New Look, New Name, Same Blog

As you have probably observed, my blog needed a facelift. Badly. I switched to a theme that was too over my head to manage and because I didn’t like the look of my blog–and the time it took to make the most of its features–I stopped posting with much frequency. I wanted this to change, but didn’t know where to turn.

But first, the name. Most of you know my blog as KatieFavazza.com, but the time has come for my blog–and me–to grow up.

I’ve long wanted to go by Catherine professionally. When I first got started with a real job, however, I worked with Mary Katharine Ham. The thought of seeing “Mary Katharine and Catherine worked on a new video this week” written on a blog post, or worse, hearing it spoken aloud, was too obnoxious to bear. I stuck with Katie. Then, when I signed up for a hosting service for this blog and was given the option to get another domain name for free, I picked CatherineFavazza.com and decided it was time to mature.

As for the look of the blog, I was struggling with a solution. Then, I met Kirsten Wright through Twitter (@KirstenWright) and reached out to her to see if her creative genius might have some guidance for me. I told her I didn’t know where to start or what to ask of her, but that I thought she might be able to help. Her response impressed me in a big way. I shared her ideas for improving the look and the overall quality of my blog with a fellow blogger, who said, and I quote, “Wow. She sounds amazing.” I agreed and recognized right away that a working relationship with Kirsten would help me have the blog I wanted. She helped me understand that if I was happier with the look, I’d be happier to write. And seeing the design and new elements now, she was right. She may be popping up as a contributor to the blog, so keep your eyes open for her insights here, as well.

On the new site, you can expect content along the same lines as before–just more organized.

Readers coming over from KatieFavazza.com probably know that I used to work as the managing editor of a magazine, and in learning to do that job, I became a student of the magazine industry and the media at large. Still, my livelihood today depends upon the Internet and I spend much of my time helping clients use new and social media for their messaging. In the “New (and Old) Media” section posts, you’ll see me grapple with my respect for the old media and my interest in new media. Along the same lines, I have a real interest in media bias and in observing the news, particularly from abroad, that large media outlets tend to ignore. My “Foreign Affairs” posts will bring you some of that information–highlighting international elections, progress in the War orn Terror, and more. Because my job is political–and for better or worse, I’m here in D.C. and can’t escape it–I’ll address “Politics and Capitol Hill” pretty often. I know I’m not the only conservative–American for that matter–who is frustrated with what’s going on and when I can offer a unique perspective or a different slant, I will. Expect “Faith and Family” posts, as well, addressing cultural and political happenings from a Catholic perspective.

I’m also reserving space to post about “Pop Culture.” I can’t promise that all of those posts will have a larger, significant cultural purpose, but I can promise they will be fun. I love to play tourist here in Washington, D.C., and I’ll be posting about new museum exhibits, shows, restaurants and other events in the area in a section called “On the Board.” (This comes from a sports podcast in which the two hosts make bets with each other and shout, “Put it on the board!” I’ve never listened to said podcast, but I picked up the expression from a friend of mine.) Those of you who’ve liked posts about my “Foodventures” in the past can rest assured–such posts will continue. But there is a brand new blog, totally dedicated to food, in the works. Stay tuned.

Over the weekend, Kirsten and I will still be making some adjustments to the site, but in the meantime, I’m really looking forward to your feedback. Post a comment, send an email to csf@[nospam]catherinefavazza.com (delete [nospam]), or find me on Twitter (@KatieFavazza). Be sure to grab my new RSS feed if you’re into that.

For now, I’ll take the advice of my big brother Anthony: “Blog, baby! Blog!”

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This entry was posted on Thursday, February 19th, 2009 at 3:13 pm and is filed under Faith and Family, Foodventures, Foreign Affairs, Missouri, New and Old Media, Politics and Capitol Hill, Pop Culture. The entry is tagged under design, kirsten wright, MKH. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.