Soft Launch of New Blog!
Posted by Selene M. Bowlby on March 7th, 2008 /
Welcome to my new blog… well, not so much new, but re-invented!
This is still unofficial - let’s just call it a soft launch. I’m very happy with it overall, but I realized this morning that there are some display issues with Safari on the PC, and apparently also on just about everything on a Mac.
Key phrase = soft launch… aka please pardon the dust!
Thanks Jon for pointing out the Mac issue as well! I’ve got a temporary fix, but it interferes with the footer. That’s secondary, though, so that will have to wait until tomorrow…
I’m pretty sure that I’ll end up spending a good amount of time troubleshooting that over the weekend. Hopefully it is a quicker fix than expected, though. It’s so strange… I’m used to IE being the one to cause me trouble. 
Aside from the footer issue, there are a few minor design tweaks (font and spacing issues) that I’ll be updating over the weekend, as well. I’ve ported over many of the posts from the original blog, but still have a few more that I want to add to the mix, too. Overall, though, this is mostly finished.
And then there was one…
So, long story short, what I did was essentially merge all of my sites into one.
It was a bit much to keep up with three entirely separate web sites - the business web site vs personal web site vs personal blog. By the way… you can check out the new iDesign Studios web site here, and can read the announcement here.
Now, this blog is still technically separate from the main company web site that officially launched this morning. While the main site and blog share the same domain name, and the blog links back to the web site… the web site does not yet link to the blog.
More questions on identity…
I’ve actually been flip-flopping on whether I should link the main site to the blog or not. Certainly not while I’m having the browser compatibility issues, lol, but even afterwards, I haven’t made a final decision yet.
My thoughts on this are in reference to how a semi-personal/semi-business blog will look in the eyes to some clients or potential clients who find me through the main site, rather than through the blog.
While some people DO want to get to know the person behind a company - such as through a blog and other social networking means - not everyone might feel the same way. Not that I give out too many personal details on here, but from time to time, I’ll share a cute story about my daughter, for example. Some people might want nothing to do with that, and might look down upon me for it because all they wanted was someone who is 100% business all of the time.
The fact that this is actually a side business might turn off potential clients, as well. Not that this being a side business makes me any less professional or less dedicated. I am a web designer and developer in my full time job as well - which goes to show how much I love what I do. It just means that I have different hours than most (though I think my hours are very similar to those of many bloggers that I follow, or readers to this blog, etc.)
Most likely, I’m over thinking things and am overly concerned for nothing… I’m just having a tough time with fully integrating my business-self with my personal-self.
LOL, even on this blog, I’ve got a category for iDesign Studios News which is written in my business tone of voice - as opposed to a post like this one which is clearly me rambling off the top of my head… That’s why I decided to use the “posted by” tag on these posts, so you can see which of my personalities is writing, lol.
Gee, that didn’t make me sound just a bit bizarre did it?
Of course, it’s not like someone couldn’t Google my name and find this blog (not yet of course, as it’s brand spankin’ new… but once I do some SEO…). This is fine, of course - it is publicly available after all - I just notice that I get a completely different type of visitor to the business site vs the blog. It all depends on what someone is searching for when they find me.
Where this blog is headed…
So anyway, that being said, welcome again to the soft launch of my new blog! I will still be doing the link posts where I highlight great web sites, blogs and other resources that I come across when surfing the web. I won’t be posting on a schedule, which will be nice! I’ll just post as I find anything interesting that I think would be helpful to my readers.
I do also plan to write more original / quality posts this time around, as well. Initially, I will say at least 1-2 really good posts a month, though I would like it to be more frequent, at least once a week. We’ll see how that goes. You might just end up with a lot of rambly posts like this one for a while.
Overall, though, this blog will focus on topics relating to:
With a few posts with news and updates about my company, and some cute family stories thrown in for fun, every once in a while:
Can I have some feedback with that, please?
So, I have to say thank you for checking out my new web site and blog!
Please do let me know what you think of it all - both in terms of the design and layout, as well as content, etc. All feedback is greatly appreciated.
Yes, both positive and/or negative comments welcome!
I’m also curious on your thoughts as to whether or not the main web site should link back to this blog or not? What do you do for your own web site(s)?
And don’t forget to Subscribe!
With this being an introductory post to the new blog - and me currently being my only subscriber, LOL - I have to ask… if you followed me on the old blog, or just like what you see here so far, please Subscribe!
FREE subscriptions to this blog come in two lovely varieties:
And as an added bonus, you can also:
LOL, you can’t blame a girl for trying, right?
