plurkshop
says
Plurkshop- let's get started! Debra, a Wordpress programmer and goddess, is here to answer all your questions about switching from blogger
plurkshop
says
to Word Press.
plurkshop
asks
are you guys ready to learn?
Beth Harte
says
Hey Deb...looking forward to learning about the switch!
Debra Simpson
says
my pleasure
woohoo!
Debra Simpson
says
Plurkshop let me know when you're ready to go....
plurkshop
says
Debra do you want to say a couple of things to prepare folks for making the switch?
Tegala
was
on Debra's page waiting for it to start. 
Debra Simpson
says
I started blogging on blogger in Feb 2005
Debra Simpson
says
I'm an html programmer so I could customize the blog with the html easily to look very similar to my site
plurkshop
says
sorry Teeg, now matter how hard I try to explain that it will be on plurkshop the message doesn't seem to get out there. my apologies!
bigepaz
says
I love wordpress. Never going back to blogger
Debra Simpson
says
I stayed there until I discovered wordpress in 2007 and I fell in love with the idea of a self hosted blog so the traffic would be mine
waynesutton
says
let's go
Debra Simpson
says
whoa, I was surprised at how "next to impossible" it was to export my blogger xml
Beth Harte
says
Debra, what do you mean by the traffic would be yours?
Tegala
says
not your fault at all! I missed the message. Debra, you might want to post a quick Plurk on your page guiding here though.
plurkshop
says
is anyone finding that plurk is not auto-updating?
Debra Simpson
says
I can't even remember the convoluted process I went through the only time I was successful.....
Beth Harte
says
Yep, not auto-updating...
Debra Simpson
says
I found this really cool tool that did it for me and I was sharing it when the idea for this plurkshop came about
Debra Simpson
says
well..I went to blogger today and they have a new "draft" dashboard...very hidden and now they allow you to change to the
elise_caile
has
a blogger blog and wants to know what the major differences/advantages are (?) to switching to wordpress.
Debra Simpson
says
new dashboard which easily allows you to export your xml file
Debra Simpson
says
new dashboard which easily allows you to export your xml file
Sloitkut
wonders
if everyone is having to refresh the plurkshop page to see the latest comments
ScrapNancy
says
any idea if this works for Typepad too?
Debra Simpson
says
blogger and wordpress.com are free blog sites
Tegala
says
caile when i switched from blogger to wordpress, I went from 6 visitors to 200 visitors a day almost instantly.
Debra Simpson
says
the main problem with that is that you are at their mercy - they can pull your blog any time
[note: plurkshops happen so fast that auto-updating does not seem to work. Please manually refresh.]
Debra Simpson
says
also the traffic you generate from your blogs at the free sites belong to the sites themselves, not you
Guys, if you're on the plurk page you're going to have to refresh manually. sorry. 
Beth Harte
says
Teeg, why did the traffic increase? Due to how WP sends the links out?
Daddy-O
says
do you mean moving from blogspot to wordpress? I use blogger, but everything is hosted on my server and I have my own template, etc...
Debra Simpson
says
that's why your address is magicinwords.blogspot.co...
Beth Harte
says
would love to increase my traffic!
Debra Simpson
says
it can be very difficult to track traffic with common tools unless you play with the code
plurkshop
says
yes, we are having to manually refresh! Sorry gang
Beth Harte
says
Blogger can pull your blog? Even if you have it on your own URL?
Debra Simpson
says
I believe Blogger can be self hosted, right? I just fell in love with wordpress and never pursued that
Beth Harte
says
Yep, I bought my URL through Blogger, so that's one of my questions for tonight. How do I transfer my URL to WP.
Debra Simpson
says
not sure about typepad - even though you are on their server you do pay - The Blog Squad could answer that one
Tegala
says
bethharte I lucked into a good Search engine optimized blog and hit google running. I hadn't even been showing up on blogger.
Daddy-O
says
yes, I use Blogger --> ftp to my site. But I'm fed up with Blogger's CMS and am interested in moving to Wordpress anyway.
Debra Simpson
says
no, bethharte not on your own url - only the free sites
Beth Harte
says
Blogger is free and I bought my URL through Google (ultimately), so am I stuck? Can't I transfer my URL to WP?
