This blog got started a dozen years ago when the Microsoft Live Spaces social platform went belly up. Some of my posts were transferred over from the Clubhouse and I started promoting blogging using the WordPress site.
Here are some links to old posts: Goodbye Spaces! – Spaces to WordPress – the Move – Spaces to WordPress – new Look, new Language
With each demonstration in class about setting up a blog I got one more site. My regular readers know that story.
WordPress grew into dominance. I like to think that I contributed a miniscule fraction of a millionth to that success.
The small ads after each post seemed to support the increasingly more powerful features of WordPress.com.
Then, a couple years ago, came the agonizingly amateurish transition to the agonizingly painful “blocks”. The cost must have been substantial as the WordPress basic hosting was increased to $12 per month. They saw the error of their ways and it is now at $4. They decided to use another route to increased income. Take a look at this screen capture. You need to scroll down a bit.
The modest, if not always tasteful, ads have now increased in number and size to where they take up more space than my posts. They are obnoxious, overbearing, and offensive.
I can take it no more.
There is a fee of $2 per month for removing these ads. If I had just one or two blogs, this would be acceptable, but with my more than a dozen sites this is clearly not affordable.
I have decided to start migrating from the WordPress.com platform. I have not given up on WordPress and will move to self-hosted sites. In the weeks to come I will share more about this move.
.:. © 2022 Ludwig Keck
This 'n That 
Arrrrgggh…that BLOCKHEAD editor! It’s 🤬. I use the old original “Classic,” still. It’s easy to get to (at least for now). And those awful ads can be removed, too, for free. Well, free unless you want your site found by search engines. There’s a page (in General – Settings, under Privacy) where we can choose, search engines or ads. I choose no ads” (“discourage search engines”), have never seen one on my sites. Oh – I’m one of the free users. No domain, no plan., etc. 🙃 Yes – wow – WP has changed a lot since I got here in 2007 and each time I think I’ll have to move, but so far I’ve found workarounds. Will you let us know where you’re going? 🥰
Me, again! 🤗 I just looked at those links. Migrating here to WP must’ve been a very big adjustment! When the original Vox (owned by SixApart) closed a lot of the members – including me – started daily blogging here. I’d joined WP a few years earlier so it was a,bit less traumatic for me than the folks I knew on Vox. But it was upheaval, nonetheless, and – like you – I opened multiple WP blogs. Wish I’d seen your sites(s) earlier! 🥰
Thank you, Robin. I will certainly keep sharing my journey. I have precious few followers and would dearly like to have them come along to my new sites. Keep looking in.
Thank you!
I wonder about the block editor and cannot imagine why they thought this would be better???
And the ads are annoying in a few blogs I follow – because as you noted – sometimes they take up more space than the post!
I know they have to pay for servers and staff and it is all about generating revenue – but too many ads could be forcing a lot of folks out!
For example / this is why i stopped reading news on the guardian and huff post! Ad after ad after ad!
And there are many sites I just leave because of this assault of advertising.
-/
Hmmm
Anyhow – best wishes Ludwig and keep us posted
I loathe the blocks too, and that nothing works with Windows Live Writer anymore. Best blogging tool ever.
I hope you find something that works for you!
Ah, I see that this post answers my question in my previous comments, $2 month to block ads. I only have three WordPress blogs and so far none of them have been used to generate income. But that might have to change to justify the $2/month. I’m glad you wrote about this – I’ve been thinking about writing something but never got around to it…