I seem to get the itch to redesign my site about every year and a half, for better or worse.
This week I’m introducing version 3.0 - yay! My main goal with this version was to make better and more thorough use of WordPress, to make things bigger and more readable, and to make it easier for people to find out about the many and various projects I work on. I think it’s succeeded in all of those goals, which is awesome. I’ve also got a rudimentary store set up, using AlertPay for the credit card stuff instead of PayPal - if anyone has opinions on this, let em fly. I’d like to avoid PayPal because of their treatment of adult businesses, though I know it’s the standard for those who don’t want to get extra-fancy with programming a store. But any opinions will be considered. I’m concerned about it because…. drumroll… by the end of next week I’ll have t-shirts! Yes indeedy. They’re designed by my friend and tattoo artist Joy Rumore - check out her site, her blog, and her shop in Williamsburg (where the renowned Brian Decker is now doing body modification). I am not going to reveal the design just yet because I’m a jerk like that, but I’ll put up pictures as soon as I get the shirts. Suffice to say: they are fucking cool, and I think you will like them a lot.
Ok, now for a little trip down memory lane, with the ghosts of Waking Vixens past!
In December 2004, after I’d been blogging away on blogger for about five months, a reader emailed me and asked if I would be interested in a real website. It was run with Movable Type and launched on my 25th birthday, April 25, 2005. This site also had a splash page warning people against adult content, which I then abandoned in version 2.0.
Version 2.0 was conceived as I began to want something with a more professional look. I wanted to take the emphasis slightly away from the blog and make the site more about showcasing me and my awesomeness. It was launched on January 1, 2007, with the unfortunate side effect of my RSS feed going poof as I made the transition from MovableType to WordPress. Version 2.0 also introduced the very lovely Waking Vixen logo, styled with a nod to my Man Ray f-holes tattoo. The logo persists and has made its way onto my business cards, as well as stickers and other promo stuffs.
Now that I have a better understanding of WordPress, I wanted the site to be a bit more dynamic, with a smoother back end (heh heh) for me to tinker with more easily. Now it’s simpler for me to add pages, and the URLs are SO much better. I hope you enjoy using it as much as I do!
If you see things that need fixing, please let me know via email: dacia[at]wakingvixen[dot]com. And if you’ve got any suggestions for pages that need to be added or better fleshed out, by all means get in touch. Sometimes I think I’m just so immersed in all this that it’s hard for me to see some of the more obvious things that are missing.
P.S. Yes, I know I took away the photos of me that were taken by professional photographers. That work doesn’t really represent the work I’m doing these days, so I’ve folded those pictures into the blog archives. But so you don’t have to make yourself crazy looking for them, I’ve also made a set on Flickr devoted to my modeling career (2004-2006). You can find it here (though you need a Flickr login, cuz my account is naughty): Once upon a time I was a model
10:15 pm
The categorization up top is very handy. Everything’s so much easier to find. And I like the look!
Waking Vixen’s been slowly fading from red to brown over the years… is there some intentional symbolism going on there or is this purely an aesthetic preference?
11:31 pm
Waking Vixen actually started as a brown/beige template on blogger, so its sorta coming around to the beginning. Other than that, no real significance. I’m just trying to not be so intent on everything being red and black. Cuz as much as I love it it is slightly ridiculous.