ScrapNancy
says
Daddy-O similar reason I am thinking of leaving Typepad...more flexibility
Debra Simpson
says
Teeg kinda funny that was bloggers claim to fame is that they are owned by Google and should be shown priority in search engines
Tegala
says
bethharte you own your domain name. What you will be doing is transferring who hosts it for you. You're not stuck.
Beth Harte
says
To clarify, Blogger gave me the option to buy my URL and it was simple to do, so I did it. But if I move to WP, I want my URL
Debra Simpson
says
bethharte you have to program wordpress on your host and point the url there
Tegala
says
Debra LOL I know! I had some friends who convinced me to move because they'd found they didn't get the traffic on blogger either.
Beth Harte
says
Didn't think so, but will I need to find a hoster? Or will WP host the blog for me? Then I transfer the URL.DNS redirect I think it's called
Beth what you want to do is a simple transfer/redirect
Beth Harte
says
Got it. So I use an interim URL to program...
Beth I'd recommend a host anyway. They're so cheap - there are good ones for about $7/month
Tegala
says
bethharte You will have to find a new host. I've used dreamhost for almost a year and love it, if you need recommendations.
inmotionhosting.com has WP as part of their basic package, and your account can host up to 20 sites I think
Beth Harte
says
Amber, not to be stupid here, but how? Do I contact Google or is there another way? I am used to dealing with hosters...
Beth Harte
says
Thanks Teeg, that's what I needed to know. And thanks for the reco.
elise_caile
says
ok well if Teeg says it's so, i'll go with that. i already own my own domain name and know how to transfer it but the whole process of
elise_caile
says
moving my blog over is scary (and i'm L.A.Z.Y.) but i'd prefer to have a better platform. what's the point if no one visits? 
Beth Harte
says
Caile, it is a bit nerve-wracking...
Tegala
says
let me see what the best deal they offer right now is.
Beth, I can help you with that when you get there. You request a domain transfer thru your new host.
i currently use 1and1.com and has been great. Heard good stuff about midphase.com as well
Beth Harte
asks
for more details on the simple transfer/redirect 
Debra Simpson
says
wow was that long - I had time to make dinner
Beth Harte
says
Got it! Have done that with my work website. Just wanted to clarify. Thanks Amber!
MackCollier
says
Debra sorry if you've already answered this, but how hard is it to keep your links and Pagerank if you move from Blogger to WP?
Beth, when you get your new host, there will be a place to go to transfer a domain.
bigepaz
thinks
you have a lot more freedom with Wordpress and more options
I've done it with my host 1and1 a few times
Daddy-O
says
I always has good luck transferring my domains with GoDaddy. They even call to follow up and make sure everything's going OK.
Daddy-O
says
I don't use them for hosting, though.
Debra Simpson
says
I love using Dreamhost and Wordpress is very flexible #bethharte I can help you with that, don't worry
Beth Harte
says
the transfer seems easy. Now for Mack's question...
Debra Simpson
says
No NO GoDaddy for hosting
Debra Simpson
says
I found out the hard way - just too slow over there
ScrapNancy
says
I'm scared of WordPress! I'm a Typepad power user and am worried that WordPress is too much "programming" like.
the redirects and link preservation are my chief concern, too
Debra Simpson
says
my experience was my page ranking increased rapidly when I self hosted
Debra Simpson
says
I use google analytics too, to help me keep track, as well as host stats
Beth Harte
says
Is there a lot of programming on WP? Nancy, I thought that too... But there are some really nice WP templates.
nancynally WordPress is actually very user friendly. Not programmy at all, or I wouldn't be able to use it LOL
elise_caile
says
i didn't like godaddy either. just my personal thoughts.
Debra Simpson
says
I think the key is to keep on posting, and put it on all your social sites
Beth Harte
says
Debra, why do you think your page ranking increased?
Debra more specifically, for those of us that have actually built some traffic and pagerank already, we want to preserve it when we move
Debra Simpson
says
SEO is not my expertise so I defer to those who are - I came from small business
Tegala
says
also don't use GoDaddy to look up domains you're interested in. I've had them buy them out from under me.
Debra Simpson
says
where no one could control the content on their site
Debra Simpson
says
blogging seemed the perfect
Debra Simpson
says
self publishing site for a solopreneur
Debra Simpson
says
don't let GoDaddy auto renew your domains either
Beth Harte
says
Great...I bought another domain through GoDaddy. Now what?!
