Hi, Jon here. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Lately I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about blogging, specifically my blog (if it’s okay to get selfish for a moment). It’s been a great experience so far and I’m grateful for you walking with me for part of my blogging journey.

I’m taking a long look at the purpose of my blog and what things will look like going forward. Here is some of what I’ve been wrestling through as I think about the future direction of my blog:

• I’m wanting to mask my blog URL with a personal domain name. I purchased the domain name(s) a year ago and I’m hoping to make the switch sometime this summer.
• Ideally, I would love for a complete re-design and I wonder if there’s a fairly inexpensive way for me to get this done.
• Speaking of changes, I’m not convinced that WordPress is the right platform for me to use. If anyone has other suggestions or the right argument as to why I should stick with WordPress, I’m all ears.
• I’m considering a different approach to the Friday List. So far it’s been a shotgun blend of fun, bizarre, and interesting. I’m asking myself if there would be a better purpose in how I approach Friday List. Is there a greater purpose or more attraction to not having “just another top ten list” floating around cyberspace?
• One of the possibilities that I’m thinking about for the Friday List is possibly keeping the format but replacing it with more creative, thought-provoking, and challenging content. This past Friday List (May 13, 2011) would be a fairly good example. Nothing’s been decided yet but that’s a possibility I’ve been considering.
• Lately I’ve also been exploring more creative elements. Over the next few weeks you’ll probably see more of the artistic/creative side of me coming out between the lines.
• Stats…for the Type A side of me, I love comparing and analyzing the stats. This has become an area of repentance for me. If I’m more concerned with how many people are reading what I write instead of whether God’s using my writing to change people’s perspectives and even their lives, then I’ve missed the whole point of why I write. For the foreseeable future, I’m going to swear off checking the numbers.

This is what I’ve been thinking lately. I’ve also learned that part of this journey involves listening to the critical voices, even the ones who are less constructive. What should I do differently? What am I doing well? Where can I grow? I’m open to any feedback so drop a comment.

Thanks again for walking with me.