By Cyrris , 1st October 8:59 pm
No, we haven’t been taken over by an army of Barbie dolls. Rather, the change you see on Aelon today is for a cause. While pink isn’t exactly my favourite colour, the cause is a worthy one. Pink for October is the brainchild of Matthew Oliphant, a member of the 9rules Network of which this site is also a part. It is essentially the online version of the pink ribbon, raising awareness of breast cancer, and this year looks to be the biggest one yet.
Given that this type of cancer has affected not only some of my close friends but also my own immediate family, this wasn’t something I felt I could pass up. As well as going pink, I’ll be donating the entirety of Aelon’s advertising income for October. For the purpose of transparency, Text Link Ads Inc. tells me that’s $75.38 US which I would otherwise have used to buy a video game or some other such nonsense.
So if you do run a website of your own, go and read up on going pink.
By Cyrris , 7th April 7:55 pm
When I first launched Aelon’s last design, version 9, I noted that the 12 months between it and it’s predecessor was the longest I had ever gone without redesigning one of my own sites - twice as long in fact. Since that day it has now been 15 months, and frankly the need for a design wasn’t actually critical - it was just something I wanted to do. The fact is, v9 was a good design, and deserved to last as long as it did. Maybe even a little longer.
As such, this latest redesign comes with no real functional changes over the old. The way everything works and is laid out is much the same. What I was really aiming for was something a little sleeker, rather than the simple boxes and rectangles that were here before. The end result you see here before you: Aelon vX.
» Read all of “Time for a Redesign“…
By Cyrris , 1st January 4:22 pm
Well, it’s been about a year since Aelon version 8 launched, and that is quite possibly the longest I have let any of my sites ever go without an overhaul. To make up for that, I’ve made this redesign as substantial as possible, and together with creating a new logo it has probably been the most ambitious project I’ve yet undertaken on the web. So, for those who want to know the nitty gritty of what has changed, read on!
» Read all of “New Year, New Look“…
By Cyrris , 6th December 10:53 pm
I’m not usually one to build up hype for no particular reason, but frankly I currently have nothing else to do aside from putting myself to bed, and that’s boring. So, without further ado, here is some blatant Aelon propaganda:
As you can see, I have chosen a new logo and I’m sticking with it. We also have a new colour scheme on the way, hopefully with enough hot colours to keep Kelmon’s eyes from freezing over. When I first started thinking about a new design a few months ago, I thought I had figured out what it was going to look like already. Needless to say everything has turned out completely different, but quite possibly far better. Except maybe for IE users.
While the basic theme is done, there is still lots left to do. I haven’t integrated it into the blog software yet, and I plan on making all sorts of minor additions which Aelon v8 doesn’t have - just small things that really give it that polished feel. Little javascript things here and there to play with, extra icons and graphics, and generally a more helpful interface. Then of course a revamped forum design to match it all. While I have every intention of meeting the new years deadline, I of course won’t be making promises. Cancer in the family + holiday season = unpredictability for sure. But hey, this redesign is 6 months overdue already. It’s definately about time.
By Cyrris , 16th September 1:26 pm
So I was hoping that I’d have Aelon’s version 9 redesign done around the same time I would find out if Aelon was accepted into the 9rules Network or not. The play on words (or numbers, rather) was going to be something really special. So much for that.
For our readers who have no idea what the above network means, I’d urge you to follow the link. The 9rules Network is a loosely affiliated group of blogs about all sorts of topics - and every single one of them is serious quality. They have to be - as that’s what 9rules is all about. A few weeks ago I thought I’d submit Aelon, and not too long ago Paul Scrivens, their CEO, nodded his head and decided this site was up to par. So we’re in.
I’m not sure how much this means to you readers, or even to the others who write articles here on the site, but as the person who keeps the insides of Aelon well oiled and functioning right, this is a serious boon. I have felt for quite some time that the quality of content on this blog deserves more traffic, and I believe we’ll be getting that. The community of people in 9rules are also a very knowledgeable bunch, and I definately plan on tapping into that knowledge bank to see where we can take Aelon from here. Hell, maybe I’ll even be able to give some of my own tips to them. Who knows? Either way, it’s definately a bright-looking future.
Blog Feed