newBBie.com

NewBBie.com is a site for people new to their BlackBerry phones–either as a first-time BlackBerry owner, or a BlackBerry owner who as traded up to a newer model. BlackBerrys are extraordinary devices that do require some patience and learning. For whatever reason, some people develop an attachment to their mobile phones even to the point of obsession. When a problem arises, it seems that neither RIM nor wireless carrier technical support is adequate to provide an effective, rapid, and personal response. At least not enough to meet the public demand. This site strives to help meet that need. NewBBie’s name signifies our focus on new and BlackBerry (BB).

History of Site

NewBBie.com began life as an experiment in blogging. I (Kelly Carter) work and teach at a university, and am frequently asked for assistance with technologies such as blogging, wikis, online teaching and learning, etc. Since the first blogs appeared years ago, I had never had the least interest in them. But now I had to teach others about them. I decided to jump in head first and do some blogging as a way to teach myself.

But what to blog about? At the same time I decided to blog, my “New (phone) Every Two (years)” plan with Verizon Wireless was expiring. I chose my first BlackBerry–the Pearl 8130. When I discovered how complex it was, I set out to study it systematically. But because I have a terrible memory for most details, I needed to write down what I learned. Hey! Why not blog about my new phone?

So, just for my own solitary purposes, I started a blog at http://blackberry8130.wordpress.com titled “My BlackBerry Pearl 8130.” I never intended or truly expected anyone to find it or take interest in it. But, to make a long story short, within about 6 months I had a site yielding about 50,000 page views a month, and 250,000 page views total. I can only call it an accidental success.

A community of interest arose around the site that I really became attached to. The gratitude and friendliness of those who found help on my blog was so rewarding. It really counts as one of the coolest things that has happened in my life.

The Next Step

But when the thought struck me that I would only have my Pearl a couple of years, or maybe even less, I had a decision to make. Do I drop the blog when I get my next phone, or do I commit to continue serving the community of people who had assembled around the blog? I decided to keep it going!

A reality of moving the blog forward was that I needed to take on additional expense. I needed to keep up with RIM’s releases of new model phones. That meant buying multiple devices and plans. On my salary in higher education, my web site needed to support itself by bringing in revenue to meet these new expenses. So, I needed a site where I could advertise. WordPress.com (at the time of this writing) does not allow advertising. But there is an open-source version of WordPress–Wordpress.org–that does allow you do to whatever you want. So, I built a new site, self-hosted and supported, using WordPress.org software, and moved the “My BlackBerry Pearl 8130″ blog to “newBBie.com.”

Initially (summer 2008), my plan is to support the BlackBerry Pearl, Curve, and Bold. Where this site goes next, and what level of success it attains, is anybody’s guess. I invite you along for the ride.