Hello everyone,
It’s been some time since my last post. The start of the new year has been a bit of a rollercoaster, and I’ve had to shift focus to some personal and organizational matters. But now, things are starting to settle, and I’m excited to finally update you all on the changes coming to this website and my content moving forward.
1. More Frequent Updates and Posts
One of the biggest changes is that I’m committing to updating and posting here more often. In the past, I’d often get stuck in a loop of trying to build out certain features for the website. If something didn’t work or took too long to implement, I’d get sidetracked looking for alternative software solutions. This time, I’m simplifying things. The main site will run on WordPress, and anything that doesn’t fit will be handled by separate software. I know this may create some syncing challenges down the road, but I’ve got a few ideas in mind to manage that.
2. Discord as the Hub for Community Engagement
Another big shift is that I’ve decided to use our community Discord as the primary space for discussions. I was originally aiming for a dedicated forum here, but Discord offers a more dynamic platform for real-time conversations. The forum on this site (powered by bbPress, at least for now) will remain, but it will be reserved for more technical discussions and project-specific content. For general community chat and content feedback, Discord will be the place to be.
3. OAuth Integration for Easier Account Management
To streamline the user experience, I’ll be implementing OAuth across the site. This means you’ll be able to log in using your existing Patreon, Discord, YouTube, or other social media accounts. By syncing these services, I can better manage account linking and data sharing across the different platforms I use, without worrying about mismatched IDs or other issues.
4. Website Cleanup and Theme Overhaul
I’ve been running with a makeshift theme here for a while now—mainly to get something functional up and running. But it’s time for a revamp. The new theme will be cleaner and more polished, though there may be some bumps along the way as I fine-tune things. Some pages may be reorganized, or URLs may temporarily break, but I’ll make sure to implement redirects so nothing important is lost. I’m also going through the site’s content, updating and removing outdated or irrelevant posts to make room for fresh material.
5. YouTube Channel Revamp and Website Integration
I’ll be giving my YouTube channel a bit of a facelift too. The goal is to make it more of an archive, with easy access to playlists, videos, and project updates. While I won’t be fully integrating YouTube into the website (i.e., no embedded video player across the site), I will be linking back to relevant content in posts and providing quick access to everything from the site’s YouTube page.
6. Roadmaps, Milestones, and Project Schedules
Finally, I’ll be adding pages for roadmaps, milestones, and schedules for my ongoing projects. Some of these will link out to platforms like GitHub, where I already track coding progress, but I’ll also be creating summary pages here on the site for easy reference. I’m not currently taking requests for new content or projects, as I want to clear my backlog first, but that’s definitely something I’ll consider down the line.
Thank you so much for reading this update! I know it’s been a while, but I’m excited to get back into the swing of things. I’ve been dealing with some personal challenges this year, and while I may not go into specifics right now, I’m feeling more energized and ready to dive back into creating content and growing this community.
Stay tuned for the changes ahead, and I hope you’re as excited as I am to see where things go from here!
Thanks for your support,
-XerShade