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New Year, New Look But Same Old Me

January 4, 2009 21 Comments
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Life is a journey
Image by M.Omair ( A New Beginning ) via Flickr

Regular readers of this blog have probably noticed that it’s gone through a bit of a facelift. While the old theme I was using was perfectly fine aesthetically and functionally, I just felt that it was time for a fresh lick of paint to suit where I am in life at the minute.

The end of 2008 saw a lot of changes in my life, loss being just one of them (albeit a very large one). One of the things that loss does is make you take stock of everything around you, and one of the things I realized was that there was a lot of clutter in there that didn’t need to be.

So, time for a change in all areas of my life. De-cluttering and eliminating waste to focus more on who I want to be with and where I want to be.

Personally I’m making changes, and I know that professionally 2009 promises to be a year of interesting turns. So I guess it’s only natural this carries over to my blog.

Less clutter, more space and easier to get around (hopefully). It’s still going through very minor tweaks but it’s pretty much the end product – I hope you like it. One thing that will remain constant is me (and, again, hopefully that’s okay with you).

So, with a new look it’s probably an apt time to ask you what you want to see in 2009. What do you want me to talk about? What can I do to offer you any kind of information that you may not have had before? I don’t proclaim to know it all (far from it!) but what I can offer I’m more than happy to share.

After all, you make this blog what it is every time you visit and share your views with me. Consider me a chartered bus driver and you’re my passengers – how can I make your ride as enjoyable as possible?

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About Danny

Danny Brown is Chief Technologist at ArCompany and an award-winning marketer and blogger. His blog is recognized as the #1 marketing blog in the world by HubSpot. Danny is also co-author of Influence Marketing: How to Create, Manage and Measure Brand Influencers in Social Media Marketing.

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Kimberly Bock
Kimberly Bock

When changes are made from the inside out, those are the best changes we'll ever know.

When we allow it, as opposed to fighting it, it allows others to benefit also. Change is good and needed for us all.

Your design is a good one. Your new photo is more expressive of who you are, and Danny Brown is showing more of Danny Brown, not Jo Blo from up the road. I love that.

Sidenote: I cant see the message I'm writing as it was cut off in the comment box about 6 lines ago. Eek! lol, so, more change? ;-)

Kimberly Bock's Recent post...Twitter - Stealing Passwords?

RoseannHiggins
RoseannHiggins

Hi Dan!
I already tweeted how much I love your blog & Twitter profile design.

I didn't know about your loss. In the last year & a half, my fav brother was killed in a motorcycle accident (only met him 5 years ago & we were kindred spirits - both excitable, both took flying lessons...he flew, I got scared on a stall, both started our own businesses), a friend to glioblastoma & my Dad late April to Alzheimer's.

This was my 1st Christmas without my Dad. I didn't know until Christmas eve how awful this holiday would be. I gather yours was similar.

You have so much to give, my life has already benefitted from meeting you here. You make a difference. And I appreciate you.

You're probably the best comment responder on the web! Good luck! And I know what you mean about clutter. Thank God I discovered OneNote & at least print to a file and not paper very much!

All the best of success in 2009.

Roseann Higgins
Phoenix, Arizona

Danny Brown
Danny Brown

Thanks Roseann - it is tough and I can empathize with you completely. Having good memories and good people around you definitely helps.

Funny you mentioned OneNote, I use that quite a bit myself and it's been a Godsend! Glad to be of any help and I look forward to our travels and learning together through 2009 and beyond.

Danny Brown
Danny Brown

Thank you Kathy, appreciate it. Loss is always sad, but it can also be "good" if it encourages/motivates the changes needed. I'm going to concentrate on the positives from the loss and help it move me forward, and if I can help move others forward in return, that's all I ask.

Danny Brown
Danny Brown

Thanks Snow - yeah, I'm a scary guy, I can see why no-one would mention it... ;-) I think it has to do with screen resolution. On my screen at the minute, everything is fine, yet on my laptop, yes, the "S" is cut off. Time for some optimization, I think.

Danny Brown
Danny Brown

Thanks, Kimberly - I agree, change can only really come from within. People can encourage us to change, but unless we're really committed to it, then it's a wasted cause. Hopefully I can continue to encourage both myself and others to help make the changes we all (may) need.

I'll check the settings on the comments box, should be "endless" - thanks for heads-up.

CommentLuv
CommentLuv

just doing a test comment so I can see whats going on..

Tim Jahn
Tim Jahn

I like the new look Danny! It's clean and easy to follow.

My only suggestion is to further simplify the sidebar on the right. I'm personally not a fan of the cluttered, information heavy sidebars that seem to be the fad these days. Are people really clicking all around these things?

Overall, very nice!

Danny Brown
Danny Brown

It's one of these "damned if you do, damned if you don't" things, I think. Too much definitely clutters, too little makes you ask more questions. Some fine-tuning never goes amiss, though. :)

iGoByDoc
iGoByDoc

Danny, the new blog looks outstanding. You are a great guy, and it has been a pleasure working with you and getting to know you over the last few months!

For me, I am on the bus enjoying the ride as it is. Keep blazing a path that gets us all to many amazing stops along the way!

Doc

iGoByDoc's Recent post...Twitter Elf Christmas Disco Performances

Danny Brown
Danny Brown

Thanks Darin, and ditto in reverse. Having you onboard as both a friend and creative partner makes things move a lot smoother, and here's to 2009 and beyond.

Hendry Lee
Hendry Lee

I like it all except the left sidebar. Too narrow to display the content, even the header, but at the same time there's ample of space to the left.

It should be a quick fix though.

Hendry Lee's Recent post...How to Turn Your Ideas into Remarkable Blog Posts

Danny Brown
Danny Brown

Hey there Hendry,

That's one of the thing s earmarked for optimization - thanks for the heads up.

JoeHage
JoeHage

I'm a personal fan of orange but it is an extremely polarizing color. I'm told it's also difficult for color-blind people to read.

Kathy Broniecki
Kathy Broniecki

Danny - I like the new "clean" look. White background and clean type always work for me. Sorry about your loss this year. Appreciate your views and thanks for always sharing. Here is to a great 2009!

Kathy Broniecki's Recent post...katbron: RT @acclimedia If you didn't enter ...

Seth Simonds
Seth Simonds

Danny, I really like the new layout and your upbeat encouragement to de-clutter and prioritize!

I'm glad to have you as a driver!

Seth

Seth Simonds's Recent post...null

Snow Vandemore
Snow Vandemore

I love your new blog design -- and your new look! Fantastic. Maybe no one else would dare to tell you, but the "categories" gadget header at the top is cut off. May want to fix that. I love ya -- just want you to look respectable in public. :)

Snow Vandemore's Recent post...null

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