When I first started blogging so many years ago, I loved the ability to quickly write a post, add imagery and links, and publish the post.
Without a lot of thinking. Or distraction.
That’s not how I would describe blogging on WordPress in 2026.
I’ve used WordPress on this site since 2012. And it’s time for a change.
Given
- my retirement
- only publishing two posts a week (compared to two years of daily blogging followed by publishing three posts a week for years)
- the time needed to manage WordPress updates, web hosting, etc.
- my focus on simplifying my blogging process
I’ve decided it’s past time to move away from WordPress.
Not an easy decision, as I have a 15+ year WordPress history as leader for two WordPress meetup groups, co-organizer for multiple WordCamp Detroit events, and writer about using WordPress.
Over the years I attended local WordCamp events throughout the US Midwest as well as WordCamp US.
Met many WordPress designers, developers, managers, etc. who became friends over the years that I still stay in touch with.
Why Look at Other Online Writing Platforms?
I have strong memories of how easy it was to blog with Posterous, a long defunct online platform, I used before WordPress.
To publish a post on Posterous, I could use their web interface. Or send an email message with the content of the post.
I long for that simplicity of blogging again.
As I wrote about writing platforms in 2023:
I’ve been looking for alternative writing/journaling platforms ever since Posterous closed down in 2013.
A platform with a simple interface that allows you to write and publish your thoughts quickly.
Which I may have found in Pika, an online blogging platform I recently used for our Canton Christmas Bird Count trial run in early January 2026.
Pika offers a clean interface, simple formatting options, and a focus on writing. I feel welcome when I use their interface for my writing.
Not something I feel when I log in to my self-hosted WordPress site.
Summary
While I enjoy blogging online, I want to return to a simpler method of writing and publishing.
I’ll be exploring Pika more in the upcoming weeks. Based on my experience for the bird count, I think it may fit my needs for my own site.
