DEVTRENCH: Web Development from the Front Lines

I just want to make sure I document my changes to the site so that everyone can benefit from them. Here is a list of changes I’ve made to WordPress since my last Ads post:

• I’ve pruned old posts. Sorry, no more posts about guitar playing or art. Those are just going to have to wait for another blog. DEVTRENCH is all about Web Development, and this change should help to bring focus the blog.
• I’ve forced the ‘www’ to be in front of my url. Google and other search engines like this, and I think it looks better. I’ll show you how to do this in another post.
• I’ve added the Wordpress Duplicate Content Cure plugin. This plugin solves duplicate content issues that WordPress creates by having so may different links to the same content (links from categories, archives, posts, etc). Google frowns on duplicate content, so if you have a WordPress blog, this plugin is a must.
• I’ve removed the rich text editor from the WP backend. This is kind of a behind the scenes change, but I think it is an important one. I was frustrated with how the rich text editor (which I believe is an old, modified version of TinyMCE) messed up my formatting. Line breaks kept getting messed up and it would bold entire posts by sticking in single <strong /> tags. Annoying! So, since HTML is my second language, I turned it off.

Well, it’s official, jamesehly.com has been moved to devtrench.com and rebranded as DEVTRENCH (well at least in name). You’ll see a redesign of the header soon to incorporate the new DEVTRENCH logo along with some other graphical/layout changes that will suit the new site better. The site is now poised to grow into a web development hub for developers and designers that need great working solutions to their problems.

Switching the site turned out to be quite a process. I was working late yesterday switching the domain on my server from jamesehly.com to devtrench.com when cpanel reported an apache config error I wasn’t too worried though because I have a great host who has fast customer service and awesome tech support. They fixed me up and got devtrench.com live. Then it was just a matter of redirecting jamesehly.com and devtrench.net to devtrech.com (I did this from the registrar I use: goDaddy). I also had to change the WordPress options for site url and blog address via phpMyAdmin, and then dump the WordPress cache to get the site working again. So, like I said, it was a process. It probably could have gone smoother if I’d planned better, but that apache error really threw me for a loop. That’s how it goes when you work in the trenches though, you have to always be ready for that next problem to solve.

The only problem I’m really worried about (and I was worried about it before going into this), is that I’ll start to get adsense ads about trenching and trenchers I’ll combat that when and if it happens.

Some other upcoming things I’m planning on:

• I’ll be adding a top commentators plugin.
• The entire design of the site will change to better suit the new brand.
• I’ll be changing the feed to use feedburner, so I can track my RSS reads better.
• I’m sure I’ll be adding more plugins that I find, and sometime I’ll write a post about all the plugins I use.
• I’ll be adding different kinds of ads down the road.

A name is everything. A name can define who you are and what your purpose is. For that reason, part of the jamesehly.com Ads Project is going to be to change the name and domain name of the site. Don’t get me wrong, I like my name, but I don’t think it is right for the kind of site I need create in order to reach my goals.

This marks the first change in the strategy of the Ads Project, and it’s a BIG one. I doubt the new name will have instant success seo-wize, but it reflects an idea that I’ve had for a long time. As web developers, it feels like we are on the frontlines of an exciting and dangerous battle. We’re constantly honing our skills, practicing our craft, preparing for any conflict that can be just over the horizon. We have to keep abreast of new technology, be decisive about what new tools we are going to pick up, and constantly clear a path through all of the junk in our way, and make our clients happy all the while. It can be so difficult to sort out what works and what doesn’t, what is a best practice and what is going to get you stuck, and where to go for help. All of these issues will be addressed in the new site.

So what is the new name???

jamesehly.com (or totally superfluous rambling – which is what it used to be) will now be Dev Trench, Web Development from the Front Lines (www.devtrench.com). The new site will focus on web design and development that works. Real world development for developers who need quick solutions to their problems. The site will start out with my own experience of developing in high stress situations, and my solutions for rapid development on all fronts, but will hopefully grow into a multi user blog that incorporates many people’s experience.
When is it going to launch?

Dev Trench will launch sometime this month and basically be a redesign of this blog. Then I’ll begin to hone in on other changes and additions that I think the site needs. I’ll clue you in to those changes before I do them, just like I’m doing now. Remember – this is a learning experience for all of us (including me).

Why are you doing this again?

All good money making web sites have a focus. Plain and simple. That pretty much goes for all good websites. Focus is good. Learn that and you can go a long way.

You see, when I was in art school I went from idea to idea, from discipline to discipline, just hopping all around. I never got anywhere and it was like treading water. It wasn’t until my senior year thesis project that I learned to focus. I created 4 drawings over a 4 month period. That’s right, each drawing took a month to complete. Long story short, I focused and created something that I still think is some of the best artwork I’ve done.

This website needs that kind of focus to be successful. It needs to be about a niche group of web developers who are struggling every day just to stay afloat. Hopefully the web site will give them the focus they need to stop treading water and start swimming for their destination.

Won’t this mess up your stats?

Na, it will just make them confusing for a bit. As I make the change I’ll make sure document it for you so that it can be a resource for how to change a domain name and not lose any traffic or stats. It probably won’t be all that great of a tutorial since this site doesn’t get any traffic right now, but hey there’s another lesson: change your name/domain when nobody knows it.
A bonus strategy change…
I’ve also changed the Categories on the site. There are now 4 instead of 20+. These are just my initial thoughts and they may change names since I made them before I bought the domain names for dev trench, but the concept behind each is solid I think. I want an area for web development, equipment, life lessons as I call them, and I need one for the Ads Project. I want to implement a tagging system also to bring back the keywording that the old categories provided, but I think it is best for the categories to act like categories and not tags. Focus, focus, focus.

See you in the trenches!