March 20, 2007

Administratia

Okay, that's not really a word, but we are making up our own lexicon here, right? Just wanted to let all Purple WomenTM and our friends know that this site is undergoing a bit of construction.

You will note some changes in the sidebar. I have modified the Ground Rules to encourage leaving a comments (gifts). Also added more specific instructions on "how to" leave a comment, as it has become apparent to me over time that it is not obvious at all within the Blogger.com form. The most important thing we are doing here is starting a dialogue -- not a photo contest. (I can always find amazing purple photos to illustrate posts on Flickr!)

At the same time, I've made the big leap to the new Blogger
version with this blog, after testing it for months on my other blogs. The most important new feature is the ability to search by topic of interest with the addition of "labels", which we've been applying to posts for a couple of months now. Our blog, with more than 300 posts, has been otherwise difficult to navigate.

Now I am going through our archives to properly label all the older posts, so y
ou will not read a lot by me over the next couple of weeks. Please know I will be slaving behind the scenes!

In the meantime, enjoy a string of Guest Posts. If you are interested in writing one for us, please send me an
email with your story idea. It is always a real charge to "hear" a new childfree voice. It reflects the diversity within our ranks, and perhaps some common ground as well.

The objective of these changes is to make it easier for visitors to this purple, childfree space to enjoy the great posts that we have put up in the last year and a half. They will be able to go directly to the topic that interests them the most, in addition to reading the latest. And, hey, they may even leave us a thoughtful comment.

[Photo:
uploaded to Flickr on February 23, 2007 by MichelleBlack]

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9 comments:

JeSais said...

agree that for non-bloggers the blogger comment functionality, is not very... um... functional, or intuitive. That said, some people just won't comment. Are you familiar with AskPatty.com? they installed a form to Ask a Question because folks just weren't commenting even though their traffic was excellent.

keep up the good (blog) work!

manoo of the cherry said...

Hi there,

I just found my way to your site by googling 'childless by choice'.

I am a woman who is 34 and struggling with what feels like a natural choice not to have children in a world where everyone seems to lie about how difficult it is when you have them. I feel under pressure from most women I know (almost all of them) who have children that they wish me to conform to their world views.

I don't really understand the interest in having a needy little one around when the world is full of problems and existing issues that could be half way resolved if we all looked a little more outwardly, rather than becoming insular and myopic about ones own self and children.

I am delighted to have found your blog as I finally feel that I can find some real answers to the questions I feel are frowned on by most women (and our mothers) of our generation.

I am lucky that I have a loving partner who is also of the same beliefs as I am but who is somewhat under pressure from his Christian family to pro-create.

These are issues that we have not finally made a choice on and the delight I feel to have found a real group of people who understand is fantastic!

bonsai said...

Hey Manoo,

Welcome!

I think you will find that people involved in the arts (of all kinds --- I'm a musician and a music teacher) tend to come down on the CF side of the sence a bit more often than average. First, they alrady have a creative outlet; secondly, money is more likely to be tight...two great reasons for not procreating (along with so many others)!

Checked out your very cool blog. Glad to have you here!

Elise

Strawberry Muffin said...

Artistic people also tend to think differently from mainstream society. :)

Love this blog by the way!

Anonymous said...

jesais, manoo of the cherry, Elise, and Ms. Muffin -- thanks for these gifts...I didn't say I wouldn't continue to read and comment on my little hiatus!

Suzanna Danna said...

great idea... i would be proud to call myself purple.

manoo of the cherry said...

Thanks for your comments. I agree about the artistic side of things and that we do think differently and have a creative outlet that doesn't need to be about having a child.
I am grateful for your thoughts, it is really reassuring to hear this from others.

Sarah said...

Hi,

I found your site through child-free.com.

I am 22 and fairly recently (within the past few months) became childfree. I have had a few people be critical of my choice, but so far most people have respected it.

I think your site is a really good, especially for people who are looking for a safe haven of sorts. I think I'll start calling myself a purple woman. :)

Anonymous said...

I have often thought that women have an urge to create. When a woman does not have a child, that leaves a huge un-tapped well of creativity which can be applied to any number of things.

It is so rewarding and motivating to hear from new readers -- welcome to all newly discovered Purple Women and Friends. Thanks so much for leaving these comments!

I hope readers, new and returning, enjoy discovering treasures burried among our older posts.