I’ve been in the Information Technology field a long time. I started in 1979 when it was called Computer Operations, because there was really little “Information” being computed and very little “Technology”. It was just a giant white box in a room with the letters IBM on the side and some green screen computer terminals with built-in keyboards. It was so long ago that it was before the internet.

I figured over the years I learned a thing or two while working in IT. About thirty years ago I started writing computer code to create websites. There were no drag and drop tools like today, you had to write code that had all kind of bizarre syntax and structure. They were very simple sites with a few pictures and some words. As time went on, the ability to create websites got easier. A lot easier. They now have tools that most anyone can use to create a website. A really good looking one!

A few months ago, I started converting some websites that I maintain over to a product named WordPress. And by converting, I mean re-creating the site in WordPress. From scratch. WordPress started out as a Blog (web log) that people would use to write about, and receive comments, on different topics. It has become a free, open-source content management system (CMS) that allows users to create websites, blogs, and other web content. It's one of the most popular CMSs in the world. It is easy to use and comes with a ton of back-end tools that can really get you into trouble if you don’t know what you are doing.

Well, I don’t know what I am doing!

I started with www.tonyieradi.com I gave it a new look and added the blog you’re reading now. It took a few tries to get it looking like I wanted, and getting it connected to my domain name (the thing you type in to go to a website).  It’s a new interface to me so there was a learning curve. I had so many instances of the new website, I thought I would clean things up and move them where I thought they should be. That broke almost everything. I had to call support. They saw the mess I created and asked me “do I have a web developer who knows what they’re doing”. I said, “That’s me”. They said for $49 they could fix the mess I made, and suggested I hire a knowledgeable web developer. Humph.

I then started creating the new Middletown Township Historical Society website. BTW check out www.mthsdelco.org There is a lot of cool things and articles there. I made it look 99% like the old site. It took days to upload all the articles, and create membership forms, and get it looking just right. And then, I thought I would move it around and accidently deleted it! Twice. And when I tried to recover it on my own, I deleted a few databases that broke other sites. I don’t even remember what the staging sites were named so I am not sure I can pay another $49 to have that restored. Maybe I’ll just start over again. Or maybe hire a web developer 😊

So here’s what I now know, Life’s a lesson. I learn something new every day. I’m learning when to stay in my lane. And if I can’t stay in my lane, I’ll go off the beaten path, do some road work, learn how to fix it, and then have it paved so it becomes my own lane.