10 October

Coming This Week: A New Bedlam Farm Journal (Design)

by Jon Katz
Coming This Week. Logo by Abrah Griggs

My blog re-design is just about done, we are adding some final touches, it should be up by the end of the week or Monday at the latest.

My friends at Mannix Marketing and I have worked together to build a new platform for the blog, one that will be bolder, simpler, and very easy to read and access on smartphones and tablets as well as desktop computers.

More than half of my readers are now reading the blog on smartphones, and my blog platform, built a decade ago, is getting creaky and needs re-building.

Maria is revamping her blog as well, it will be easier for people to see her work and buy her art on Etsy.

We are adding a “live” streaming button to each of our blogs, we’re getting a Webcam for Bedlam Farm so you can follow us live as we herd sheep, make art, train dogs, talk to donkeys, host events at the farm, meet interesting people, shear the sheep, trim the donkey’s hooves.

To see these live broadcasts, all you have to is click on one button and if the camera is one, you’ll see a live broadcast. This is in part how we will revamp the Open Houses, you can come too, wherever you are..

My blog has a strikingly simple design, the photos are big and wide, so is the text and the daily essay. I don’t  want to show it to you yet, I’d rather it be a surprise. The first step was this wonderful design by the artist Abrah Griggs, who is also a friend.

I asked the designers to get to the core, photos and words, and get rid of the noise and clutter. They did.

I couldn’t be happier with it, it captures the spirit of the Farm Journal, and the farm. We’re serious sometimes, but prefer not to be taken too seriously. We all need to be reminded to smile once in a while, or even  every day.

I will, of course, continue the work of the Army Of Good, helping the Mansion residents, and where i can, the refugees and immigrants under siege in America.

The re-design of the blogs will cost about $8,000, fortunately Mannix agreed to give us several years to pay it back. If you wish to support this work or find it valuable, you can contribute either here, through the voluntary payment program, or here, through one-time donations.

We are simplifying the process of supporting the blog, adding “cancel” and “renew” buttons so managing support is simple. You can cancel at any time, and no financial information is stored on my site or server.

It took awhile for me to be comfortable getting paid for my work, but I am glad I did.

4 Comments

  1. Hmm is anyone else experiencing problems with the ictures onn this blog loading?
    I’m trying to determine if its a problem on my end oor if it’s the
    blog. Any responses would be greatly appreciated.

    1. The new blog isn’t up yet, so there can’t be any loading problems. And noone else has reported any kinds of problems.

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