Up from the ashes rises the new site

Just as I lacked the words to put the site into stasis, I find myself struggling to explain how it has risen back from the ashes.

This time is different... but isn't that what they all say?
My time away from the site has been a huge help to my life, my family and everyone close to me. That will not change. But the site is more than just me. I can run away, but it's always right there waiting for me. I can embrace it, or I can try and hide from it. Hiding just doesn't work as well as I thought it would.

So I'd like to take a few minutes and talk about what the new site is and how it will look compared to the old one.

Speed and Cleanliness
This is as fast as it will get. There are limits to what I can do and I have reached it. I know some of you would like for it to go faster, but this will not be the case. There is so much here at this point that I simply do not know how to make it go faster.
And I have already tried painting things red.

The FTW Blogrolls
There is nothing else out there like this. I realize that now. For those who have asked to join during the time that the site was in stasis, send me your info and I will get you added. The rolls have not changed. The same rules still apply.

For those who continue to fly the logo... thank you.
The blogrolls are the main feature of the right hand column. With the new, clean look, there will not be much more over there as time goes on either.

Archives and Searching the FTW Blogrolls
Some of you more astute readers will notice that some things are missing. Most notably, the huge archive of tutorials. This is not an accident. They have been rolled back over to their rightful owners to maintain.

So what does that mean and how do you find things?
Good question. Instead of trying to maintain a huge database here on FTW of dying and slowly outdated links, I have included a search engine that will allow folks to search all the current members of the FTW Blogrolls.

Type in what you're looking for and you can go through each blog roll looking for related posts from other FTW members that might help you. This means you should always be able to find something from the 700 plus members who are active.

Then what are the Archives at the top of the page for?
Those are FTW specific. They allow you to find the things that I've done in the posts that been posted on this site in particular. So if you want to see how I've solved something, search there, want to see what the FTW Blogger Group has to offer, search the Blogrolls.

Old FTW Features
What about the old features like the Tuesday Top Ten and the Podcast review? Those belong to their owners just as they always have. I have no plans at this time to bring them back to FTW and hope that they are doing well. As they pop up in the blogrolls, you'll still be able to find them and check them out each week.

Posting frequency
I will start posting to FTW in the coming week as I have new things to add. It will not be an everyday thing. For those who came over to Black Dot Barrel, it will be similar to that. Most likely once or twice a week depending on how much I can get done each week.

Thoughts on the new site
I believe I have been able to automate the site enough to remove the sheer amount of work that was required on a daily basis. I like to think I have been able to keep the key things to the site too. The blogrolls, access to all the helpful tips and tricks out there and still be able to add my own few things every now and then.

As the coming weeks go, I will be doing some final adjustments to the site to make sure everything is running smoothly from here on out. I'm sure there is something that I've missed in the past couple weeks of trying to figure this whole thing out. Just bear with me, this community is worth keeping together.

Artwork at the top of the post by: Olga Anikina

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If you've got any questions about something in this post, shoot me a comment and I'll be glad to answer. Make sure to share your hobby tips and thoughts in the comments below!