Since we are beginning a new year I thought I would kick things off with a new site design. Not everything is up and running yet and there are still a few bugs that need to be fixed; but for the most part this is the new site. There are a couple of things that I wanted to accomplish with the new site design:
Share More of My Ideas
I had my designer add in a “have you read” section which randomly previews a new blog post that I have written every time the page is refreshed. I have a lot of ideas and things I want to share (much of it was written before the blog really took off) and the random article is a great way for me to share more while allowing an increased level of discoverability for the user.
Branding
The old site was a standard wordpress template. I had it set up pretty well but it wasn’t branded, it didn’t say “Jacob Morgan.” This new site design is much more branded and customized. As you can clearly tell I love chess, and the chess theme will be more clearly explained on the “about” page soon. As the blog began to grow I also felt that all of you (and me) deserved to see a more branded and structured site which is what I think we have now
Connectedness
If you notice, the new site has a little section on the left hand side that says “connect with me.” This section makes it easy for anyone to connect with me across various social media channels that I am a member of. Now instead of having to search for me or my profiles you have access to all of my information with the click of a button.
Contact
I made my rss feed and email subscription choices clearly visible and easy to access. Now users won’t have to search for that little orange icon on my screen. I never had the email subscription option before which is something I wanted to add for those readers who wish to receive my posts via email. I also added the “email me” button so that anyone can contact me quickly and easily.
Consulting and Services
I have an announcement coming out shortly but for the meantime I wanted people to know that I am indeed offering consulting and strategy services under social media or SEO. People have been asking me what I’m doing and if I’m available, I will answer all of that soon.
Aesthetics
This goes hand in hand with branding but I really wanted to add some life and color to the site while also being able to convey my own personality. Overall I think the site is:
- easier to navigate and use
- makes it easier for people to get ahold of me
- will provide more information regarding consulting and services
- more organized than it was before
I will announce more about what I’m doing soon, but the first step is this new site. I hope you enjoy the new site design. Please leave me your comments and below and let me know what you think. I’m looking forward to our continued discussions, debate, and interactions through 2009 and beyond.
I hope all of you had a happy new year and I wish all of you a fun, exciting, healthy, and prosperous 2009 (and beyond).
Thanks for reading and welcome to our new site!
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