Since I know how to do web coding and design I figured I'd do it myself. Why pay someone else to create MY personal website when I am skilled enough to handle the task myself? I didn't see the point, so I never hired anyone. Don't get me wrong, I have hired people to do various jobs for me, but this wasn't going to be one of them. I wanted to be able to say that this website is 100% my creation and not be responsible for giving anyone else credit. Website hosting is the route I chose. For various reasons - the main reason being I am in complete control over my content, how it is used & transferred. I also didn't like the fact that I would have to consistently contact the designer(s) to ask for modifications. Sometimes it takes days for a reply, and I am simply not very patient when it comes to getting things completed correctly. Maintaining the site takes a lot of time and precision at times, but it's worth the effort. The objective is to evolve. I am learning about new ways to appeal to consumers and how to simplify user-engagement yet remain efficient. It's a different playing field, something I barely dabbled in before. One thing has always kept me motivated & grounded - to never start something I don't intend on finishing.
...here's to a bright future in my own webspace.