I’ve made a substantial amount of progress since I started started this blog site, and yet there’s still more that’s left to do before I unveil the final product. Here’s a quick review of what I’ve been working on since last time.

What I Did

I updated the logo and header for the 20th time. I changed the theme for the last time. I added pages to my menu. I also added widgets that link to my social media sites.

Why I Did

The pages for my menu are required for the project, the header design is supposed to differentiate my blog from others, and adding the widgets is to make my web portal personable.

What I Still Need to Do

There’s no content in my pages yet, not even my “About Me” page. I want to include a resume, a short summary blurb about me, a picture, and links to social media pages.

 

    Today I edited the about me section and added a contact form, in addition to messing about with the color palette at the recommendations of two of my classmates. I added in a photo of myself and streamlined my sidebars so that there would be less extraneous information cluttering the page. I also gave my blog a static homepage for the sake of consistency.

    I still need to expand upon my posts and expand my blog now that I have an idea of how to title and arrange the pages. Once I’ve added a few more pages to this blog I’ll need to take a moment to assess the blogs organizational aspects, but for now I can say I’m starting to feel alright about how this blog looks and presents itself.

What I Did:

This week, I’ve added more widgets to my blog to allow access to my Instagram as well as provide contact information through email and Facebook.I had to manage the two widget sections as well, some of them were duplicates and some of the two areas lined up in a weird way. I’ve also finished blog posts I missed in class, updated the About Me page, organized my required pages, and added a portfolio page. I’ve been working with my background colors as well to make sure my header is visible.

Why I Did It:

I worked with the alignment of my widgets and my background color scheme because I want the visual aspect of the blog to be as professional and attention-grabbing as possible without being too overboard. I also fixed the pages and added the portfolio page to flesh out the blog and show the reader what I do and why my blog is here in the first place.

What I Still Need To Do:

I still need to fix the color scheme. I’ve been working with the background for a while now and have realized that some colors are fixed within my theme so I’m unable to change them without paying. So I’m going to continue working around that setback and seeing what I can do about the colors without switching themes entirely. I also need to update my portfolio page as well as clean up any other kinks in the blog. 

After looking at some of my other classmates pages today, I picked up some cool ideas. I saw on Nick’s page that he included a more extensive “About Me” page that featured his resume and his contact information. He also had a link to another blog that he had, which I thought was a really cool feature. I haven’t kept up with my other WordPress Sites, but I will definitely consider adding links that include my contact information and an online resume. I also really liked the simplicity of some of the sites I reviewed, which is making me rethink having so many pictures of ships and planes, but based on the feedback I got, I don’t think it distracts the reader much from the content on my page. So far I feel pretty good about my page, but I’m going to make some final touches based on some features that I noticed today on other pages that I thought worked really well.

What I did

Since Monday, I wrote the content for my Site Information page. I also edited the information on my About page.

Why I did it

I finished the information for the colophon section of my page because it is required and it is one of the last steps I have to take to meet the basic site requirements. I edited the content on my about page for proofreading and grammatical issues.

What I still need to do

I need to finalize my site. I need to proofread all of my entries for typos and grammatical errors. I also need to revise my site based on the feedback from my peer reviews. One last aspects of my site that I need to work on is adding something extra that is unique to my site. Some ideas are a Goodreads widget or adding pages within my about page linking to my outdoor or travel interests. I am still brainstorming what I want this aspect to be and hopefully I can work on adding it to my site on Friday.

What I Did

Today in class I commented on two of my classmates’ forum posts regarding the work they’ve done on their blogs. Viewing other people’s blogs is really pushing me to personalize mine more. I edited my “Backpack Vibes” post and figured out how to maximize the size of my images. I added borders to the images also. I updated my “About” page; I figured the photo I uploaded needed context for the readers.

Why I Did It

It’s awesome encouraging your classmates and seeing all the effort they’re putting into their blogs. I figured out how to resize my photos and want to put the emphasis back on the visual aspects this blog theme is capable of publishing.

What I Still Need To Do

I still need to add more pages and personalize my page with adding more photos and media content.