In Today’s Journal
* Web Stuff
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Web Stuff
Yesterday a writer asked about who I’d recommend for a website platform. I thought I’d share my extended response here:
First, I recommend strongly AGAINST going with wordpress[dot]com or any of the other similar platforms. They are advertised as free, but they will nickel and dime you to death with necessary options. Some even assume ownership of your content.
Second, I recommend strongly AGAINST going with any website builder or web hosting service that doesn’t allow you to retain all rights to what you post on the platform. Read the Terms of Service (TOS).
If you don’t want to slog your way through every word of the TOS, at least search them for keywords like “copyright,” “ownership,” “content,” etc.
Okay, so what do I recommend?
For a web platform
I recommend WordPress.org. You have full ownership of all of your content. There is no cost unless you choose to add (and pay for) premium plugins. If you do, that’s between you and whomever owns the plugin. Also, most web hosts have a one-click tool to install WordPress on your URL.
For a theme (the “face” of your website)
I recommend Tom Usborne’s Generate Press. I use Generate Press on all my websites, including some I built for other people.
You can do literally ANYthing with this theme, and it’s fully responsive. That means it looks good and is usable whether viewed on a computer, a pad, or a phone.
I do also recommend buying the Generale Press premium plugin, which vastly extends the functionality of the theme.
Finally, for a web host
I recommend Entirely Digital.
I also recommend you avoid many of the “big” hosts like BlueHost, JustHost, etc. that pop up when you do a search for the “best” webhosts. Many of those are just different versions of the same foreign-based, unresponsive company. Been there, done that, was severely burned.
Hope this helps. Be sure to see the items in Of Interest. There’s a lot down there today.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
The Art of Intimacy in Writing
Explore everything 1440 has found on Biosphere 2.
Explore everything 1440 has found on Apple.
Explore everything 1440 has found on Self-Driving Cars.
Need a Home for your Men’s Fiction?
The Numbers
The Journal………………….. 370
Mentorship Words…………….. 200
Total Nonfiction…………………. 570
Writing of Blackwell Ops 51: Sam Granger | The Road Back
Day 1…… 2807 words. To date………… 2807
Day 2…… 2489 words. To date………… 5296
Day 3…… 3111 words. To date………… 8407
Day 4…… 2430 words. To date………… 10837
Day 5…… 3274 words. To date………… 14111
Day 6…… 4034 words. To date………… 18145
Fiction for November……………………… 35206
Fiction for 2025…………………………… 697247
Nonfiction for November.………………… 10740
Nonfiction for 2025………………..……… 250210
2025 consumable words………………… 939888
2025 Novels to Date…………………….. 17
2025 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2025 Short Stories to Date……………… 36
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………….. 121
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 10
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 310
Short story collections……………………. 29