A Peek Behind the Blog as I Start It: The Tools, Choices, and Chaos
When you first start your blog, you go through all the emotions of wondering if you even want to take up the mantle or not. Is this something you actually want to do? Then you start coming up with why you would and what it should even be about. And then you finally hit the part where you’re like, now how in the ever-loving hell do you do this? And yes, you can still have dignity and grace and use curse words. It’s all in the tone.
Once I got over the emotions and the overthinking and the stress and the worry, I got down to the brass tacks. First and foremost, if anyone ever tells you that starting anything won’t cost you money, they are lying through their teeth. Maybe not the first couple of weeks or months if you’re on a free trial, but eventually there will be a cost. You just have to decide what that cost is going to look like for you. So I’m going to go through the items I chose to use for my blog. This might not be what’s right for you, or maybe it is, or maybe it’s close. These are just the things that fit my needs and how I want to run this.
When I took stock of what was important to me, anonymity was high on the list. I needed to find a way to do this and still stay behind the scenes, backstage, behind the curtain. So I knew I needed a business email that everything could attach to. I also knew that if I wanted the option of monetization or merchandise later, I needed to set that up at the beginning instead of trying to figure it out later. If you’re going to do something, do it right the first time or you’ll end up spending more in the long run.
I went with Google Workspace. I already use Google for email, so it was familiar and an easy transition into learning a new system. It’s been a learning curve, that’s for sure, but having the base helped. I also already have a Microsoft 365 family subscription, which gives me flexibility later without adding more cost. Google is for my email and housing photos and documents for the blog; Microsoft is where all my writing and administrative work lives. They work well together and it keeps everything clean.
Then came the question of where to buy my domain. I knew I wanted to own my domain separate from my business email host and my website host; that was a must for me. I thought about going with one company that looked cheaper, but after a deeper dive, it wasn’t the right fit. I ended up using Namecheap and I bought my domain for 10 years. Yes, 10. I don’t want to worry about it, and having it for that long gives me time to get established while keeping someone else from taking it and turning it into a dirty site. Yes, that can happen. Or they can buy it and ransom it back to you. Once they own it, they can do whatever they want. Also, make sure your domain privacy is active. Namecheap gives it for free, which keeps my home address off the public record, a non-negotiable for me.
Next was choosing a website host. As a beginner, that is the most terrifying part. This took the longest and was the part that made me pause. I just couldn’t figure out which one would be the best fit. So I took my time, did my research, and figured out what I needed. I narrowed it down to two, but I decided on Hostinger. It fits what I need right now. I’m learning, and I needed something good for beginners that would let me grow in confidence. I do have experience managing websites; I just don’t have experience building one. So Hostinger it is.
Then I had to think about photos and graphics. I needed a place where I could create multiple things for different reasons but still tie it all together. So I went with something I already know: Canva. If you would like to save some money you can use the free version. I am right now, but I do intend to upgrade in the future. I am sure I will need the flexibility to use everything on their site. Just know if you use the free version you will be limited in what you can do. As I am already learning enough new programs, using Canva no-brainer.
The second big decision was whether to get a new laptop. My Surface was over seven years old and the keyboard decided it was retiring to Shady Pines. So we made the decision that getting a new laptop for the blog was the right thing. The Surface can still be used for personal things in tablet mode until it also retires. This was a hard decision and we went to Best Buy a few times, testing, looking, and pricing. It’s a big commitment, so you need to make sure you’re getting the laptop that works for you. I wanted portability, comfort, speed, and something that could be used for long periods without overheating.
So far, this laptop has handled the load. Every laptop gets warm, but I’m talking about the “nuclear-meltdown-shutting-down” kind of hot and this one hasn’t even flinched. You can buy things to help with that, but I haven’t looked into any of it yet. When I get into a zone, I work for hours with small breaks, so overheating could be a thing. The laptop we chose is the ASUS Zenbook 14, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB storage, Intel Core Ultra 7. This was the first purchase we made when we decided to start the blog, and I’m very happy with my choice.
So now Age Comes With Commentary is officially up and running with three posts. I’m excited to keep this going, and I wanted to share what I chose to use. This is not a “you should get these items” blog. I’m just happy with my choices for now, and if you’re feeling lost and don’t know what to do, here are some products you can look at knowing they’re being used for this very blog. Good luck, and I hope this helps if you’re on this journey or just living vicariously through Age Comes With Commentary.
