Actually, this is version 6 or 7, but I lost count. All that does count is that I'm done and can finally switch this thing to a "live"state.
I've covered the problems I experienced - both health and web design wise - previously, so I won't go into all of that again. Suffice it to say that I had to jump over my own shadow at least thrice, had to empty a crate or two of Cacique rum and had to abandon a lot of plans, hopes, etc. Hence, a website is nothing but a reflection of real life.
What's new?
- Well, the design isn't my own and the new version is fueled by another backend, Wordpress. I just didn't have it in me - healthwise - to fiddle together by myself a new version with all the bells and whistles, so I fell back on a ready-made template named "Structure", provided by the very talented Justin Tadlock, and the Wordpress blogging platform, which allows me to relatively easily skin my site. I would have loved to put my own - completed - design out there, and I might do that one day, but right now I decided to do it this way because ...
- I wanted this site to be more user-friendly. Most users complained about the miniature-sized comment fields and the missing search function, and right they were. On top of that, my five-page simple archive just didn't cut it. So, now this site sprouts a larger comment form plus a search function. The archive - for now - is streamlined down to a single page. I also added ...
- Tags! On the right side of the pages you will find a strange-looking box entitled "tags". Each post had some important key words added and the more posts there are for any keyword, the bigger said keyword appears in that box. It's just another way of accessing older posts. It's also something most sites have added (and removed) from their pages and livingwithmusic.com is just - as usual - a latecomer to the game.
- Related "Headlines"! I've installed a plugin that "reads" the text of a post and compares what it found to other posts, pulling from the database other posts with relevant content. Although the results at first glance might seem a bit odd, it actually works. So, if there's lots of talk about "Denmark" in a post, it will pull other posts up that do the same. The next version of the plugin, which has been announced already, will do so even more effectively and offer much more possibilities.
- The front page, as of now, has the latest post at the top in a "featured" section and the five latest posts below. I might expand that page as we go along.
- The new livingwithmusic.com will have a "news roundup" series to which I will add a post once I have enough interesting news items together.
- There's more, but I'll get to that when it's ready and functioning.
What stays?
- The old posts stay. I thought about deleting some and having watched other people redo their sites and discard juvenile or alcohol-driven posts upon release of a new version, I decided to keep all of mine, warts and all.
- The writing style and the length of posts are both here to stay. This is my playground and work reprieve and I will not submit to the fashion of posting a trillion short posts just to have activity.
- The series will be continued. "Trials & Tribulations", "The Millennium Project" and my (upcoming) series on Danish music of the late 70s, the 80s and 90s will remain. An "interview" section might be added.
What's still missing?
Well, although I took my time getting to this point, technical problems (usually my lack of ability) prevented me from getting this whole thing close enough to what I wanted. These things will have to be fixed in the near future:
- Some comments have not been moved from the old to the new site yet. That will be completed this week. It#s quite a chore, believe me.
- The sidebar on the full post pages - the page on which you can read the entire text of one post - was supposed to be different than the one on the home page. It will be, but I need some time to tweak things properly to achieve that result. The same, by the way, goes for the main pages like "Impressum", "Archives" and others.
- There still seems to be a problem with the layout, depending on which browser you prefer. Most newer browsers deliver a 1:1 experience as much as that is possible, but I heard that new beta releases of Internet Explorer or other browser versions display a page break here or there where I had not intended to be one. But, in short, I have given up trying to cater to everyone anyways. I have also given up waiting for Microsoft, Mozilla and otehers to finally get their act together and be compatible ... I'll just keep posting and hope that most of my readers can read what I want to put out there.
- This site also doesn't fully validate anymore, although it once did. After years of advocating accessibility and whatnot, today I just groan, flip a finger and move on.
What's in store?
- I want to (more or less, depending on my abilities) integrate a Zenphoto gallery here in order to keep my stuff on site. The Flickr solution was too tedious. Besides that, Flickr sucks. There, I said it.
- I have a "hidden" private site that has been dead in the water from the get-go. It will be integrated here for all of those who can see it. I just don't know how yet.
- I weant to integrate some sort of small "Sale" section via which I will offer some stuff I'm getting rid of. This might just take the form of a small box on the right side of the page or might be a bit more encompassing. No idea yet.
- I'm thinking of offering-up small advertisement spots but have not decided yet if I should. It would be easy to do here (the theme has a pre-pepared "widget" for it) but my conscience is still objecting.
On with the show ...
I hope I will finally be able to put out content that will appear here more regularly. That's basically it. Real life will still get in the way, but I do hope it will be easier to update this site more frequently. Finally, if you notice any glitches, let me know via a comment on this post or via the contact from. I'd be grateful for any input. And ... don't forget to update your feeds and comment subscriptions. Old subscriptions will not work anymore.
2 Responses to “Version 2.0” Leave a reply ›
Good to have you back in the game, I know you've spent a lot of time working on things. I hope you have some new storage issue posts in the future and maybe a look at turntables?
Good luck with the new site!
Steve,
great you finally got through. I also sent you a mail explaining changes I've implemented here since the last mail from me.
The next two posts will be a) one more on the new version here and the spam comments problem and b) "When Forums Go Bad", which should be interesting reading for you as well ... if you happen to be frequenting music or other forums at all.
There are plenty of storage and display items in the queue that have accumulated while I was putting the new site together.
Plus, I've got a couple of drafts done that might help me keep a weekly posting schedule again. That was and is the plan for this site. More than one longer post I cannot promise.
Turntables? I'm staying away from the hardware stuff as much as I can (so far I've only had one post up about my own setup) simply because there are many other people out there more qualified than me.
Thanks for stopping by.