
Issues / Bugs / Good Things
With Wordpress.com when ever I made a change to the sidebars the blog refreshed perfectly to reflect the change.
Now, I have to manually “update” pages for them to see any changes that I make. Not sure why this is, but, it can be annoying especially as you are building your new blog.
Works with Google Chrome, Firefox, and that other one.
Summary
This is my first entry at the new blog location. I will post the heading on the old site and forward it to here.
VUDU Integrates Technology
Rating: 5 WaterTowers (awesome integration of technologies in the home)
What is VUDU?
VUDU is a device that uses peer-to-peer video streaming to deliver high definition (or standard definition) movies to your TV via the Internet.
As you may know from my previous posts on VUDU, I think it is one of the best technologies to come around in a long time. It is reliable, relatively inexpensive, very easy to use, and it works extremely well. It also has that WOW factor that gets my heart pumping.
Example of VUDU User Interface
Last week, VUDU made a couple of, in my mind, groundbreaking announcements concerning the integration of their technology in home electronics.
LG Announcements
“VUDU, Inc.’s industry-leading on-demand high definition (HD) movie service is now available on the BD390 Network Blu-ray Disc player from LG Electronics, giving consumers a whole new way to access the largest on-demand HD library of Hollywood movies in their living rooms, the company announced today.”
LG Blu-Ray Player with VUDU
“The VUDU HD entertainment service is now available on LG Electronics broadband HDTVs, the companies announced today. The VUDU service is available on LG’s LH50 1080p LCD series and PS80 1080p plasma series with “NetCast Entertainment Access.”**
LG HDTV with VUDU
Mitsubishi Announcement
“Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc. (MDEA) today announced it has begun shipping VUDU integrated 1080p flat panel TVs in its Diamond models of Unisen™ Immersive Sound LCD Televisions. MDEA will provide the consumer the opportunity to experience the seamless delivery of thousands of high definition movies and TV shows.”
Summary
You may not have felt the ground shake (and may not feel it even after glancing at this blog entry), but, mark my words……this is something that 10 years from now you will look back on and say: ”That was the beginning of the end for the stores that rent DVD’s.”
The ability to browse VUDU for a movie (and search for tidbits on the actors, directors, etc) as well as download and watch a movie in high definition is extremely powerful.
I’ve said this before and after using VUDU for over a year now, I will say it again.
VUDU is awesome!
911 and Videoconferencing History
Taken August 2001 while on Vacation to NY / NJ
Just a quick blog entry to raise the awareness of a bit of videoconferencing history that occurred 8 years ago today. (Not to mention telecommuting, since I did all my work that day from home).
Many of the people mentioned in this email from Alan Crosswell at Columbia University (dated Sept 12, 2001) read this blog.
To them….thank you for everything you have done for videoconferencing and for helping Alan (and many many others) on that horrific day and the days that followed.
IP videoconferencing proved it’s power that day…
Re our vacation flight home in August 2001, we left from Newark bound for San Francisco on United.
Justin TV: A Quick Peek
TracyVirtualOffice Justin TV Page
Rating: 4 WaterTowers (Internet streaming made easy)
Justin TV allows you to stream live video and audio over the Internet. It took me all of two minutes to sign up and start streaming.
Very easy and very cool.
I can see tons of applications for this, and I’m sure there are thousands already on Justin TV. For us at the TracyVirtualOffice and maybe other coworking locations or businesses / education, I can see Lectures being streamed, meetings being streamed (like the TweetUP we just hosted), and when I am at home…this is an efficient security system! We can connect coworking locations worldwide as easy as 3.14.
Official announcement: The TracyVirtualOffice now has it’s own LIVE stream (8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, PST) that you can watch at two locations:
Take a look…just don’t get bored! ;-)
My New Slogan: “TracyVirtualOffice TV: As Exciting as Watching Corn Grow”
I will occasionally turn the web cam inward so you can see the TracyVirtualOffice in action, but, I’ll wait until we have a few more members. Right now, we are as interesting as the parking lot. 
