We are close, so close, to going live with Hypatia’s new website, and what a moment that will be! I’ve said that yes, I can write blog posts, do some editing. After all, I’ve done web pages before. Of course, my first page was direct HTML coding, quite simple in design, but oh, so satisfying.

Later I rebuilt a whole site where I worked using the Microsoft Word “publish as HTML” feature — much to the dismay of my system admin folks. Too much embedded code, too slow, too big … and so, I moved on to Dreamweaver with its ability to strip out all that excess MS code. And I could view the pages as I worked in both formatted and HTML versions, satisfying my need to actually understand what was happening. Ah … I miss that program, but no longer have access to a server as I did before I retired.

The new Hypatia site in done in WordPress, a CMS (content management system), at least a few, and more likely many, steps beyond the page-by-page coding I have done in the past.

Oh yes, I’d used templates and libraries and such, but I abandoned my web work not too long before retiring; my office adopted a CMS system and I wasn’t convinced it was a good thing — way too little control for someone used to making changes live as I saw fit.

So I had to be convinced to give CMS a second try. Most of the work here is not mine. Credit for design, the vast majority of the work, writing, editing, building, and nudging me toward contributing goes to Vivian Bliss, Hypatia board member and patient mentor. I think it’s wonderful! I’ve done a bit of writing, added a link or two, have promised to do more as I get used to the system. This blog post is one step on my way…

I hope you take the steps with us as we continue to expand and improve this new site. What do you think? Have you looked around the site? Visited several pages, read the comments of former residents, checked out the events? Tell us what you’d like to see, what you’d like to learn about Hypatia-in-the-Woods. Say “hello” if you like, to let us know you’re out there!

Marilyn Vogler

Former resident, current volunteer