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Ch-ch-changes...
Due to several seemingly synchronistic occurrences, I've decided to mold my blog to better suit my current interests.
While I do enjoy food, I don't enjoy food blogging enough to focus exclusively upon it as my sole expressive outlet. It was fun for several months, but my creative flow started to feel restrained. I started to view blogging as a chore since I was limited to only food posts. I've tried to share my creativity through other outlets and social media such as Instagram and Pinterest, but it's not the same as showcasing your own creative space. Social media has its place, but I want to strengthen my foundation first.
Perhaps one-subject niche blogging isn't my forte. I have to try something else that inspires me. My tentative plan is to change The Odd Cupful into an umbrella site that will house separate sections for different categories of interest: food, crafts, photography, learning/personal development, etc. This way I won't feel limited to write only on one topic. I won't have an excuse to avoid writing as far as the medium is concerned. Thankfully the name "The Odd Cupful" works well for a mixed bag of interests, not just food.
"But, Erin, an umbrella site won't do well. How will you ever market your blog?!" Bitch, please. I'm doing this for my own creative outlet. This is what I want to do, and I'm excited to see where it goes. I'm going to ride this wave of inspiration and adjust from there. This new format will wholly represent my interests and concerns, so it's likely I'll be less hesitant to market my blog. I won't have to question whether I should even mention it.
Also, I'm considering ditching comments. "But how will you know if people like your content?!" People don't really comment. I know this because I don't really comment. Once I realized that those blogs with 200 comments per post typically had thousands upon thousands of people visiting their site, I didn't feel so bad that I could count my comments on one hand. Only a small percentage of visitors comment. Comments can foster a sense of community--if they are being utilized at all--but there are other ways to do that.
There are lots of other site elements to consider, but most of it is under-the-hood Wordpress configurations that I'll settle on as I redesign the site. The vision is forming in my mind, and I intend to share it. I'm not sure how long it will take me to redesign the site since I have a day job, but the end of 2011 seems like a good deadline.
And I'm stoked that the nautilus can still be my mascot.
Due to several seemingly synchronistic occurrences, I've decided to mold my blog to better suit my current interests.
While I do enjoy food, I don't enjoy food blogging enough to focus exclusively upon it as my sole expressive outlet. It was fun for several months, but my creative flow started to feel restrained. I started to view blogging as a chore since I was limited to only food posts. I've tried to share my creativity through other outlets and social media such as Instagram and Pinterest, but it's not the same as showcasing your own creative space. Social media has its place, but I want to strengthen my foundation first.
Perhaps one-subject niche blogging isn't my forte. I have to try something else that inspires me. My tentative plan is to change The Odd Cupful into an umbrella site that will house separate sections for different categories of interest: food, crafts, photography, learning/personal development, etc. This way I won't feel limited to write only on one topic. I won't have an excuse to avoid writing as far as the medium is concerned. Thankfully the name "The Odd Cupful" works well for a mixed bag of interests, not just food.
"But, Erin, an umbrella site won't do well. How will you ever market your blog?!" Bitch, please. I'm doing this for my own creative outlet. This is what I want to do, and I'm excited to see where it goes. I'm going to ride this wave of inspiration and adjust from there. This new format will wholly represent my interests and concerns, so it's likely I'll be less hesitant to market my blog. I won't have to question whether I should even mention it.
Also, I'm considering ditching comments. "But how will you know if people like your content?!" People don't really comment. I know this because I don't really comment. Once I realized that those blogs with 200 comments per post typically had thousands upon thousands of people visiting their site, I didn't feel so bad that I could count my comments on one hand. Only a small percentage of visitors comment. Comments can foster a sense of community--if they are being utilized at all--but there are other ways to do that.
There are lots of other site elements to consider, but most of it is under-the-hood Wordpress configurations that I'll settle on as I redesign the site. The vision is forming in my mind, and I intend to share it. I'm not sure how long it will take me to redesign the site since I have a day job, but the end of 2011 seems like a good deadline.
And I'm stoked that the nautilus can still be my mascot.
