The Way-Behind Blogger

As my post below says, right after I started this blog I embarked on a major overhaul of ArtsJournal. The site hasn’t been upgraded in about four years, and it was time. Of course it’s taken much longer than I ever expected. The first version of AJ took about a week. I got the idea to do the site on a Tuesday, the next day I registered the name, got a web host and bought some books on html. By Sunday night I was ready and the site launched that Monday morning.
I’ve redesigned the site three times since then, the most significant redo four years ago when Xanga’s John Hiler put WebCrimson under the hood to manage the content.
By contrast, the current redesign has now taken more than six weeks and my sitting at at the computer for 14 hours a day. It’s almost done, and I hope to launch it sometime in the next week (but then, I’ve been saying that for about five weeks now). Last week the system powering our classified ads got overhauled. Yesterday, a new design for our newsletters launched.
One of the things I’m happiest about in the new design is the incorporation of video. Every day there will be a new video posted. To get a bit of a taste, go here for an unusual take on Mozart. I’ll be back to posting on the blog after the new site launches.