WordPress Won Me Over Again

I’ve had a heartfelt change of mind. Instead of migrating to a new blog host this year, I decided it’s best to stay put. Despite its warts, WordPress will remain my blogging home. Why this decision, and what about my HTML site at NeoCities? Good questions.

Recently publishing about my “Neo Blogflow,” I had pushed as far as I could up against a full commitment of migrating from WordPress to my Neocities site. I had done all the necessary prep. Then I tested out the actual back-posting process, which requires much manual effort.

I kind of knew that the amount of time and work it would take was daunting, and after tasting a sample of it, the burden weighed heavily. I felt an ache to simplify things and avoid undue exhaustion. Though I really like the direct control and full customization of my Neocities site (blog tinkering is its own hobby), the labor of just porting my posts by hand was too much; it’s not really feasible for me.

With that, I asked myself, “What if I could instantly and perfectly port all of my WordPress posts to Neocities and that whole process was done, then what?”

Of course, I would blog. The workflow would simplify, but I would more or less blog like I do now. Then I realized, I could just blog more simply now on WordPress - no need to switch hosts. I also kept thinking about some things I would lose (and miss) by leaving WordPress. And I recalled how I left WordPress in 2022, used two other platforms, and ended back at WordPress in 2023; I’d likely return to WordPress again if I left.

So I’m avoiding the self-imposed huge undertaking of manual post migration. I’ll keep the luxuries of the WordPress CMS. And I can go ahead and simplify my blog workflow now. Plus, I’ll practice being content with the blog host I have.

That’s not all. I refreshed my WordPress layout too. Once again, I’m using the Tujours theme. It’s simple with a bit of orange flare. But this time, I’ve taken lessons learned from my HTML tinkering and made more changes towards minimalism that I’m really happy with.

  • No more widgets

  • No side bar

  • No nested menus

  • Easier navigation

Final thoughts

Truly, I wondered if I would have enough gumption to wrangle all my posts from WordPress to Neocities (or anywhere else). When it came down to it, I noped outta there, longing for less upending. For all its warts, WordPress is my settlement and remains a great CMS overall. I think all will be well. As for my Neocities site, I’ll keep it for when I feel like practicing and learning more HTML.