Myrnaslist
says
if you want to have a jumpstart on SEO you could always get semiologic pro
plurkshop
says
so Debra you are saying the transfer does impact your page rank and you have to compensate by promoting your "new" blog site?
Debra Simpson
says
I think it's the posting and I actively send traffic there - also I noticed my traffic increase after I joined some social networking sites
Debra Simpson
says
like facebook, mybloglog and here, especially with the widgets you can put on your site
Beth Harte
says
But if you used your existing URL, how much ranking would you loose? Is it because the DNS would change?
Debra Simpson
says
plurkshop, I can't answer that definitively, I do know that once I self hosted my site, it went from 0 to 3 in six months
Debra Simpson
says
no, bethharte a new url
Tegala
says
Bethharte you have to own it for a set period and then you can transfer it to your new hosting company.
Debra Simpson
says
oh, I'm sorry, when I program a website, I try to use the same architecture
Beth Harte
says
I noticed when I tested TypePad I got a lot more Google traffic but didn't like TP... Wondering if it's the same for WP
Debra Simpson
says
I'm guessing that if you pull your blog out, your structure in fact Im sure your sturcture comes with you
Debra Simpson
says
maybe there's an SEO here who could answer that better than I
Beth Harte
says
How lone is a set period of time Teeg? I have only owned my URL for about 3-4 months. Will I be held hostage?
Debra Simpson
says
bethharte I have several urls at GoDaddy, I just keep track of them myself
ScrapNancy
says
I get a lot of Google traffic on Typepad for sure.
Debra Simpson
says
bethharte I know how to get around GoDaddy and transferring domains
Tegala
says
bethharte that's long enough. I think it's 6 weeks, but would have to look it up to make sure
Debra Simpson
asks
did I come close to answering all the questions??
Beth Harte
says
It's not GoDaddy for this domain, it's Blogger who has it.
Debra Simpson
says
typepad is more user friendly, I believe, but not quite as flexible as wordpress
Tegala
says
Debra Wish I'd talked to you before I tried to transfer mine from GoDaddy. Phone support wasn't even sure it was possible!
Debra Simpson
says
wordpress has a pretty big development community to keep those upgrades and plugins coming
Debra Simpson
says
Teeg some make it almost impossible for us to change...
Debra Simpson
says
Blogger must have used a service - I can check that out for you
Debra Simpson
says
hold on, I have a window open
Debra my favorite thing is after they can't answer your question, they ask "Will you fill out a survey and say how good our service is?"
Debra Simpson
says
GoDaddy uses a Google partner for domain registration
Debra Simpson
says
Teeg ahahahahahahahahaha
ScrapNancy
says
good description of Typepad vs. WordPress Debra...I'm afraid to give up user-friendly LOL
ScrapNancy
says
but I really want some of the really cool WordPress things I have seen.
Debra Simpson
says
look we all have different reasons and your reasons for staying at typepad are as valid as someone's who is leaving typepad
Debra Simpson
says
blog often with good content and you'll be fine
servantofchaos
says
I use both WordPress and Typepad ... I like both but with WordPress you can tinker more when you want to
Debra Simpson
says
and participate thoughtfully here and at your social sites
Debra Simpson
says
yes, some of my clients tinker to their detriment
ScrapNancy
says
has anyone tried the Thesis template problogger wrote about:? It looks really great.
Debra Simpson
says
I saw that, but didn't check it out
Tegala
will
look. I'm looking for a new faster layout for my blog right now.
Debra Simpson
says
Plurkshop, what do you think? I don't see many new questions and I know how late it is on the right coast (versus the left coast awesome)
thesis is a slick looking theme, seen it on a few blogs
Debra Simpson
says
Teeg looking for a new theme??
Debra Simpson
says
I love three column themes - plenty of room to play
Tegala
says
Yep. I love the design of mine and it's very SEO friendly, but it has code built into the layout that slows it down
example of thesis for those looking into it - dealers.dealerdex.com/ - just very clean n elegant
(no affiliation) 
Sloitkut
is
a little confused. did we discuss how to make the switch?
Tegala
says
My concern is getting a new layout that has SEO issues, I've heard some horror stories from some of the guys on here.
