🧑🏫 How It All Began
It all started when a teacher showed me a blog he had created for his new born daughter. He also introduced me to a few websites run by talented professionals and said something I will never forget: “You should start your own site so your knowledge does not go to the grave with you.”
I liked the idea. I began browsing platforms that offered free blog hosting. I tried a few and finally settled on Vox.com because it had features I found ideal:
You could add a new post without going to a separate control panel
Each post had a built-in “edit” button
Tags and categories worked beautifully
Adding images was simple, even from Flickr
🛑 The Fall of Vox
Despite the convenience, I did not write much. The platform was slow but the real issue came when Vox.com announced it would shut down. That pushed me to take control. I wanted my own site, fully managed by me, with no risk of deletion.
🔍 Learning from Others
I started examining how other bloggers designed their websites. Some layouts caught my attention but one in particular, Ayberk.com, matched exactly what I had in mind. Even better, the owner had shared the code.
The site was built using ASP, a language I loved. I took the code, modified the layout and colors, gave credit to the owner, and added our school’s site beneath it. That was my first real step into site ownership and I was hooked.
🧱 Building Something That Lasts
The following year I gave my site a major redesign. I installed a text editor to streamline writing and kept refining details. I was still learning. I read a lot, experimented with speed and security, and aimed to make my site stand out.
But over time it became exhausting. I had to choose whether to focus on writing or continue maintaining the site from scratch.
🌀 Discovering WordPress
During this period I kept hearing about WordPress. It was becoming a standard and people were praising its features. When I found out a group of local developers was offering free hosting, I jumped in.
I installed WordPress immediately and chose a theme called News that suited my needs. After making minor adjustments I transferred all my posts.
Everything was smooth until my hosting provider, Ikra Hosting, decided to upgrade their servers.
⚠️ A Hard Lesson in Hosting
Because I was using their free plan, they deleted everything. No backups. No replies to my emails.
Eventually, after some serious back-and-forth, I retrieved my domain credentials and moved everything to Agora Hosting.
💡 Why Reliable Hosting Matters
This was an important lesson. Never work with someone just because the deal is cheap or familiar. It ends up being more expensive in the long run.
Agora Hosting is not cheap but they are responsive and reliable. I once asked them to fix a typo in my domain name and redirect traffic from the old one to the new one. They did it quickly. My site was on a Windows server and I requested a move to Linux. They handled it without hesitation.
📘 Final Thoughts
This journey has been more than a technical exercise. It has been about ownership, growth and learning from mistakes. From a simple Blogger site to a customized WordPress-powered platform, the experience has taught me that taking control of your content is always worth it.