Start a Personal Resume/Portfolio Site, Here’s how.

January 29th, 2009 Posted in Blogging

This is a follow-up post to the question of what kind of site is this where you name is the URL? Thanks for the great questions Brittany!

Question: How did you create your site / how can I start my own?

Answer: There are two good routes.

1. Free - Use WordPress.com and register a site as yourname.wordpress.com

Downsides: you don’t have as much control over adding other features (Plugins) or changing the appearance (themes). Looks less professional due to being a .wordpress.com domain. (Also, can’t put ads on it)

Upsides: Free, quick and easy to start. Some exposure benefit to being in the WordPress system. You can export posts to self-hosted if need be.

2. Self-hosted – This is the best option. You have the software on hosting you rent. Downloaded from WordPress.org - domain can be yourname.com

Downsides: This will cost $10 a year to buy the domain. And for good hosting $5-7/month. There are places that have Wordpress specific hosting for $10/year! I wouldn’t use the $10 option if you plan on getting large amounts of traffic. (you can always switch hosts) It is also a bit of a learning curve to install. However most hosts offer “Fantastico” which allows pretty much 2 click install and configuring of Wordpress.

Tubu.net - $10/year + domain registration. HostGator.com - $5/month and up (aff link) WordPress Hosting Recommendation

Upsides: You have complete control over Wordpress. Change the appearance and functionality to your heart’s content. Can be at yourname.com You can usually create email addresses @yourname.com You can have ads if you like. Can rank more easily for your name.

My site is self-hosted and that is the route I would recommend. I have started many WordPress sites and would be glad to answer questions about the process or help someone start their own. I started a few sites on WordPress.com and regret it now as one of them gets over 3000 visits a day and I cannot monetize that without moving it to self-hosted (thus losing some of the SEO value it has built up). Resources:

http://www.blakeimeson.com/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/digg_48.png

http://www.blakeimeson.com/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/stumbleupon_48.png

http://www.blakeimeson.com/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/delicious_48.png

http://www.blakeimeson.com/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/facebook_48.png

http://www.blakeimeson.com/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/sphinn_48.png

http://www.blakeimeson.com/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/twitter_48.png

5 Responses to “Start a Personal Resume/Portfolio Site, Here’s how.”

Cindy Logan Says:
February 1st, 2009 at 10:33 pm
I found your site and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good articles. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you!
Ultimate Guide to Self-Hosting WordPress | Blake Imeson *Innovatrepreneur Says:
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:18 pm
[...] hosting it yourself. It is easier than you think. In a previous post I highlighted why you should host WordPress on your own domain. This is the next step. [...]
Mike Says:
May 7th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
I'd add a third option, use Raveal. You get a resume, portfolio, and even a consolidated blog feed. For the ultimate personalization, point your own domain at it.

http://raveal.com
buddz Says:
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Thanks for the post. I went with the self-hosting option, much more liberties and very afordable
vinay Says:
June 21st, 2009 at 10:29 pm
I made my own website using blogger and registered domain directly through blogger.com for 10$. That is all I spent for my website
http://www.vinaymanda.com/2008/06/creating-own-personal-website.html

Blake Imeson *Innovatrepreneur