Debra Simpson
says
sonnygill very nice theme - I love how sleek it is
plurkshop
says
Debra we usually go for an hour or more, but if we have exhausted everyone's questions, we can sign off. Folks do you have more questions
plurkshop
says
for Debra or the group?
Beth Harte
asks
What kinds of plug-ins are available for WP?
Beth Harte
asks
SEO issues like what Teeg?
Debra Simpson
says
Sloitkut log into blogger and scroll all the way to the bottom of the page - find the "draft dashboard" link
Debra Simpson
says
change to the draft dashboard and in your settings you'll find a link to easily export your blogger content
servantofchaos
says
bethharte my current fave plugin is one for Amazon affiliates - it works right from the posting interface
Debra Simpson
says
bethharte - what do you want to do - wordpress probably has a plugin for it
Sloitkut
says
thank you Debra
Debra Simpson
says
a plugin is just an added piece of software that easily handles a task
Debra Simpson
says
servantofchaos - share???
Debra Simpson
says
I use some standard plugins for my clients blogs
Debra Simpson
says
I give them a wyswyg editor that is very word like, and seo so they control the seo of each post/page
Debra Simpson
says
contact us form, so no e-mail addresses on site, back up and auto update
Beth Harte
asks
Well, not sure, was hoping that plurks that use WP could offer up some of the plug-ins they use.
servantofchaos
says
Debra this is awesome nickohrn.com/wordpress-p...
Beth Harte
says
Thanks Gavin!
plurkshop
says
blogger has had the draft dashboard for a long time. I think I have been using it since I started my blog in April. I kept having problems
bethharte LOL I know almost nothing about SEO, but (I think it was) bloggeries dropped several places on google when he changed templates.
plurkshop
says
so switched back to the original dashboard.
Debra Simpson
says
I also have used a slideshow plugin, there's podpress for podcasting - it creates a player, and the list goes on....and on....and on.....
Beth Harte
wonders
how much programming is involved for plug-ins. I don't know HTML, except Bold, etc.
Debra Simpson
says
upload plugins and activate
servantofchaos
says
bethharte ... you just upload and activate plugins -- no programming required
Debra Simpson
says
then fill in the blanks
Debra Simpson
says
plugins are designed to take the programming out of it - so the everyday blogger can handle them
Tegala
says
bethharte for most, no programming involved, some require you to add something to the header or footer, but they'll say what to do.
Debra Simpson
says
whoa servantofchaos and I are on the same page
plurkshop
says
but there is something about WP that makes it feel like you need to know some programming...maybe we have just been using blogger too long?
Debra Simpson
says
and Teeg
Debra Simpson
says
no, it's just getting used to a new dashboard
LOL yep
Debra Simpson
says
if you want to play, I have a wordpress playground - you are welcome to come in as a guest blogger and just play
Debra Simpson
says
of course, I couldn't resist the theme
Debra Simpson
says
it's where I test customizing the themes for my clients
Beth Harte
asks
Gavin, do you know anything about switching to WP and how to maintain page ranks?
Sloitkut
loves
the theme
Debra Simpson
says
I have a buddy who might be able to answer that too - I can find out from her tomorrow and plurk it
Debra Simpson
says
I think each one of us just need to check their priorities - and do what works for them - there are so many ways to do one thing out here
Beth Harte
asks
one last question, so I will receive a WP URL until I can transfer my THOM.com URL to a hoster?
servantofchaos
says
bethharte ... unfortunately no.
Beth Harte
says
Debra, that's the problem, we don't know what works...Was hoping to learn more about that tonight.
Debra Simpson
says
bethharte let's chat tomorrow - I can walk you through what you need to do
Tegala
says
bethharte you won't be turning off one blog and turning on another (that confused me too at first)
Beth Harte
says
so Teeg, they will run together until I make the domain transfer?
Debra Simpson
wishes
we had an SEO expert to answer that this evening, but I think we can get the answer tomorrow - maybe we can amend this thread with it
Debra Simpson
says
if you leave blogger and self host wordpress
Debra Simpson
says
you have to program wordpress onto a hosting plan
Debra Simpson
says
you also have to redirect the domain name to the new host's nameservers
Debra Simpson
asks
if that helps bethharte?
[logging in, in reply to Debra:
No NO GoDaddy for hosting] I second this, check NoDaddy.com for some info. *Carry on please*
Debra Simpson
says
thanks kaffee are you and SEO expert by chance
bethharte with most hosting services, they will add WordPress for you. It's one of the one-click sites on dreamhost, sure it is on others.
