Today is my first blog post, and I’d like to share my story with everyone. I was born in 1973, and I’m 52 years old this year. Looking back on my career, my work with computers began in 1998. At that time, social tools like WeChat and QQ didn’t exist yet—there was only a tool called OCIQ. The company I worked for mainly dealt with network products, and it was my first time experiencing dial-up internet, with speeds of only 32K. There was very little we could do; basically, we could only send emails. I remember that the website I visited most often was Yahoo. Even though the loading speed was very slow, the amount of information was incredibly rich. If you wanted to load an image, you might have to wait one or two minutes.
Over time, I changed jobs several times. In 2000, I entered the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) industry. This field wasn’t closely related to the internet; it mainly involved surveying and mapping-related technical work. In recent years, policy changes have caused difficulties in my industry, and I began to consider whether I should change careers. Then one day, I listened to a sharing session by blogger Tom Zen. He mentioned, “When you realize the market isn’t right, you should decisively let go.” He had also firmly abandoned his previous ventures when market conditions changed. This deeply inspired me. Many other successful people also believe in embracing traffic? This got me thinking—maybe I could try a new direction, like starting a live stream for sales. But I soon realized that wasn’t my strength; I still prefer technical work.
By chance, I came across VPNs and VPS. Although I knew nothing about them at the time, it opened another door to the internet for me. Looking back, I initially only used VPS as a tool for VPN, which many might consider a waste. But as I continued learning, I gradually realized that the internet might be my “track.”
The initial reason I decided to build my own independent site was the desire for more freedom. At that time, I didn’t even understand the difference between VPS and VPN. Two years ago, I was chatting with a friend abroad and mentioned internet access issues. Out of interest in technology, I asked him to help me apply for an Oracle account. Fortunately, he successfully applied for a VPS account for me. I began building my first “ladder,” applied for my first domain name, and obtained my first static IP—the same domain and IP I use today. The name “Oracle” carries a hint of “mysticism,” symbolizing the opening of a brand-new door for me. Perhaps it was fate.
With the VPS, I gained access to many free foreign resources, such as Google, GitHub, ChatGPT, and YouTube, which provided me with richer learning materials. Although I initially only used the VPS to set up a VPN, I gradually realized it was somewhat wasteful. Then one day, I saw a post by a prominent influencer asking why not use VPS to build an independent site? This deeply resonated with me: it could both address the risk of my Oracle account being reclaimed and allow me to try something more interesting.
My dream has always been to speak freely on my own blog without being constrained by platforms. On domestic platforms today, saying just one thing or using certain sensitive words can lead to bans. I don’t understand why “money” has to be called “rice,” or why you can’t mention “WeChat” on Douyin and have to call it “a certain app.” I hope my independent site can maintain a certain degree of freedom of speech. Of course, this idea didn’t come to me all at once. Twenty years ago, I had a similar impulse. Back then, an administrator at my company tried to build a website, but due to technical barriers and resource limitations, the idea never materialized. It wasn’t until two years ago, with the emergence of AI, that my passion for building a site was rekindled.
Despite my busy work schedule, I decided to take advantage of my current free time and bravely take this step. A conversation with my daughter made me realize that young people today also face many challenges, and I can face and solve problems together with her. Additionally, my interest in technology strengthened my resolve. In the end, I embarked on the journey of building an independent site.
Building a site was an easy decision, but the actual process came with many challenges—from selecting tools to configuring databases, problems kept arising. Fortunately, through learning with AI, I gradually gained experience and mastered how to operate databases and build websites. As I delved deeper into learning, I realized that all computer operations essentially boil down to three actions: adding, deleting, and modifying. Once I grasped these basics, I felt much less intimidated.
After some exploration, I finally decided to use WordPress to build my website, mainly due to its free availability and large user base. That’s all for today’s share. I plan to update my blog twice a week. Next time, I’ll share some interesting experiences from the building process. I hope we can all progress and learn together.
