When the current template was installed it was with a view to instilling some structure around here; I chose a magazine style template and battled with it to create a blog that stretched the magazine metaphor, virtually to its limit. I think the magazine metaphor worked in some places, but not everywhere.
Recently, and for a number of reasons, I have been giving a great deal of thought to restructuring this blog and I am tempted to simplify it a great deal. On the other hand, I do love this template. I like the way that the blog looks and the bits of the magazine metaphor that do work actually work very well — at least in my view they do.
Some pondering led me to the conclusion that what actually requires simplifying is my own head!
Happily, just this very week I fell across W.I.P. Wednesdays. Now here is just the thing — daily topics! Deep joy — we get to stretch the magazine metaphor even further! Wool | gathered, the magazine, gains a daily supplement!
I shall be giving this some thought over the next few days. I do not want to be too arch about it, do not expect an awful lot of alliteration. One thing I might do is Google around to see what blog posting days already exist that might suit my purposes.
The current list looks like this:
- Monday’s Muse – a designer, an inspiration, a musing
- Tell it on a Tuesday – Show and Tell – perhaps recent shopping acquisitions?
- WIP Wednesday – WIP reports
- Thursday Thrill – something fabulous
- FO Friday – FO reports
- Saturday Jumble, no sale
- Sunday stroll
— and I would be grateful for some comments and suggestions from any readers who happen by this way this week. Wednesday’s supplement is fixed, but everything else is up for discussion.
So, what does all this mean for you? Nothing much – this blog will still be full of the same old drivel! Especially, it will mean nothing at all to you if you never visit the blog, and only read via a feed reader.
What does it mean for me?
It is perhaps quite significant. Initially, it means that I can stop worrying about that front cover story and front cover picture, which is so very out of date now. That was a nice idea for a blog feature but it rapidly became a rod for my back. In particular, I need to restructure the tabs on the front page. Then I need to look at my categories and my tags, and allocate them to tabs. Come to think of it, it’s actually quite a lot of work!
What to do with those tabs require some thinking about, but at this time the most likely option is to allocate a tab to each “supplement” i.e. one tab for each of Monday to Sunday.  If I am particularly lucky, my resident PHP expert may assist me in getting the right tab to open on the right day.
In terms of actually writing the blog, having some structure will enable me to plan, right ahead, edit, and hopefully produce the odd crafted posting.
Well, that is the theory.
Having one day to produce specific material for will help me to reduce the pressure to catch up this and on that and on the other, all at once.
The new structure means no more ad hoc WIP summaries. If you want to read about WIPs, visit on a Wednesday. FO posts will appear on Fridays but there may not be a weekly post, obviously – though I may choose to highlight another blogger’s FO that week. It means no more jumbled posts with too many topics in them. “Hurrah!” I hear you say. It also means returning the woolgathering category to its original use – for posts that are just about rambling stuff from my head. The Saturday Jumble may encompass these kinds of posts but I am really intending them to cover some of my non-fibre interests.
Today is Sunday. The Sunday stroll will I hope, begin next week. Between now and then, I intend to try very hard to get out and about with my camera. I am not at all sure that every Sunday stroll will reflect a physical outing. Perhaps the Sunday stroll might sometimes be a record of a particularly interesting surfing session? Or perhaps you, dear reader, might give me a better suggestion for Sunday’s supplements.
Monday’s Muse will be Eskimimi – if only because she has set me on the path of Knit/Crochet Blog Week for next week, and that is partially what has been behind the idea of tidying up the blog.
Confession- I see new posts via an RSS reader so never actually look at your front cover, if many others do the same is it worth the effort?
Confession – I tend to assume that most readers these days use feeds and that’s why I haven’t beaten myself up too badly over the old “lead story” 🙂
Reading around though, especially at The Blog Hub, I must conclude that there are still very many readers who slog from blog to blog. The template acts as a shop window to draw in new readers too, so I think that at some point I should put the effort in. I do gain satisfaction from seeing it all looking lovely and working properly, I must admit – even if I am the only one ever to see it.
I’m expecting to be thrown out of the blog hub very shortly. I’ve been a bit straightforward in my opinions 🙂