I love sharing my thoughts here on WordPress, but I envision something even bigger—a thriving, community-driven platform where blogging is just one piece of the puzzle. As I build toward this goal, each upgrade will happen as resources allow, ensuring steady growth and, hopefully, the opportunity to turn this into a sustainable livelihood.
The first and probably the best change will be a custom domain from Idotz.net and hosting through DreamHost as they have Paypal payments. I would have loved to stay with WordPress.com but they don’t have Paypal as a payment option for any of their hosting plans or other website products like themes or plugins. I don’t want to dive back into credit card debt when I’m in the process of getting rid of it! This upgrade will give me more flexibility with site customization and ensure that I’m building something sustainable—without financial setbacks slowing me down.
The next update will feature me switching themes from Twenty Twenty-five to GeneratePress. This will allow me to totally customize my site to the way I want it to feel going forwards. Currently on WordPress my options are limited to what I can do as a free member, and my themes are limited as well. Having a totally customizable theme will totally change everything – even before the bigger updates that will come after this one! With GeneratePress, I’ll finally have full control over my site’s look and feel, from fine-tuning design elements to improving speed and functionality. Even before the bigger updates roll out, this shift alone will make a huge difference!
With the theme and basic hosting out of the way, I’ll start integrating my other sites into my blog by adding WooCommerce and bbPress. With plugins for both, I’ll be able to add a lot of features to the site like a shop, services, memberships, and even a donation form that WooCommerce will be able to handle the payments for via Stripe and Paypal. The forums will replace my current Discord server for a community hub and place to find my beta modpacks for Minecraft. With WooCommerce Members, only paid members will get access to certain forums and posts, just like they do currently on my Discord server. Also, I’ll be able to shut down my Fourthwall shop with a WooCommerce plugin for a site like Printify which can handle the physical merchandise for me.
The second to last update would be adding an arcade via the MyArcadePlugin for WordPress. With addons to add stuff like theme integration, contests, feeds, and notifications, it will be certain to draw in a lot of people of all ages and encourage them to return and play some more!
The last update will be moving my video content off of YouTube and to either self-hosting or Vimeo – I haven’t decided which one. Regardless, both would allow me to add video content to WordPress with plugins for each option, and for the ability to make playlists via series. This is where another exclusive feature for members would start to shine – exclusive videos and live streams just for them. Members would also get other perks like the Beta modpack testing and feedback area in the forums, exclusive merch and merch discounts, and even exclusive contests in the arcade I mentioned earlier.
These updates are just the beginning, and I’m excited to take this journey step by step. My goal is to create a thriving, community-driven platform where blogging is just one part of something much bigger. As my blog evolves, I’d love to hear what you think—what features are you most excited about? Drop a comment and let’s make this space the best it can be together!
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