Debra Simpson
says
some do and some don't
Beth Harte
asks
what does this mean: program wordpress onto a hosting plan
Beth Harte
says
I'll check out Dreamhost.
Debra Simpson
says
you have to install the blogging software
Beth Harte
says
I am really kicking myself for not just starting w/WP to begin with. Luckily I don't have a lot of posts...but I want to keep my comments.
KDFrawg 🐸
says
as long as the URL is the same, the page rank won't change. But if it does, the page rank may totally disappear.
plurkshop
says
so, I asked KDFrawg if he could stop in to maybe address the page rank/SEO issues...
Beth Harte
says
what blogging SW? Isn't WP one package?
KDFrawg 🐸
says
One could redirect all the old pages to the new site, but that does not solve the rank problem.
Tegala
says
bethharte if you check them out, use the code PLURKSHOP. It will give a $50 discount for the first year.
KDFrawg 🐸
says
The page rank is largely age-based at lower ranks, so with a new URL, it is a matter of waiting...
searched through 27 entries on "wordpress" to check. what may have been missed is that if self-hosted one logs on to wordpress.ORG, correct?
Debra Simpson
says
bethharte, yes, it's one package - some hosts do have one button installs and some don't
KDFrawg 🐸
says
and aggressively seeking links, which makes Google notice you.
Tegala
says
Yay! Thanks Deb!
elise_caile
is
planning to swap my blog over soon so i appreciate the insights/answers! *slipping off to bed* cheers!
*slipping off to bed* cheers!
Beth Harte
says
Frawgie, you are an angel.
Debra Simpson
says
when you export the database content from blogger, all the info should be intact and import into and create the same structure you had
KDFrawg 🐸
says
There is a lot more freedom to do SEO if the blog is self-hosted, of course.
Debra Simpson
says
wordpress.org has the software
KDFrawg 🐸
says
I didn't read all the way through the thread. I'm sure I missed a lot (and may not know much more anyway )
Debra Simpson
says
KDFrawg you rock
KDFrawg 🐸
says
Yes. Wordpress.org has the software and excellent installation instructions.
KDFrawg 🐸
says
Most of the larger hosts have one-biutton installs, but they are usually 1-2 WP versions back.
Debra Simpson
says
excellent question
KDFrawg 🐸
says
Sure, Teeg. First, you need one that works with the current WP version. Second, widget-ready makes it easier for novices.
KDFrawg 🐸
says
Third, have someone who knows look over the PHP code and make sure it's clean.
Tegala
asks
what makes a theme SEO friendly?
KDFrawg 🐸
says
Fourth, make sure that the theme reflects you and you blog. You may need to customize it to do that.
KDFrawg 🐸
says
When they say that, thy often simply mean that they have included an SEO plugin.
[Teeg, I believe WP as a platform is already SEO-friendly by default. It's not so much the theme but the built-in compliance]
KDFrawg 🐸
says
But there are also designs that are better for SEO. As an example, three columns with the two sidebars to the right...
Debra Simpson
says
I use the SEO-all-in-one plugin
Tegala
says
seriously! LOL I had put off changing my template because I didn't know what comprised an SEO friendly blog
Debra Simpson
says
why two on the right?
KDFrawg 🐸
says
... are said to be better than a sidebar on each side, though I honesly son't know.
KDFrawg 🐸
says
Den=bra - that's one of the better plug-ins. Good job!
Tegala
wonders
why sidebar location makes a difference. Interesting!
Debra Simpson
says
KDFrawg thank you, that's nice to know - I have sidebars on each side am curious about placement too
KDFrawg 🐸
says
One of the thing that got my ex blogging for dollars owners in trouble with google was their ad designs.
Debra Simpson
says
oh, I can see us slipping into geekspeak
KDFrawg 🐸
says
Don't get a theme that winds up looking like bestbizware.com.
Tegala
asks
what was wrong with their designs?
Debra Simpson
says
ad designs?
KDFrawg 🐸
says
Frankly, just too many ads from too many sources, and too many links on the pages.
KDFrawg 🐸
says
They extensively linked to all of the pages on the blog network.
plurkshop
says
I think we do need to be careful about geek speak. I will try to get back with you guys, I want to do a vocab list as part of my recap.
