Getting a new theme

I’m starting the process of getting a new theme for my travel around the world blog. When I made my last change, it was more out of desperation. I needed to change and so I got a theme which sort of worked and did the whole thing in about 24 hours. Since then, I’ve been making changes to the header and such, and it is starting to look like more of a kludge.

I don’t think I need to rush quite as much now, so I’m going to take my time and do it right. I don’t think a magazine theme is going to work for me. I think the process will be something along the lines of: figure out what I like on other sites, try to adapt those elements to something which will work for me, customize the design elements and launch.

I’m also tempted to get a custom theme made for me. While I can tweak photos in Photoshop, doing real graphic design is just beyond me. I have neither the technical talent nor the eye for it. I’d like to have something I’m comfortable enough with so I don’t have to change it for a long time. Problem is, I’m cheap.

I am also debating the wisdom of starting an email newsletter. I’ve heard good feedback from other blogs which do it, and the brief questioning I did of other people I know thought it was a good idea. I personally think in terms of RSS, so it is difficult for me to think like someone else. I want to target non-technical users in the future, so this might be something I have to do.

I’m also starting a contest which will run during the month of November. I’ll be using a corner peel ad to promote it. It should be up in two days.