Tuesday, March 11, 2014

An Announcement. Aaaaand...I Need Your Help.



Hi friends.

I've been staring at the blinking cursor on the blank screen waiting for meaningful words to show up. They have not. 

So in the absence of a meaningful post I thought it might be time to tell you the thing that currently preoccupies.

Are you ready?

I'm rolling out a new blog. 

Raise your hand if you thought I was going to tell you I'm pregnant and that I need help naming my baby.

Nothing that huge and dramatic, people. But it does feel a little bit like having a baby {minus the sickness, stretch marks, and pain} and I do need some help with a name. But more on that in a minute.

I don't have an exact "delivery date" yet. There will be plenty of wrinkles to iron out first. But after an extremely long gestation period / creative and technical process, she's almost here. 

I'm giddy and terrified. {And will stop with the pregnancy / baby metaphor now.}

Here are some questions you might have:


Scooper, why are you changing things up?

I'm glad you asked. It's something I've wanted to do for a very long time. For lots of reasons, the timing simply hasn't been right until now. I've wanted a name that was less "themey" and more reflective of me and my content. And I wanted a design that felt more reflective of those things too.


Are you switching from Blogger?

Yes, I'm switching to a self-hosted site using a custom Wordpress theme. Blogger is great in that it's very user-friendly and easy to set up. It's lacking, however, in functionality and customization. I also worry about ownership of my content with Blogger. Having a self-hosted site {where one actually owns their web domain} provides more options and makes my content a little bit easier to find. 


Will you tell us your real name after you move?

Yep, I sure will. No more Scooper. Unless of course you really want to call me that. In a way I'll forever be Scooper.


Will you still be writing about the same stuff?

That's the plan. My content will still be "a little scoop for every slice of life." As much as I'd love to be a niche blog, I'm just too random to pin down. There's too many things I love to write about. I've made peace with it.


Will all of your content and comments move with you?

Absolutely. All 400+ posts and comments will be moving with me. {Fingers crossed!}


I subscribe via e-mail to your blog. Will I still get each post delivered to my inbox?

Yes.


You mentioned that you need my help. How?

There are two ways. First, I need some naming help. I've got the name for the blog. It's both very original and not original at all. How's that for vague? But I'm still struggling with the tag-line. I've got long lists of possibilities and while one of them stands above the rest, even it doesn't feel 100% right. As it turns out, naming your blog is harder than naming your baby. At least it is for me. 

I'd love some feedback from you on this. What overall theme or message do you find in my posts? How do you feel after you've read a post? What words describe my content? I've got some ideas on this but I'm obviously not objective. Hearing from you may give me some fresh perspective. 

There's another way you can help. What sort of posts are your favorite? What would you like to see more of? My primary motivation for writing is simple. I write because I'm a writer. I can't not write. It's how I process. It's how I learn. It's how I reinterpret and make meaning of both the epic and the everyday. Some of my writing is private {in journals} and some of it is public here on the blog. But I've also come to see writing as part of my calling, as a way to encourage and inspire, as a way of speaking truth and beauty into the world around me. With that said, what are some of the most encouraging and enjoyable kinds of posts you've read here? What topics would you like to see explored in the future? 

::

I can't wait for you to see the new place. The design is close to done and it's going to be simple and lovely. My friend and fairy blogmother, Kindel {at Willow White Studios}, is the genius and cheerleader behind this whole endeavor. I wouldn't have attempted this without her. 

Stay tuned for more updates but in the meantime, help a sister out and let me know your thoughts. You can reply in the comments or even send me an e-mail: scooperalamode at gmail dot com. 

Thanks a million, friends!

15 comments:

  1. I once worked at a preschool where the director had hung a sign in each room. " Stay calm. Get your Guidance." One common theme for this blog is getting YOUR Guidance, in spite of yourself. Or maybe I am projecting...I tend to get in my own way...often. Makes it hard to listen to that still, small, voice.

