Heyo Bookaholics!

Changes have happened, and I’m here to let you in on all the secrets!

It took me two months, but I’m back blogging again. Two months too long. It’s also been two months since Endgame and I’ve finally been able to watch a Captain America movie without having my heart shatter.

On the topic of blogging – before I go on a tangent of how much I love Captain America and the injustice done to Natasha Romanoff in Endgame (-_-) – I am so glad to be back! Back to reviewing, writing and talking sh*t; producing content and having a site I can be proud of, all feels so good.

So What’s Changed?

Over the years I’ve made periodic tweaks to Jasper and Spice, here and there adjusting the theme, side-bar, graphics, etc. to make it look more aesthetically pleasing and just overall achieve the ideal look I am after.

This time is different.

This time, I’m doing things my way. Learning things, and taking the ownership of Jasper + Spice into my own hands. That’s right, I own my own domain!

I want to turn my journey into a lesson for all of you bloggers and prospective bloggers alike, by trying to answer some questions and debunk any myths you might have.

If my five years of blogging have taught me anything at all, it’s that you need support and people who you can ask all the stupid questions to. I’m that gal for you.

If you have any questions, I will be making this a series, if not, you will have this post as your ultimate reference. I will also be in the comments to help you out if you want any more information.

Choosing to self-host:

Why do people self-host? Is the biggest question you’ll ask yourself, probably after realising how pricy some self-hosting sites can be; and there are many out there. It’s also the most important question.

I had so many reservations about self-hosting, half because of the price, and half because I didn’t know what the hell self-hosting even meant! So I made the mistake of purchasing a plan with WordPress. I wouldn’t say it was a bad decision, but I didn’t get much for what I was paying, especially compared to self-hosting (but we’ll get to that).

Basically, choosing to self-host is a decision of:

Knowing what you want to do with your blog (monetise, customise, use plug-ins, etc).
Understanding the process of converting (if using an existing site) to the new host
What self-hosting will bring for you (plug-ins, freedom, cpanel, etc.)
Doing extensive research into self-host sites to know which is the best for you (factors can be: region/ location, pricing, levels of support, compatibility to blogging sites, etc.), usually depending on what aspects you value most.

For me, I like to know that I will have 24/7 support, WordPress compatibility, payment made in AUD, as well as hosting with good reviews that someone close to me has knowledge of (for extra help in times of crisis – I’m looking at you Tracy).

What are your choices?

If you type “self-hosting” into Google, hit search and look at the results on the first page you will see search results for the following:

Since I am not here to tell you about what to self-hosting is best or worst, I have linked posts above to help you. Blue Host is the most popular alternative as it is heavily endorsed by WordPress and is compatible with the popular blogging platform, but it isn’t the best option for me.

The WPBeginner blog is the best for all of your WordPress blogging questions, so check there if you want answers to any question or issue you encounter.

What I chose:

After so so much research and constant confusion-induced anxiety, I went on to use an Australian hosting site called VentraIP, which Tracy @trufflereads (www.trufflereads.com) uses for her site. I chose it mostly because Tracy could help me with the set-up, import, and any questions I have; it has 24/7 telephone support with super helpful humans on the other end and all transactions are in AUD!

There are obvious benefits (and cons) of each hosting site, and you just have to find the one that is the best for you. I’ve never used a hosting site or c-Panel before, so I essentially had to learn how to navigate it all.

But, because this post is getting a little too long, I will continue all of this chatter next weekend! I hope this helped you, maybe gave you some more questions than you’d hoped? Leave a comment down below! I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions, maybe try help you out a little 🙂