Things may look a little strange on Route 66 News over the next few days. That’s because we’re going to do housecleaning on the site, testing and a full face-lift.
A couple of readers have emailed about the website loading poorly or the comments field not working since moving to Dreamhost. After Dreamhost’s technical gurus poked around a bit, they found a few things that needed tweaking with the plug-ins, and I made a mistake or two in coding.
But it appears many of the problems come from this website’s theme. Unbeknownst to me, WordPress had retired the Regulus theme that has been Route 66 News’ infrastructure for close to eight years. When themes get retired, they’re no longer updated and start to fray with age.
That means I’m going to have to find a new skin for Route 66 News. I’m not irked about Regulus going away, actually. Some whose opinion I trust suggested less than a week ago that I ought redesign the site because Route 66 News was starting to look dated. That — with the niggling problems — are the nudges I needed to change the look of Route 66 News as it marches onward to its 10th anniversary in 2015.
News will continue to be posted in the coming days, and most of you should see no real changes — except for the impending new look. I don’t have an ETA of when all of this will be finished, partly because the modem with our home Internet is sick and due to be replaced next week. A lot of things will depend on how well my connection performs in the interim.
So hang in there. Route 66 News isn’t going away, and it mission remains the same. But it’s getting a tune-up and some work at the body shop. And, with luck, it will be a better and more attractive Web experience for everyone.
(Image of spray paint cans at Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas, by Great White Shot via Flickr)