The last few weeks have been all about pros and cons. In June, I wrote several blog posts about my biggest strengths, and now I’m writing about some of my greatest challenges. So the two categories are, roughly, “Stuff I’m Good At” and “Stuff I Wish I Was Better At.” Last week’s post was about being a technophobe in general, but this week I want to address why I wish I was better at some of this high-tech stuff.
That’s why I decided to devote an entire blog post to WordPress. It might seem a little “meta” to write about something on the platform that is your topic, but it doesn’t strike me as too bizarre. Years ago, I would never have thought to write an essay on my typewriter about the typewriter—but then, I never actually thought the typewriter was all that complex or difficult to use.
By contrast, WordPress is both incredibly complex and—to my way of thinking—relatively difficult to use. Yet it remains one of the most popular platforms among writers, and many people have written about how easy it is to master.
Easy For You, Maybe
Not to toot my own horn, but I’m pretty much self-taught on WordPress. My old web guy set me up with it when he redesigned my website, and I must admit, I was appalled at first. Whereas the original site had a section that was easy to use when it came to setting up new blog posts, the brand new WordPress site had all sorts of bells and whistles. And that didn’t make me happy.
You see, I like things simple when it comes to mechanical objects. For example, I own a Honda Accord, a car that starts every day when I turn the key in the ignition. Now, I like that. I don’t work on cars, and I don’t want to work on cars. (In that case, I actually don’t like it, nor am I good at it. There are a few things I’m not good at, that I still like to try to do—but not many.)
Much the same could be said of a setup like the one you get with WordPress. In my own case, I went from a situation where I could click a button and write a blog post to the following:
- Click “Use the Divi Builder.”
- Click “Load Layout.”
- Choose “Articles.”
- Choose “Full Width.”
- Select your Featured Image.
- Set Featured Image.
And on, and on, and on. The then-new setup required a 14-minute video tutorial, whereas the old setup required a couple clicks of a button or two. I was not a happy camper.
The Devil You Know
With that much complaining, you’d think I never got used to the WordPress interface. But in fact, I did get used to it, and after using the tutorial to set up new posts, I was able to go without it after only about 89 times. Not bad, eh?
Then WordPress created a typical “Divi Builder Upgrade,” eliminating even more of those pesky words I like so much, and replacing them with more symbols. One man’s upgrade is another man’s devolution, I suppose.
Yet when a colleague of mine recommended switching my website to a different platform, I resisted the idea heavily—and have resisted to this day. Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t, as my mother is fond of saying.
Do I wish I had a better grip on all this high tech stuff? Yes, but only because I don’t like to waste time struggling with software. In a perfect world, I’d outsource all of it.
What about you? Are you more computer-savvy than the average bear? Let me know in the comments below. Commiserating welcome, of course.