What Am I Using?
I am using the TracyVirtualOffice emachines computer, running Vista, with a Logitech 9000 web cam. I have Comcast Business Internet with 2.5 Mbps upstream and 20 Mbps, or more, downstream and the Google Chrome browser.
The Justin TV application is running in “Good” mode (see picture below) and it automatically selected an upstream BW of about 450 kbps. I see no slowing of the Internet at that bit rate which is good.
The video quality at the viewer end appears to be very good (Comments?). Note that I have muted audio for privacy, but, when it was on it worked very well.
Features
As a viewer:
You can watch the video at the default size or make it full screen. You can chat with other viewers and the broadcaster. You see updated list of the number of viewers, the number of fans, and the number of views since broadcasting started. And you can change the audio volume. The embed and link codes are there if you want to use them.
As the owner:
Justin TV Control Panel
You can record video.
I did that yesterday but I have not been able to find it. Maybe because I am using Chrome? The recording seems to work ok, but, it never shows up in the designated spot. I’ll give Firefox and IE a try over the next few days and let you know what happens.
You can change the video quality
The default is “Good” but there is a “Best” as well. Since “Good” is running at 450 kbps, I have not yet fired up the “Best”. 450 kbps is plenty good for me. :-)
You can personalize your Justin TV page
I uploaded a properly sized (650 x 125 pixel) logo, changed the coloring, and uploaded a background picture of our mug. It all worked out very nicely. See the picture at the top.
You can embed the video on your web page
Justin TV provides links and embed code that you can copy. The picture shows how it looks on my web page.
TracyVirtualOffice TV Web Page
You can link to it here to give it a whirl. You have to click on the arrow button to start the video. Once it is running, you can change the audio (we are muted), view the video in full-screen, and stop the video. There is a link to the Justin TV site below the video feed.
I just wonder what the this will do to the data transfer rate of the web site? Does the video feed thru it? Or does it get fed somehow thru Justin TV?
Here is a full screen shot from the web site feed:
Full Screen from TVO Web Site Feed
Summary
Not to long ago streaming video over the Internet was a difficult process requiring specialized equipment and expertise. Those days are gone!
Justin TV brings this capabilty to the average person while providing excellent quality video and audio. And the price is right….it is free. Justin TV is super easy to set up and use.
All in all……a super app! :-)
As for my new slogan…..”TracyVirtualOffice TV: As Exciting as Watching Corn Grow”! Believe me, I have experience there, my Masters Degree Thesis (University of Kansas) was on “The Coherent Optical Determination of the Leaf Angle Distribution of Corn”. Many many (wonderful) hours spent in the cornfields of Kansas.
TracyVirtualOffice Hosts Tracy TweetUP
Social networking meets technology.
Last night, the TracyVirtualOffice coworking location (that be me…) hosted Tracy’s first TweetUP. The event was well attended and the energy was palpable. Just like coworking.
This video was taken by a Tracy Press reporter (Justin) using one of those really cool Flip cameras. The quality is excellent. Eventually this video will show up on the TracyPress.com front page and the words and still pics will be in a print article.
Coworking = Telecommuting = TeleWork
Enjoy the video…see if you can spot me!
Save money, save gas, save time, reduce traffic, help save the environment
Telecommute / Cowork !!!!
TracyReaderDad Book Reviews
- March 2010 Thrillers
- “The Bone Chamber” by Robin Burcell
- Barry Eisler on E-Book and Paper Publishing
- TracyReaderDad’s First E-Book Experience
- Feb 2010 Thrillers
- “The Last Surgeon” by Michael Palmer
- “Dead Air” by Mary Kennedy
- “City of Dragons” by Kelli Stanley
- January 2010 Thrillers
- Preview of “The Last Surgeon” by Michael Palmer
