After seeing my Grandma on Monday, she told me: “Adam, you haven’t changed your website!” I was stunned! Last week I finished the new layout and simplified a bunch of the site while also adding extra features. Granted, many of the new features are behind the scenes and only used for specific tasks, but there’s a lot of new public information on here! Her comment, though, was that I hadn’t posted any news updates recently.
I graduated and found out I graduated with honors, which I didn’t know until that day and my family definitely gave me a hard time about not letting them know.
With the site changes:
Green is Gone
The old color scheme for the site was fun. Shades of green on a black background. While it looked sharp, it wasn’t easy for a lot of people to read. So, the new tan color scheme is partially designed to help. It’s also something I want to do every year; I erase my computers every four months and start over and the website will probably be revamped every 12 months. 
Focusing the Fragments
My old website layout was fragmented. Designing the “What’s New” section when I was in Florence and on a completely different operating system only made it more obvious. The old sections of Projects, Biography, and Galleries weren’t what my site should have focused on. Now, it’s hopefully more of a resource. Want to know about doing or hosting a congregation internship? Try the Keokuk Summer 2005 section. Want to travel abroad (specifically to Florence, Italy) or just read a travel guide? Try the Florence Fall 2005 section. Want to learn more about technology? Try the TechGuides section (in about a week after I write the two training guides I already have planned). Hopefully this new layout is easier to use and more focused than the previous one.
Current-ly
Commonality is one of the best discussion starters; knowing that we read the same stuff or listen to the same music or watch the same movies gives an instant thing to talk about. Most of the time I’m definitely reserved when in social situations, so the “Current” tool on the front page is meant for others to find commonalities. If it’s a complete “flop” and it doesn’t help at all, that’s OK. If it’s only purpose is to redirect others to the content (either on BN.com, iTunes or IMDB), that’s great. Currently, it’s simply a new tool I created after enjoying what some put for their Xanga blogs.
More changes are coming to the website still (including an incorporation of some of the content I put on the DiscipleShare prototype). Stay tuned …
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