And also, this shiny new BLOG!
I have officially graduated to "beginner web designer" now, I think. Before, my rank was "clueless drag-and-dropper." I have moved OtherRealm Studio off of Weebly and onto the hosting package that I got for IndieGen.xyz, which supports up to three sites and ten subdomains.
There are many reasons for this move, culminating in a sort of overall master plan to
Any endeavor inevitably turns its focus toward the rewards it gains. Like a sunflower faces the sun, a project faces what feeds it. I want IndieGen.xyz to focus on helping indie creators beat the invisibility problem. If I made it into a revenue-generating site that charged fees to creators or users, that wouldn't be the best thing for visibility.
But now, OtherRealm Studio is hosted on the same plan. My purpose for this site is a straightforward store where you can buy the stories, art, and artifacts you love. If OtherRealm Studio delivers what you want, it can sustain itself and pay for its hosting costs - and as a happy side effect, IndieGen.xyz and WINS - my private workshop and networking site for indie entertainment pros - get to come along for the ride too.
I started IndieGen.xyz and WINS with donations from generous individuals who believe in my vision and want to help. That got the sites off the ground and enabled me to take risks and learn to create sites using open-source software. But I didn't want to keep going back to those generous people and asking for more money in the future just to keep going.
I decided that the best way for me to be a good steward of the resources they blessed me with was to structure the three sites provided on the hosting plan this way. IndieGen.xyz helps audiences find indie entertainment - including OtherRealm Studio. WINS provides a private networking area to discuss potential projects and partnerships. And the OtherRealm Studio store provides entertainment to audiences and generates the revenue to continue.
I've also tried to be smart about my spending and use open-source software with few plug-ins, though I did hire an indie developer to create IndieGen.xyz (I don't mind supporting another indie when I can!)
I've bought a template theme and now, this blog section, to enhance the site, and I'm still coming in under budget for the whole renovation. I'm also excited about how much I've learned, and I've gained... maybe a little more confidence.
And now, it's time to sign off and see how my first post looks.
See you in the OtherRealm!