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Things are Changing... || Blog Migration, Content Update, New Posting Schedule & More

Hi all! If you've noticed an absence from me, it's because I've been making a lot of changes behind the scene. If you follow me on Twitter (which you really should!! Like SERIOUSLY, you should do that!) you already know what's going on.

If you don't however, just know that a lot is changing and this post will explain why.

 

#1: Cierra's Cynosure is moving. Wix → Wordpress.

New blog is located at cierrascynosure.com.

 

I created Cierra's Cynosure here on Wix alllll the way back in December of 2015. Quite honestly, Cierra's Cynosure was born a product of my ceaseless yearn to take on new projects. In a way, it was a test of a potential hobby going into the new year (2016) and I had NO idea it would turn into what it has. Today, Cierra's Cynosure is not just a fleeting, on-the-whim hobby of mine, but it has developed into a full blown passion that I have been doing for nearly five years.

Okay, let's not let this turn into a sappy post and get to the point.

Basically...I'm moving blogging platforms. While Wix has been great for the better half of 3 years, in the last year I've used this platform for my blog, I've realized that it has so many limitations that I just can't get around. I will talk more about this in an upcoming post called "My Book Blogger Regrets", but for now, all you need to know is I am migrating Cierra's Cynosure from Wix to Wordpress.

In fact, I have already done so. Along with this migration has come a complete brand redesign, which I honestly wasn't expecting to have to do. If you've never been on Wordpress, you might not know that Wordpress works in themes and each theme has its own setup and features that you kind of can't work around. The theme I am using for my new blog, for instance, comes with a set color scheme and font that I simply can't change. Despite this setback, I really love the layout of the theme so I decided instead of trying to change those things, I'd adapt to them. So, that is how I got these new logos for my new blog:

It's really weird because I'm so used to my Wix logo, but I am also extremely happy with these new brands. Out with the old & in with the new!

Goodbye old logo!

Goodbye old logo & slogan!

So...yeah. My new Wordpress blog is cierrascynosure.com. If you want to stick around and keep seeing my content, follow me and subscribe to the email list there! (You will no longer be getting email post notifications from MailChimp since Wordpress has a built-in email notification system).

 

#2: Content Update: New book review format & content.

 

My book review method for the past 4 months has been unnecessarily laborious. I thought my rating system of characters, plot & pacing, etc, made me stand out and made my thoughts look more organized. Which, in a way I still think it does, but it's time to change up how I present these thoughts structurally. Here's a skeleton of how I want my book reviews to be structured:

→ Book cover

→ Buy links

→ GR synopsis

→ Likes

→ Dislikes

→ Overall rating

→ Conclusion

I still plan to talk about main characters, plot, pacing, and so on and so forth in the likes & dislikes section, I just don't think I'll continue to section them as rigorously. I'm also throwing out the cover and star ratings for each section thing I had at the beginning of each of my reviews because that was too much work for me to make every time. As for the overall rating, that's going at the bottom of my reviews now because I've found it to be more respectful to authors.

In general, I've learned from my model Wordpress bloggers that less is more.

Finally, I'm also taking this hiatus time during the migration to reflect on the quality of my content (both book reviews and general posts). I'm planning a post when I'm back to schedule that deals with a list of things we as book bloggers can do to kick our reviews up a notch, so look out for that on the new blog.

 

#3: New posting schedule (a work in progress).

 

I actually really enjoy my Thursday & Saturday blog posting schedule and as it currently is, but with the addition of my booktube channel this summer and a busy fall class schedule on the horizon, I need to be realistic and not burn myself out.

I also found it annoying that I couldn't promote new videos to my blog audience because my blog went up on Saturday while my booktube video went up on Sunday. There's a lot that needs to be considered to get my fall schedule functional, and I'll keep you all updated when it's finalized. (Again, follow me on Twitter because I'll post about it there first!)

 

#4: Behind the scenes changes.

 

Behind the scene changes have been happening like crazy recently. For instance, I have started a new theme on my Instagram to see if it will be received better in the long run. There's no hiding that cohesively themed accounts gain traction, so I'm testing the waters. Even though I complained about this on Twitter, I'm actually starting to like the look myself more now!

I am also debating on changing the online photo editing platform that I use. For years I've used PicMonkey for all of my blogging/Youtube-ing needs, but recently the editor has just become SO SLOW. I'm thinking about switching to Canva, and I made my most recent booktube video's thumbnail using Canva:

 

I have finally announced all of these changes officially. Thank you for reading and signing up for my email list if you did while I was here on Wix. Thank you if you ever opened those emails and read my content. I sincerely hope I'll see you over on Wordpress if you decide to stick around, but if not, thanks for giving me your time and attention in the increasingly crowded digital space.

This chapter of my book blogging career is closing, but a whole other one is simultaneously opening. If you're still with me, onto the next one, shall we?

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