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原文
今天是我写的第一篇博客，想和大家分享一下我的故事。我1973年出生，今年52岁。回顾自己的职业经历，我与电脑相关的工作始于1998年。那时，微信、QQ这些社交工具还没有诞生，只有一个叫做OC IQ的工具。我所在的公司主要做网络用品，第一次接触拨号上网，速度仅有32K，能做的事情非常有限，基本上只能发邮件。记得当时我最常访问的网站是Yahoo，尽管加载速度很慢，但信息量却非常丰富。如果想加载一个图片，可能需要等上1到2分钟。
随着时间的推移，我更换了好几次工作，直到2000年，我进入了地理信息系统（GIS）行业。这个领域与互联网的关系不大，主要从事测绘相关的技术工作。近年来，国家政策的变化使得我们所在的行业面临困境，我也开始思考是否应该转行。直到有一天，我听到博主汤姆·詹的分享，他提到：“当发现不对的时候，要果断放弃”，这让我深受启发。他还说：“为什么不去拥抱流量？”这一点让我开始反思，或许我可以尝试新的方向，比如开个直播带货。但很快我发现，这并不是我的强项，我还是更倾向于做技术相关的工作。
偶然间，我接触到了VPN和VPS。虽然当时我对这些完全不了解，但这也让我接触到了互联网的另一扇大门。回想起来，最初我仅仅是把VPS用作VPN的工具，许多人可能会觉得这有些浪费，但随着不断学习，我逐渐意识到，网络或许就是我的“赛道”。
决定建立自己的独立站，最初的原因就是希望拥有更多自由。那时我对VPS和VPN的区别也不清楚。两年前，我和一位国外朋友聊天时，提到过上网的问题。出于对技术的兴趣，我决定请他帮我申请一个Oracle的账户。幸运的是，他成功为我申请了一个VPS账户，我也开始搭建了我的第一个“梯子”，即现在使用的域名。这个名字带有一丝“玄学”的意味，象征着我开启了一扇全新的大门。
有了VPS，我接触到了许多国外免费的资源，比如Google、GitHub、ChatGPT和YouTube等，这些为我提供了丰富的学习资料。虽然我最初只是用VPS来搭建VPN，但渐渐地我意识到这其实是对资源的一种浪费。直到有一天，我看到了一个大V的分享，提到为什么不利用VPS来搭建独立站？这一点深深触动了我：既可以解决Oracle账号问题，又能尝试做些新的事情。
我的梦想一直是能够在自己的博客上畅所欲言，不受平台限制。如今的国内平台，随便说一句话，或者使用某些敏感词就可能被封禁。而我希望我的独立站能够保持一定的言论自由。当然，这个想法并非一开始就有。二十年前，我就曾有过类似的冲动。那时，我公司有一位管理员曾尝试过搭建网站，但由于技术壁垒和资源限制，这个想法最终未能实现。直到两年前，ChatGPT的出现让我重新燃起了建站的热情。
尽管工作繁忙，但我决定趁现在有些空闲，勇敢地迈出这一步。和女儿的谈话让我意识到，现在的年轻人也面临许多挑战，而我希望能成为她的榜样。此外，我对技术的兴趣也让我更加坚定了这个决定。最终，我开始了独立站的搭建之旅。
建站是个简单的决定，但实际操作中却面临着许多挑战——从选择工具到配置数据库等，问题层出不穷。幸运的是，我通过YouTube的学习，逐渐积累了经验，掌握了如何操作数据库，如何搭建网站。随着学习的深入，我发现，所有的电脑操作无非就是三种：增加、删除、修改。掌握了这些基本操作后，我不再感到那么害怕。
经过一段时间的摸索，我最终决定使用WordPress搭建我的网站，主要是考虑到它的免费性和广泛的用户群体。今天的分享就到这里。我计划每周更新两篇博客，下一次，我将分享在搭建过程中遇到的有趣事情。也希望大家能一起进步，互相学习。
