Welcome to the New Frozen Royalty

If you last read this blog prior to around 12:45 AM on July 24, 2008, you’re probably surprised by what you see.

Yes, Frozen Royalty not only has a new look, but the site has also been moved to a new blog host. As I’ve gotten deeper into blogging and as Frozen Royalty has grown since its inception back in late January, 2008, I’ve looked at a lot of blogs, hockey-related and otherwise, and have noticed that there are some things I could be doing with my blog and some features that this blog sorely lacked.

The most important of those missing features was the ability to display just a “teaser” for an entry on the main blog page, with the full story available by clicking on a “Read More” link. This would reduce clutter and allow readers to more quickly find what interests them.

Also, I’ve been looking for a blog host that would support a three-column blog so that I could use both the left and right margins for static information such as links to other sites, article tags, etc.

Unfortunately, Google’s Blogger service, which was my original blog host, does not support teasers or three-column blogs. Don’t get me wrong…Blogger is great. It has a lot of power, is really easy to use and get a blog set up (only took me a couple of hours when I first got started) and it allows you to add Javascript code, so you can add all those fancy widgets like you’ve probably seen on my blog for Technorati, LAKings.com, etc.

Nevertheless, I have reached the conclusion that Frozen Royalty really needs the teaser and three-column capabilities, so the time has come to move to a new blog host that offers these features, WordPress.

So…the blog will look different and because WordPress does not support Javascript (they cite security concerns), you will not see the widgets on the new version of my blog.

Alas, while those fancy widgets are cool and on the glitzy side, and although they are an easy way to move onto other resources on the web or get related information quickly and easily, they are not absolutely necessary. Besides, I figure those of you who read this blog know where to find hockey news on ESPN.com, NHL.com, the Kings’ official web site, etc.

Moreover and, in many ways, more importantly, WordPress has a much more active developer community, both in-house and across the Internet (or should I say blogosphere?). Why? Because WordPress is an open source project, which means there are literally hundreds and hundreds of people all over the world developing great code for the WordPress software. Out of that will come more and more new features and capabilties, and they will come faster than Blogger’s in-house developers seem to be able to crank out new ones. Also, you can bet the quality of the new WordPress features will be higher and will be refined quicker because of its open source roots.

For example, WordPress easily supports site maps, which allows search engines such as Google to more easily scour a web site and find everything to add to its indexes. This can often result in higher site rankings. Blogger does not support site maps. In stark contrast, WordPress creates them for your blog automatically. You don’t have to lift a finger.

Another example of the speed and quality of the ongoing open source development for WordPress is the new iPhone application for posting on or editing a WordPress blog. This is not a lame web-based application. Rather, it is a full-fledged application that runs natively on the iPhone 3G and on the original iPhone after upgrading its firmware to version 2.0.

I have not used the WordPress iPhone application much yet, but my first impression is that it runs fast, has a great interface, is easy to use and does the job.

As for Blogger? Try posting on your blog using an iPhone via the web. You would have better luck trying to squeeze water out of a rock.

For more information on how the WordPress project has developed and grown over the years, check out the WordPress.org web site.

For the next 24-48 hours or so, while DNS (domain name servers) across the Internet catch up to the change, you may experience trouble accessing this blog. Don’t worry…it’s here. Your Internet service provider’s DNS servers will eventually be updated and you’ll find the blog consistently. Eventually, I will be working on the look and feel of the site as I learn how to customize WordPress, which is significantly different from Blogger.

In any case, welcome to the new digs! Let me know what you think about the new look and feel free to offer suggestions for improvements, features, etc. Thank you!

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