Rob Barrett

Bring on the trumpets! Here’s my new WordPress-powered blog!

Posted on October 11, 2008 at 4:47pm

Well, this past week has been far from stress-free. I’ve had tight work deadlines, my main computer died multiple times (almost taking my font collection with it — that was a sickening moment!) and, to top it off, I chose this time to implement the revamp of my website…

But it’s here! I did it, welcome to my new style, new platform website. I’m hoping it will spur me on to write more, to learn more, and to get more involved in the design community.

Why switch to WordPress?

Previously, I was using ExpressionEngine to manage my site, which at the time, I loved. And to be honest, there’s no reason against them that I decided to move away (…OK, except for the awkward URL structuring and workarounds). It’s a great product with a fantastic community and support team behind it.

However, I know that a lot of my upcoming work is going to require WordPress sites, and I knew next to nothing about how to build a site with this system. With the massive community and range of plugins behind it, I figured that it would be a safe bet to switch over — my blog would better integrate into those of other designers, and I’d learn something new along the way as well — win/win!

I’m very happy with it all so far. I managed to put this site together very quickly (well, as usually happens, the main structure went up quickly, and the tiny, barely noticeable fiddly bits took five times as long!), and it looks as though it’s going to be far easier to maintain. One gripe I do have is that given the amount of WordPress users, the documentation for beginners is very lacking. I managed to find a few good learning resources, but I’m drafting those into an upcoming post.

What’s new on the site?

Firstly, a proper ‘About Me’ page. That was somewhat lacking before, and I figured it was about time I properly introduced myself to any visitors and/or potential clients or employers. I’ve also included a select list of Testimonials from previous clients.

My portfolio pages have been compacted into the one page to make it much easier to digest. I think it has far more impact now, rather than when the visitor was forced to navigate through various sections.

Lastly, the blog has been optimised for discussion. Commenting is better than it was before, as is the categorisation and archiving. I’m planning to integrate notifiers to advertise any new posts via Twitter, as well as the usual RSS feed, to alert anyone who wants to know of new content.

Make yourself at home…

So there you have it, take a look around, and feel free to comment on anything. I hope you enjoy the new site! If you’ve any suggestions for me, or any tips for a WordPress beginner, please drop me a note!

Oh, and if anyone’s confused about the title image, check out this brilliant advert!
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zXU9Ur9QznE

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