More on the overhaul, and what the future may hold.
To quote a famous frog, “Looks like we’ve come to the end of another one!”
As I said earlier, I’m giving this site a complete overhaul. Why? Because I want to level up my blog game. I know that I have said, many times, that I was going to make this blog more active. And so far I have generally failed to do so. But once again I am going to make the attempt. But this time something is different. This year I feel that I’m in a different head-space. I actually feel that I can make a difference, however small, and more importantly I feel that I must try. I just have to keep with it. I’ve been setting up a schedule for posting and editing, and so far I think I can work with it. Why am I in a different head-space this year? There are several possible factors, but that absolute dumpster fire of an election in November was probably the final push. A lot of things in this world need to change.
What is changing on this site? Again, most of the changes will be invisible to visitors, as they are focused on web maintenance, enabling RSS features, and security issues. One thing that has been mentioned to me has been the insecure nature of the site. My first task was to speak with my internet service provider, Ionos, and rectify this. The site now has a secure certificate to keep black hats at a distance.
I have also worked out a few kinks related to the RSS feed, so that folks who use this feature should find it a smoother ride. Near the bottom of the meta tag area in the sidebar, are the options “entries feed” and “comments feed.” Those are the RSS links, and tests have gone well. I will confess that I don’t fully understand how RSS feeds work, as I’ve never made much use of them. But that’s my problem.
I’ve enabled some sharing options for those who like to share stuff on Facebook, Pinterest, and the like. The icons appear at the bottom of each post, right above the index keywords. My own use of social media is sporadic, so I’ve only enabled a few of the major ones. I suspect I’ll be tinkering with this one a bit. If someone brings a specific platform to my attention, I’ll look into it.
The next thing I’m going to look into is finding some sponsors. I recently read some articles by professional blogger Taylor Stanford about how to do things like this. She apparently has managed to turn her blog into a thriving business that pulls in several thousand dollars a month. That’s very encouraging, and it would be nice. But realistically, my aspirations are far more modest. I’ll consider this effort successful it I’m able to offset the costs of maintaining the web presence and email service my family uses. Which isn’t that expensive, all things considered. We’ll see how that goes.
Now, regarding the content of this site. I still want to address issues that relate to neurodivergent folks, more now than ever. The more I scoot around the net, the more I read about people who are part of this misunderstood club. If I can be of some help to these folks, and/or the people in their lives, that would be great.
My current plan is to make the neurodivergent stuff the main attraction, but I will also include some lighter stuff. News related to my family, especially places we visit, will certainly show up. I find those fun to write, especially if the location is esoteric and not well known. I will also have the occasional foray into computer stuff, some more space exploration tidbits, and perhaps even some contraptions from my infamous Erector set.
What I will not include, if I can help it, is political stuff. I don’t feel that political ranting is appropriate for this site any more. In recent years politics has forced itself to the front and center of many people’s lives, and it’s not pleasant! I won’t be adding to the glut of web-based political commentary, at least not here, unless the topic relates directly to neurodivergency. I’ve archived the bulk of my political essays, so if you go looking for one you aren’t likely to find it. I’ll restore them if they are requested, but otherwise they are staying in deep storage. I may have also found a different forum for political ranting, should it ever be necessary for me to do so.
In closing, I have to say that my outlook for 2025 is very guarded. Some frightening changes are approaching, and you probably know what I’m referring to. Namely, a certain “project.” I won’t go into specifics. But I’m very concerned about the effects it may have on those of us who see the world through a slightly different lens.
There are dangerous roads ahead.
The header image came from Shutterstock, though I tweaked it within an inch of its life.