moving house @ blogging

long story short, i’m leaving WordPress.

before the rants, i must say – i had been a fan of WordPress since the 2000s era, when a lot of Vietnamese writers published their fanfictions on this platform.

i evolved from being a fan to a writer on wordpress – since 2017 – it was a back-and-forth journey. proof below:

while 2022 and 2023 were peak years for my journey on wordpress, the fact that i published more of my writings during those years only confirmed assumptions i had before 2020.

the assumptions

1. i’ve out-grown the platform.
   
   as hard as it is to admit (personally), i’ve grown as a blogger. through random writing sessions, 30-day challenges, and 35-week writing journeys, i saw some posts hit well and others miss the mark. i saw posts with unnecessary dramas, and of course, meaningful message. these experiences constructed my belief in blogging and solidified my approach to publishing my thoughts (and dreams).
   
   and yet, while i’ve grown, WordPress has stayed the same. the biggest example is the interface (sure, there are updates, but not much) that still requires a lot of technical tasks, which distract me from simply writing. the plugins, comments, and interactions feel limited, which makes WordPress feel more like a cloud service than a true home for bloggers.
   
   
2. shifting trends in blogging
   
   i’m not the only one leaving WordPress.
   
   content consumption is simply changing. social media pushes short-form content, and those interested in long-form writing seem to prefer newsletters and serialized content. unlike traditional blogs that require intentional visits or bookmarking, newsletters land directly in your inbox.
   
   platforms like Substacks, Medium or even Patreon are leading this trend. they make it effortlessly for readers to subscribe and for writers to customize their audience with each newsletter.
   
   Substack, in particular, fosters a community for creators, with features for recommending other channels and even rewards for those who drive more recommendations, simply said, a brilliant way to encourage interaction and support bloggers.

the changes

with all of those assumptions, i realized it’s time for me to no longer attach my domains (gowiththeflaws) to WordPress, nor will I continue investing in domains, plugins, or backend upgrades on this platforms. .

i will continue to publish on this platform, but putting my efforts as if it’s a cloud services.

i will continue to write — on what I’ve learned with the world about life, love, learning and probably everything esle — in the most humble way possible—for anyone who might find it helpful, and for myself. my love for writing hasn’t changed, but my platform will.

with all of those confirmed assumption, i’ve decided it’s time to stop attaching my domain (gowiththeflaws) to WordPress and stop investing in domains, plugins, or backend upgrades on this platform.

i’ll continue to publish here, but i’ll treat wordpress as a cloud service from now on.

i’ll keep writing—sharing what i’ve learned about life, love, and learning—in the most humble way possible. my love for writing hasn’t changed, but my platform will.

the new home

as many of you might guess, i’m moving to Substack, where i’ll join many of my favorite fellow writers.

big kudos to Nguy (https://substack.com/@thenknpals) who showed me I don’t have to use serif fonts on Substack. i previously thought that Substacks only have san-serif fonts, which is a BIG NO NO for me lol.

dear respected readers – my biggest sources of motivation – if you (still) want to learn about my flaws, kindly subscribe to the new flow: gowiththeflaws on Substack (https://substack.com/@gowiththeflaws?utm_source=user-menu). it’s a work in progress. more updates coming soon. until then, cheers to a new beginning!

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