Sloitkut
feels
the love - excellent tips and ideas you guys
KDFrawg 🐸
says
You sort of had to look for the content, they were so ad and link busy.
plurkshop
says
that's part of the challenge of migrating...we may understand concepts, but if we get lost in the language we'll never get there.
Tegala
says
So google punished them for having too many internal links?
Debra Simpson
says
wow that's really interesting - I wonder how many ads are too many - I was thinking of that for one of my blogs
KDFrawg 🐸
says
Am I geek-speaking again? 
[not sure about SEO hits against columns/sidebars myself but I think some may have to do with majority of readers/writers vs. natural ways..
plurkshop
says
don't worry, I'll translate later!
Debra Simpson
says
no, it was a joke
..of seeing, hence compliance programming defaults. This may be useful and simple enough to read later: is.gd/1pk0
Tegala
says
Plurkshops what are some of the terms you'd like definitions for? Listing them now might help others too.
KDFrawg 🐸
says
kaffee has a good point. A good design gets you to the content first, but also leads the eye to the marketing content.
Debra Simpson
says
kaffee thanks!!
plurkshop
says
"compliance programming defaults" is a new term to me.
plurkshop
says
"SEO all-in-one plugins"
Tegala
is
actually considering putting marketing content on her blog for the first time ever, so this is very interesting.
plurkshop
says
someone sent me a PP asking "what is a self-hosted blog?"
Debra Simpson
wonders
if we can have too many social networking widgets in our sidebars to affect rankings??
[woops...compliance: SEO/Web standard compliance...anyway, it's a shorthand i just used for a couple of concepts floating around nowadays]
Debra Simpson
says
not at a free site like blogger or wordpress.conm
Debra Simpson
says
sorry, self hosted is not at a free site like blogger or wordpress.com where you get a url like magicinwords.wordpress.c...
KDFrawg 🐸
says
Right, Debra. You generall pay for a host upon which to plur your blog. That's another entire can of worms.
KDFrawg 🐸
says
Happy to help out.
Tegala
says
Plurkshop a self hosted blog is a blog that you own, and you host it somewhere that leaves control of the blog in your hands.
Debra Simpson
says
yes, self hosted means you buy a space on a server somewhere and put the software on that space to run the blog
KDFrawg 🐸
says
There are just so many more options with a self-hosted blog, over a cariety of facets.
KDFrawg 🐸
says
Also correct teeg.
(*Debra, KDFrawg, hope that link helps*)
Debra Simpson
says
thank you KDFrawg for all the info - good stuff
KDFrawg 🐸
says
Choosing that web host is a black art.
Tegala
says
Plurkdaddy I may be coming to you with questions soon.
Debra Simpson
says
plurkshop
says
thank you for answering that!
KDFrawg 🐸
says
I sort of wish I'd been here since the beginning...
Debra Simpson
says
black art, that's rich hahahahahahaha
Debra Simpson
says
KDFrawg I think we wish you were here earlier too, but glad you came when you did, thanks
Debra Simpson
says
it was a team effort tonight - thanks to all
KDFrawg 🐸
says
Man, there are SO many bad hosts and so few good ones...
plurkshop
says
I know everyone learned a great deal!
Sloitkut
says
Thank you all
KDFrawg 🐸
says
As always, I look forward to the recap...
plurkshop
says
*a phone call and its 30 conversations long. wow. thanks for everyone's time, too! good day from Manila*
DebInBoston
says
oh, don't worry! We will do a recap TheSockKnitter!
ThoughtWrong
is
all about some recaps, I been working so...well...I woulda been here but...you get the picture 
DebInBoston
says
you need some time off, right? Didn't you just work a long stretch?
ThoughtWrong
thinks
he always works a long strect, 7 days a week. but I am on 3 day vaca atm. Need to work on internet stuffs that I been slacking on though
ThoughtWrong
thinks
there is never enough time for fun anymore
DebInBoston
says
oh, .I seem to see you having plenty of fun there buddy!
ThoughtWrong
has
fun on plurk, but still works 90% of the time...wish I coulds plurk lots more....I should quit all my jobs and plurk 24/7
then I should wriote a book about it and make millions
DebInBoston
says
well you know what they say, "all plurk and no play..." gotta recharge those batteries or the work you love will suffer!