Travel With Oastler

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Travel with Oastler is now on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/oastler

I recently saw the film, Empties, first released in the Czech Republic in March 2007. The charming movie is a tale of a man, Josef Tkaloun, who after his slightly abrupt retirement from teaching, enjoys a series of odd jobs. At one point in the film  he yells at a student for not following another teachers directions. The student was asked, in computer class, to put something in the garbage bin, the student follows the computer direction but since Josef  doesn’t see her pick up and physical garbage he doesn’t think the direction has been followed. Thankfully Josef’s colleague patiently explains that in computer class they have a different kind of garbage bin!

I am happy to announce we have started phase one of construction on www.travelwithoastler.com. Like Josef, you may never know we are under construction until one day you come over.. I mean click over and see the final changes but construction has started and I am kind of excited.

Changing a webpage reminds me a little bit of the house building or renovating process. Like building a house I talked to the contractor, I mean technology consultant, this morning. We hammered out details and talked about how to live in your blog during the renovation process. You know your contractor, I mean tech guru, knows you well when you tell him you won’t post until renovations are done and he says, ” I can 100% guarantee you will and that’s okay.” Unlike living in a house and stepping over tools and watching for open holes, for me living with blog re-design just means exporting files again!

When you start thinking about re-decorating your house you look in magazines and at open houses for ideas and inspiration. The blog re-design process is no different. I now look at websites and blogs with a whole new set of critical eyes. How would that work on my site? Is that my taste or do I think it is to flashy? Is there any reason to have wrap around text or is it just a distraction? I struggle with the difference between noticing the function of the technology as opposed to the aesthetic form of that technology. Pink or blue does not matter, it can easily be changed, does the gizmo do what you want? 

As with home building, blog re-design is a process that goes in stages and takes time. Until then it is business or blogging as usual. When it is all done I will have you over for tea to look at the…. better yet I will send you an update and you can make yourself a cup of tea and enjoy the new photo gallery for yourself.