Tags: announcement, blog launch, Blogging, new blog, Personal, soft launch, Web Design, web site launch
March 7th, 2008
I don’t think you’re being silly at all. I’ve debated the same things myself. My situation is a bit different though. Originally I was going to sell items through a website, and I created a blog for that, which was going to be all business. I linked the site to the blog and vice versa, because I was still keeping my personal blog and keeping it separate.
Then I changed my mind and decided to create an Etsy store to sell my items and then created a blog/website to talk about business things and point towards my Etsy store. At that point I decided to make my blog more informal, but still not overtly personal. I have not fully created my Etsy store yet (I plan to finish setting things up on Monday, I hope) and I have not yet decided but do I think I will go ahead and link the store back to the blog. I also have my biz blog linked to my personal blog. But since the things I am selling have a family angle, I don’t think it will hurt to let them see that I am a family woman.
See?? You’re not the only one thinking in circles?
By the way, I love the background with that gorgeous pattern at the top and bottom! I also think the pink and the green complements the background well. The only thing I’m not crazy about it the middle of the page where I’m reading the white words against the really dark background. Other people may not mind as much, though. And I think the entire main site looks fabulous!!
Ok, and this comment is already so long, I guess it won’t hurt to add one more thing: I got a smile out of you explaining how to pronounce your name at the bottom. I like that.
March 8th, 2008
Selene -
I already told you this but I love your site - looks great! Also I think it’s super to bring all three into one (sounds like the Trinity) and will make life easier.
I’ve been contemplating this move myself over the last couple of months because, in some way, I think it’s funny to market Branding Shed as a company when it’s run by one person and most people refer me by my personal name. I also have several things I’ve always wanted to explore artistically and design-wise and really don’t want to have a handful of business cards or websites going on.
I think some people will be turned off by incorporating your personal side into the freelance side but the deal should be about your work and its quality. You are a human with different interests and passions; we all are! If someone has a problem that you are more than a web developer I say forget ‘em. Maybe I am convincing myself on the strategy too!
So ROCK ON and I hope we’ll do some work together in the very near future!
March 9th, 2008
@Proverbs31 - LOL, I’m glad to see I’m not the only one with the multiple-online-personalities. It really is tough to decide. I’m hoping this is the right decision for me. I won’t jump into fullly merging these two (no problem linking the blog to the site, but am still iffy on linking the site to the blog).
Thanks so much for the great comments on the design! That’s interesting about the white on black being more difficult to read than the white on pattern (technically very light grey, lol). I also find it a bit stark after the pattern fades away. It just looses the interest that it has up top with the pattern. Thank you for pointing that out - there’s a very good chance that I’ll do something about that by carrying the pattern all the way down the page.
LOL, thanks on the pronunciation key, too.
@James - Thank you! LOL on the trinity - totally unintentional, but it kinda does sound something like that.
Merging sites seems to be more common than I thought. If you’re working with business cards, I’d definitely think that would be difficult to have more than one - and have to decide which one to use, etc. It was difficult enough for me having to decide which URL to give, so a card would make it more complicated, I think.
I was thinking similar to you as far as if someone doesn’t realize I’ve got a life with other interests and passions, etc… well maybe those aren’t the type of people I’d want to work with. But I think I’ll still keep it safe and keep the blog away from the main site. At least for now, anyway.
Thanks again for your kind words! It would be great to work together in the future!
March 10th, 2008
Thanks for sending me an email about the new blog. So, you asked what I think? I love it! The design is awesome. I’m usually not a fan of white text on black, but this site really works.
I’ve subscribed because I was a regular at the other blog and loved what you wrote there. I suspect this blog will be just as valuable.
March 10th, 2008
@Coryan - You’re welcome for the email… more importantly, though, Thank You for checking it out and subscribing! And of course, thank you for your kind comments on the design! I hope this blog will be as valuable (if not more) than the last one.
March 10th, 2008
I TOTALLY understand! Our blog is more than just our personal blog, so I often struggle about where to draw the line. The end result for us is a blog that shares the lighter, less personal side of our parenting experiences. It is hard - so often I would like to share the more personal issues we are going through, but I still need to maintain boundaries and more business friendly content.
Your site looks FABULOUS!
March 10th, 2008
@Janice - Thank You! I’m glad you like it!
It really is tough to decide exactly where to draw the line. I definitely don’t want to post pictures of my daughter or her name, etc. I’m overly protective like that. I did have a family web site for a while, but I often do great with updates… then 6 months go by without anything, and I’ve got a huge back-log of photos and events to add, etc. lol. I need to get that going again - that’s strictly for family and close friends, so we can help keep in touch and get to show them what our daughter is up to, etc.
And while I’ll be giving this site to our friends/family, I know the business content won’t be of interest to (most) of them either.
I guess there is a place for everything, lol, as well as a personal decision as far as how much information to share, and where to share it, etc.