Hergest Ridge

I created a couple new categories for the blog. If you look at the category listing to the right, ‘Hergest Ridge News’ and the ‘Soap Box’ have already been added to the selection. Pending is a section for posts which contain some of the photos I’m busy taking, with a few already used in past entries.

News section is for entries like the one you are reading, for times when I want to alert you to changes and additions. For the most part, it’ll be a utility section.

The second new category was conceived while I was working on one of my upcoming pieces. I realised it will stir some emotions and anger. My first thought was to precede the piece with a disclaimer, but decided that this would set the wrong mood for the article, and that a disclaimer may be perceived as an apology of sorts. That not being the case, but still trying to remain sensitive to you, my reader, I decided that a new section was in order.

The ‘Soap Box’ is a place where I voice personal opinions with the sociological filters turned off, and hopefully an extra dose of tact and civility. In some pieces sarcasm will be the lens that brings my words into focus, and I think you’ll quickly recognise when such is the case.

I’ve yet to decide on a name for the category that highlights the photos I’ve taken and added to my entries. Watch for it in the next few days.

In the meanwhile, I’ve already tagged appropriate posts with the News and Soap Box category tags.

At last the Web Design and Internet Marketing entries have been moved out of SimpleBlog. You’ll now find them over at the main Bytech website, in the ‘DIY Website and Branding Tips’ section. Business and pleasure separated at last… well, at least when it comes to the blog categories.

You’ve asked for it, and here it is: My Official Wish List. You’ll also find a link to it in the main navigation on the right hand side.

Most of the post categories on this blog tend to be pretty straight forward. The title says it all, and if that’s not the case for you, chances are you are better off skipping those areas anyway. In that regard, the Aspirations section is a bit different.

In ‘Aspirations’ I write scraps of thoughts using a more unique and creative method. The entries are designed to give a story like feel opposed to the journal feel experienced throughout other areas of the blog. The category name refers to my aspiration of someday getting published; Not with the content in the section, but in general. I look at it as my training ground.

One important aspect of the category is that I try to limit myself to 15 minutes per entry, with few or no edits afterwards. I’m a perfectionist in many ways, and imagination and perfectionism are bad neighbours. As such, I force myself to paint a picture with limited words, without idea confining detail. The goal is not to present you with a finished story of my thoughts, but to simply get your imagination going into conjuring something that speaks to you, the reader.

I hope you enjoy my take at this venue of expression. If not, there are always the other sections. :)

So I’m thinking that this blog will need a better name. Usually that ain’t a big problem. I’m full of useless info that lends itself to some creative titles. The problem I am running into is the direction of this blog, or to be more exact whether I want to keep the personal and professional sides of my life all in one place.

If I was a fully balanced individual, I’d say keeping both aspects of my life in one place is an acceptable proposition… Let me explain: There are some people out there who are bored to tears with anything to do with Internet Marketing and Web Design. Then there is the group of people boggled by reasons why’d anyone want to broadcast to the world anything about their bowl of cereal.

If my entries alternated regularly between the professional and private, both sides would be entertained enough to stick around. Instead, with the huge imbalance of entries I sense coming on, some of you may forget why you came to this place in the first place.

Right now I’m getting around the issue by simply abstaining from posting certain thoughts so the balance remains fairly decent, but that’s a waste of thought if you ask me. I’ve set this place up to share my thoughts and experiences, but as things stand there are a lot of filters in place that prevent me from doing just that.

What are your thoughts? Do the post subject categories I created enough of a filter for you, the reader? Or, is the home page of the blog as far as you ever get? I know habits can change and such, but I figured I’ll get your lowdown first so I can accommodate the majority. Let me know what you think, and which side of the blog (personal or professional) interests you the most.

You know things are bad when the modem won’t connect to the Internet for half an hour and the providers phone line is busy. Yes, actually busy! Feels like someone cut the oxygen supply into my office; And without the Internet I’m about as useful as someone who’s been without oxygen for a good 10 to 15 minutes.

I’m not the one to call a service provider first. I know these things tend to play out for themselves without having to sit on hold. It’s just that I was on such a nice run catching up to my work load and bills, it sucks having it all dry up while I sit here and wait for some much needed Internet access. Fiddlesticks.

I got really tired of the default header and the very descriptive title. I replaced the header, and threw in a new title, but I think they’re still temporary. A quick job to ease the tension, but not yet something worthy of a full time Webmaster. In any case, hopefully the changes will help you identify my blog from the other people a little bit easier and quicker. :)

Word Press is acting up. The last entry will not format the way I want it to. Word Press changes my HTML, and still screws up the final display. The footer of the page is right aligned for some reason. I understand if that was happening on a custom skin, but the default? Looks to me as if some code still needs to be refined in Word Press.

I am once again looking at alternatives, Blogger to be more specific. I’ve spent 2 hours last night trying to fix things in Word Press, and am not impressed. I always liked blogger, but I hate the centralised controls. I want to download the whole darn thing to my side and be able to administer it without ever going to the Blogger site. To my knowledge that is not possible which is why I still have not made the leap. I need to look around some more for other alternatives before I try that route again.

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