How I started designing websites and blogging?
I started designing websites in 1999. My first website was not even for myself but for my town and an internet group where members are from my town and are residing in different countries. The websites were hosted free at GeoCities and still exist until today. I do not update those sites anymore but they are being maintained.
Pandan Bay Sunset
Eventually I bought the domain name pandan-antique.com in August 2000 for my town. Over the years, I have bought several other domain names, sehdi.com for my web designs and weggis.net in 2002, sofiehofmann.com for my personal use in 2003, and pandan.ph, another domain name for my town in 2005.
I was not using any software then for my web designs. I just use simple HTML and later on simple PHP. I was updating the websites regularly and I wanted to document it. I needed a platform like a blog. I have heard about Blogger a long time ago but never really paid attention to it. It took me years before I finally opened an account with Blogger.
On March 17, 2005, I wrote my first blog entry. Actually, I posted a photo for my first blog entry entitled Pandan Bay Sunset. The website at geocities.com/pandan_antique, my first Pandan website which I created in 1999 still exists and has been revised several times. On April 02, 2005, I wrote my first blog entry at my personal blog at sofiehofmann.blogspot.com. But my personal website at geocities.com/sofiehofmann was created in 2000 and has also been revised several times. I removed a lot of photos especially our wedding photos in that site.
I heard about LiveJournal too, so I tested it and wrote Funny. During that time, using my own design was not possible with LiveJournal, and so, on September 16, 2005, I created another blog for my web design site and wrote just a very short note entitled Web Designs. I was able to modify the CSS at Blogger. I was able to customize it and used my own web design.
Using Blogger and LiveJournal was not satisfying enough for me. I installed WordPress for the very first time on October 01, 2005 for my web design blog and I wrote about it at sehdi.blogspot.com entitled New Sehdi.com Blog but my first web design site at sehdi.tripod.com was already existing since 2001. I just transferred the content at sehdi.com in 2002 when I bought the domain name. Sehdi.com has been revised several times too.
On December 01, 2005, I launched SofieHofmann.com using simple PHP but used WordPress for its blog. I wrote about it at sehdi.blogspot.com entitled Launching SofieHofmann.com! and at the same time at sehdi.com blog also entitled Launching SofieHofmann.com!.
I was so impressed with WordPress not only as a blogging platform but also when being used as a CMS. Since then, I have been using the publishing platform WordPress as a CMS for almost all my websites.
Note:
Just for my readers information, I have tested other softwares too but WordPress was more impressive. It was easy to install and easy to understand. Being a web designer, I have no problems with other softwares but why should I use the others when there is WordPress which is quite easy to customize.
Why do we have to complicate things when we can simplify them. 
meron ka talagang talento sa mga bagay na ito. kasi ako sa totoo lang, hindi ko sya matindinhan until now… marunong akong magsulat at mag upload ng photos, yun lang, hehe
Hello Kengkay,
Wala ka lang oras magbasa kasi. Patiyagaan lang naman yan e. Siempre iba naman ang priorities mo dahil may mga tsikiting ka nga.
ako naman pang kindergarten lang alam! hehe
Was browsing your sehdi com before, you designed for lux and other org sites galeng galeng eh! napapa bow ako noon til now:) Ang no.1 requirement sa designing ata eh pasensya at tiyaga! medyo kulang ako niyan lalo may kuto este bata sa paligid ligid hehe
Hello cheh,
Korek ka dyan manay cheh! Paramihan ng pasensya at tiyaga.
Wow, magaling ka pala talagang mag-web design. Good for you sis kasi ako kindergarden pa rin hanggang ngayon.
Yep, it is recommended to use Blogger first as a newbie. Wordpress is for the tech savvy na kasi at magaganda yung themes nila…
Hello Snow,
Yong Blogger puwede ka ring gumawa ng sarili mong design. I have done it. Kaya lang di siya ganoon ka-ok as a CMS dahil blogging platform lang talaga siya.
and don’t stop what you’re doing Sofie…you have the talent, more power!
have a fine weekend!!
Hello Thess,
Well, I already refused some people but it will remain as a hobby. I’ll accept a project only if I really have all the time and can concentrate on it.
I agree with you 101% with what you’ve said about wordpress. I am not a tech savvy person but somehow I’ve managed to put up a blog at wordpress. User-friendly kasi siya eh. I just explored everything, trial and error din. Natutuhan ko rin kahit paano how to navigate.
I admire people na matiyagang mag-aral sa mga ganyan. I would love to learn web design pero talagang hindi ako makahanap ng time for that.
Hello Nortehanon,
Yep, WordPress is a good platform, easy to learn as long as you have the patience. Just a little bit of tweaking and you can have the look that you want. It’s all about patience in reading, reading, reading, and comprehending what you’re reading.
Wow, your dedication in promoting Pandan through your blog is very inspiring. I’m from Iloilo and visited Pandan and Tibiao last April. I really love the unspoiled beauty of Antique. I will help promote its many tourist attraction in my blog.
Hello gladita!
Thanks for helping promoting Pandan!