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    1. Somebody should market that sign and sell it. I could use that mantra about every 5 minutes! : ) Thanks for your feedback.

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  2. Gestation period...hahahaha! Love the analogy! Are you feeling labor pains yet? :)

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  3. I've always enjoyed your absolute honesty; you don't shy away from the messy side of anything, and I love that. There is something very, very real about your life on this blog and that, I think, is what keeps me coming back (besides, of course, those memories from high school cross country!).

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    1. Stella, I'm honored to have you as a reader. Truly I am. Thank you!

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  4. I too love your honesty, and how you're real about everything. It's both refreshing and challenging, and for me it is always a reminder to be okay with life right I am and accept the process that God is always bringing me through.

    I can't wait to see your new look-and I can relate as I've been tinkering with my own corner of the internet lately..

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    1. Gina, thanks a million! You make me sound like a fizzy soft drink on a hot day--"real and refreshing." : ) I SO appreciate your feedback, friend.

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  5. I first got into your blog reading the favourite posts and I loved the ones about rest and not going after 'clean house righteousness' - I think that's so clever and true and really resonates. Taglines? Words and concepts like: 'uncovering life in grace' or 'my life: uncovering grace' or 'my life: unovering freedom in grace'.
    The reasons I have those ideas are - I think your blog is very much about everday life and specifically your everyday life (it's personal) and living that life in the context of grace. I agree with Gina that it's 'refreshing' and it definitely lets you breathe, lets you off the hook and gives you hope that there's more to life in grace - more freedom - than you maybe have understood so far or would have dared enter into. That's why I read it and indeed why I read my few favoured blogs - in the hope that you'll give me permission to enter more freely and wildly into grace than I might have dared. Like I've got an ally. Whether these are things you intend or other people feel, I wonder, but that's what I feel!!! And thank you for it. xxx

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    1. Anna, thank you so much! That's so helpful. {And so kind of you!}

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  6. a la mode is my favorite blog. I try to analyze if it is because I know you in "real life" so I'm a little extra partial - it's impossible to know because how can i be objective? I do know that I love your dish and favorite things posts because you have impeccable taste and the recommendations are spot on, they are like rainbows, butterflies and unicorns...who doesn't like that stuff? I really do like the variety. (and another aside. I LOVE hearing you refer to yourself as a writer. when I see those words I always cheer you on and praise God for his work in you to be brave with naming your love for writing and talent as yours. It is awesome! You are a writer, and it is part of your calling. You nailed it in this post! Lots of cheers from TX) The memorable posts and the ones that touch me deepest are the open honest writings on faith. I agree with the others, your honesty is a gift that I receive with every new post. Specifically, the courage of your honesty, and the conclusions of hope in the Gospel I don't hear pronounced in my faith community, but OH I wish I did. Your YES to honesty, courage, and the Gospel has encouraged me to live similarly, - learning to live loved- To proclaim GRACE is here and has changed EVERYTHING (except to the naked eye everything looks exactly the same - probably messy!) It's a revolutionary message that feels so scandalous - and I need to hear it over and over.

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  7. Squeal!!!! Proud of you, Lady.
    Who is helping you move everything?
    I've been TOO SCARED to try it! Ha.
    I've owned my own domain for like 5 years and never used it. WHAT???

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    1. A friend / former student of mine is creative and techie and helping me move. I won't lie, it's scary and it's a big undertaking. I'll jump in and test the waters first but then it's your turn. Deal?

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  8. I'm excited to see your new online real estate! To answer your questions, you know I love everything you write, partly because you are so authentic (on the blog and in person) and you are one heck of a writer. So, I'd like to read stuff that is you, whatever the Lord puts on your heart to share.

    By the way, it's so nice to hear that someone else can't pick one niche. I like variety too much for that, even though I know it's supposed to be better for stats, followers, yada, yada, yada.

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    1. Non-niche bloggers unite! How about we form our own non-niche niche?

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  9. I love everything you write, partly because you are so authentic (on the blog and in person) and you are one heck of a writer.


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