Step 6: Changes are on the way!
This means that for a little while, 4realz.net will be in a strange state where comments you make will quite likely NOT be saved.
In addition, because my email is configured through the same wordpress.com backend as 4realz.net, I may never see emails sent to dustin@4realz.net if you send them tonight.
Much better to call me 805-624-6086 or find me on twitter: http://twitter.com/tyr
However, when I come back, I’ll quickly be adding a new tool that I can’t wait to share with you’all.
And if you’re wondering why I’m switching, I can tell you that it is with great reluctance. I really love having the fine folks at WordPress.com manage the backend of my site. Their tools and service have been most excellent. However, I kinda outgrew the WP.com hosting in that I need a bit of functionality that they simply can’t provide. 
By the way, here are the notes I’ve taken for myself in terms of the steps I should follow in order to move 4realz.net hosting from a WP.com backend to a self-hosting environment. I searched for a list like this, but didn’t find one, so maybe this will help someone else out down the road. But you should really wait to find out if I’m successful first! 
[UPDATE: After I completed the move, I wrote a more complete list based on my experience... as oppose to the "plan" that is listed before! Check out that post on moving from a hosted wordpress.com domain to a self-hosted environment]
Steps to move from wordpress.com to a self-hosted environment:
- Export out posts/comments XML file to hard-drive
- Save a copy of the blogroll’s OPML file
- Copy the header graphic to hard-drive
- Set up new database with the host and configure wp-config.php file to point to new servers.
- Upload, but don’t activate, wordpress files to the new host servers *
- Publish posts saying changes are on the way (THAT’S THIS POST!)
- Change DNS settings on my domain registrar to point 4realz.net to the new host.
- Ask new host to recognize 4realz.net as the new primary domain
- When recognizes 4realz.net as the primary domain, then run the WordPress 5 min install
- Import blog posts from XML file (make sure to check the option that batches in all multimedia!)
- Configure MX settings to get Google Apps working with new host
- Wait for DNS settings to take effect and begin redirecting traffic to the new site!
* Note I actually ran threw a test where I completed steps 1 through 4 AND activated the WP blog using the dummy domain I had set up with the host just to make sure I would have no problems installing WP on their backend. I then deleted everything and started over for the “official” move because it seems more intuitive to me to wait to “activate” the WP blog until after it’s going to be configured to the correct domain.
I hope my notes will work. But if I’m not back online by the morning, you’ll know why!
Hi Dustin,
Thanks for the write up.
A couple of quick comments.
1) The “tweaking” occurs on the location targeting and with in-house ad serving technology. We believe that optimizing location can substantially increase the impressions and clickthrough rate for advertisers. We’ll be adding more “tweaking” data and options in the future to help more expert advertisers make the most from the platform. This will be especially important as more subscribers join. We are also analyzing individual ad creative, performance and account activity to deliver a better consumer experience on the ads. The simplicity of the product hides the complexity of the ad server.
2) Trulia Pro is the basic product just launched designed primarily for agents, with smaller budgets. The reason we launched it was that we were turning away smaller agents who wanted to advertise as we dont have a call center and it’s not very cost effective unless it is self service. If advertisers like what they see from Trulia Pro they can work with our direct sales team.
Yep, lots of low hanging fruit here, as we just launched and it’s our intention to constantly add more value for our subscribers as we grow.