Help! I Need Somebody! (Actually, You May Not…)

Starting a blog or website can be an intimidating endeavor, especially if it is your first foray into the vast expanse of cyberspace.

I remember this every time I do consulting at the SBDC and talk with people who know that they need to jump feet first into the web, but feel powerless about how and where to make their leap. Among the most intimidating aspects for people without much experience is the uncertainty that can arise when they are faced with a problem for the first time.

For the older generation that did not grow up with the Internet ingrained in their daily lives, and for anyone who has never attempted to build a piece of online real estate from the foundation up, there can seemingly be a problem around every bend that immediately compels you to do your best Fab Four imitation:

Help! I need somebody! Help!

But here’s the thing: you actually may not need anybody.

I have found that one of the greatest attributes of the Internet is the fact that the Internet is actually its own greatest learning resource.

So while, yes, there may be times when you do in fact need somebody – especially in the very beginning when you might need a hand-hold through the basics – the beauty of the Internet is that the opinions, experiences, and advice of everybody are just one Google search away.

I remember when I first started Midwest Sports Fans (a self-hosted WordPress blog) I got the white screen of death and nearly fell out of my chair. This being my first experience with WordPress, I was of course both frightened and flabbergasted, just hoping that I hadn’t erased everything that I had worked so hard to create.

Not knowing what to do, I decided to ask Google. I searched something like “wordpress blog white screeen” and found result after result and page after page where other WordPress users were troubleshooting the same problem!

Ultimately, I found out that through the process of editing my wp-config.php files, unbeknownst to me, a stray space had been added to end of the code. Yes folks, one random space in one file made my whole blog turn white! But I was able to fix it and move forward, and I learned a couple of very valuable lessons in the process:

• Almost every problem you will ever face creating a website or blog (especially when you use an open source platform like WordPress) has been faced by someone else…and oftentimes many someone elses
• There is probably a discussion thread or a blog post tutorial out there somewhere that will provide you with steps to troubleshoot and fix the problem.

So instead of viewing your first foray into blogging as a solo experience in which you are out there on an island, think of it as sitting down at your computer with millions of other bloggers looking over your shoulder and watching out for you.

All you need is a search engine to find information on literally any problem you encounter.

That is power.

That is the Internet.

Tagged as: blogging help, google, troubleshooting