The real question is - How do Wookies type with all that hair on their fingers? Once you get past that go ahead and read the questions and answers Kilted Wookie posted for this distinguished award in blogging neatness. To follow are the questions I answered when it was my turn and last - the questions and nominees I've passed this award along to.

1. How did you come across your blogging persona?
2. What inspired you to write your first blog?
3. What is your greatest unfulfilled fantasy/dream?
4. What has blogging taught you about yourself?
5. How many "real life" people know you are a blogger and how did it make you feel when you discovered they knew?
6. Lights on or off?
7. What do you normally wear in bed?

Source: A Real Neat Blog? | A Kilted Wookie Writes...

How did you come across your blogging persona?

…more

Adding ASCII art to the source code (the HTML files) may not interest people who don’t look at source code.

The source code is an easy place to add ASCII art because those files open in plain text, no formatting or fancy fonts. So, the ASCII art shows up without much extra work, almost none in fact.

If you access your HTML files you can add ASCII art yourself, without the plugins. (See above). But, not everyone wants to do that.

WP Figlet is all about adding text created in ASCII art fonts (figlets). It even lets you choose which figlet fonts you want to use. The auto suggestions creates a figlet in your source code like this (you choose your own words):

It does work.

Source Code (although not updated in 4 years, also works). If you are timid about mucking around in the HTML files then either of these plugins will work for you. Source Code lets you choose to have the ASCII art in your header or footer. However, I found it did need the extra HTML code for keeping the formatting after I saved my text image.

One thing I dislike about Source Code is the lack of artist credit (artist initials). I checked several of the ASCII images available with the plugin and none had artist credits. I used my own ASCII image with my initials.

In the end… DIY.

Don’t be bashful about getting into your own source code. Skip the plugins and just do it yourself. Once you access the file it’s very simple to add the ASCII art with the code for notes. (See the first image in this post, no reason you can’t do that yourself).

I looked at 3 plugins to add ASCII art to your WordPress blog. This, Kilroy was here, is the first one I loaded up and experimented with. It does work but may not be the results you wanted.

There are no options to add the ASCII art to the bottom of your posts or pages. The plugin does place ASCII art at the very bottom of my site, under the footer. Below is my first experiment. I was pretty neutral with the results. But, I’m a bit traditional when it comes to the font I use. The spacing was out, the lines between text. Also, the top line of my art was pushed to the left.

I tried another ASCII, thinking a longer image would look better either way.

Adding HTML code worked to keep the formatting but, it shows up on the site.

Still it is nice to have a little surprise for anyone who reads to the end. So I will keep this plugin and see how often I remember to change out the ASCII art images.

I want to create a site which will be more than a WordPress blog or a site running with the limits of WordPress themes and plugins. I looked at Drupal and others but decided Joomla seems the most user friendly, with community support and enough extra features for me to have the site I want to build. Joomla is open source.

WordPress is still great for a site which is intended as a blog. But, I want to evolve. For years I have wanted to build my own web directory and create a site which will let me have a calendar of annual holidays and events which I can also use to distribute egreeting cards with my ASCII art. I have been trying to do this with various WordPress themes, plugins and just using WordPress as it is. It's not working. WordPress is great at what it can do, but there are still limits to WordPress if you want more content than an online journal or basic website.

I had a plan for my site when I was running WordPress but I kept bumping into roadblocks where WordPress just was not enough. I'd download one plugin and another theme and have them break, lack support or just be a drain on my bank account without giving me the results I wanted. So, off to explore new territory: Joomla.

Joomla Installed Easily

I loaded Joomla onto my web domain and now I am teaching myself how to get my site off the ground again. I like learning new things. But, I admit, I'm not learning as easily and quickly as I would have done when I was still 30-something. But, I want to do this. Another exploration for Laura the Explorer.

Installing Joomla was straight forward enough. You can install it from your web host, an automatic install which just needs you to type in a name for the new database you are creating. You need to know your web host information for the domain. This is the same information you would need for installing WordPress. So, if you have done that before you won't find Joomla a challenge to install.

I do find both Joomla and WordPress could have a more user friendly guide for the installation. Someone who is completely new to setting up a site will not have enough basic information to make the install go as smoothly as it could. I'm not saying the install is a complicated process, it will just seem that way to someone who has no experience at all.

Joomla Builds Websites, Forums, Portals and Blogs Too

I have found modules and extensions which I am learning to work with on my Joomla site. As a bonus, my sister runs her business site on Joomla so I will be able to help her from time to time too.

I'd write more about what I'm doing but I am just working in the background on my site, in the admin section. I'm taking my time and deciding which Joomla theme I want to start with now that I'm not blogging. It's all different when you step out from the blog.