Updates and Tweaks

I've been making a few small, and some not so small, changes around the ol' pagan tattoo blog. Let's get the little things out of the way first. I've added a visible counter, centered the title and added a submission banner as opposed to the old wordy "submission details" section. I've also added a five star ratings system, courtesy of Outbrain, which should better help me figure out just what you folks like (especially since you don't say much).

This is usually the part where I talk about implementing a new template or background. I think I'll give that a miss this time. I like this template; it's clean, simple and doesn't outshine the tattoos themselves. I've also removed the followers section from the page. I liked it but, through direct and indirect comments, I learned that it was preventing some people from submitting their tattoos as they thought they had to join or sign up for something. So, it had to go. Also, NeoPagan Ink is now on MySpace!

I'm also considering a rethink on the few spotlighted tattoo artists. There are so many great artists out there it's hard to know who to choose. And as I'm usually looking for pagan-specific content I often feel a tug-of-war between great artists who have only done a couple pagan tattoos and the very few out-of-the-broom-closet pagan tattoo artists I manage to find. Sometimes I think I'll just scrap the whole thing but something always changes my mind. I think I might, maybe make the spotlighted artists section a rotating project. I dunno, I've still got to think about that. Stay tuned.

Now, for the bigger stuff. I'm making a change in the way I view my visitors. I had previously thought of all of my visitors as very well versed in all things mythology. However, tracking and statistics have shown me that this is not always the case. So, instead of only providing little snippets of myths here and there, I'm gonna make a concerted effort to include myths in nearly every post with the view that my readers might not be familiar with the stories behind the images. I know I've said something like this before but I'm looking at the situation a little differently now.

Instead of thinking of this blog as a tattoo blog with the occasional accompanying stories I'm thinking of it more as a mythology blog with illustrative tattoos. Or something like that; it's late and I'm fuzzy on the details. Don't get me wrong, this is still a tattoo blog first and foremost. But the mythological link is stronger than it was when I first started out last July. So, look forward to richer posts!

As always, I welcome, welcome, welcome comments of any and all kinds. However, if you don't feel like speaking up I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the new ratings system. I want this to be an informative and inspirational resource for pagan tattoo enthusiasts as well as non-pagans interested in pagan, pagan-esque or related images. Feedback, positive or negative, is essential in making this blog the best it can be. Again, I welcome your opinions and encourage you to comment or rate, thanks!

P.S. From now on I'm going to try to stick with images listed under Creative Commons so as to avoid copyright infringement. Commenter Lili brought this issue back to my attention, thanks Lili!

P.P.S. Another great suggestion from Lili prompts me to ask: how many RSS readers do I have out there? Just a quick "Me!" in the comments would be great. This isn't required of course but I do wonder how many there are as, I've just learned, counters don't count you folks.