theMangoTimes - Reevaluating Ourselves
July has been a really crazy month here in Mangoland. I don't need to go into the details here on the blog, but it was another opportunity for our family to navigate through tricky waters and ultimately see the power of the gospel living out in real time.
Here at theMangoTimes, this provided a necessary break for us to stop, breathe deeply and reevaulate what we are doing here online.
The first thing to change was the design of the website. I love hosting on Squarespace. Not only do they provide great customer service, but they have a great platform and provide me with everything I need to make an intelligent website that also looks great. I have wanted to change the way theMangoTimes looks, feels and functions. I wanted something a little cleaner and easier to use. Once again Squarespace provided a clean and easy template to accomplish my goals.
Hopefully the site is cleaner, with solid content and easier to navigate whether you access it online or through a mobile/tablet device. Again, a cool thing of SS is the optimization of your websites on any device.
I also picked through the blog and removed defunct posts and retagged everything for better searching. Basically, it was time to toss a bunch of old stuff out and clean up what was left. I've written for six years and there was a lot that needed to be deleted.
Ultimately, I did this for myself. I cleaned up the site visually and reduced the amount of content my readers have to navigate. But what about my readers? Is theMangoTimes and attractive site? Is it working for you? Do I need to focus my attention on another part of my site? Is there content missing? Items or topics I have failed to address in the blog? Leave a comment or pop me a quick private note and let me know where I can improve my site. Thanks!
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
Guest Blogging for Father's Day
I was invited to write a guest blog for The Homeschool Potpourri Online about Father's Day. I share the ONE AND ONLY THING all homeschool dads need to remember. Check it out here: Homeschooling Dads: Don't Miss The Big Lesson.
Earlier this week I gave a nod to Father's Day in a blogpost I wrote at my other regular homeschool writing gig at The Homeschool Post. It was a fun look at lessons that any dad can learn from famous television dads. Here: Father's Day: Top Ten Lessons From TV Dads. Take a look at my take on Howard Cunningham, Andy Taylor, Mike Brady and more.
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
The Homeschool Post
Follow this button to read what I have to say over at The Homeschool Post.
I am excited to announce that I will be blogging as a monthly contributor over at The Homeschool Post.
I am the first homeschool dad to write for The HSBA Post and look forward to representing the often under spoken voice of homeschool dads. By "under spoken," I don't mean that homeschool dads are not given a platform to express our thoughts, views, or beliefs. I mean that even when given the opportunity (blogging, conferences, etc...) most dads do not take the chance to speak up about homeschooling, choosing instead to push their wives into the arena of discussion and debate.
With a wife who is extremely involved in the world of homeschooling and blogging, I have been immersed in the homeschooling world for nearly 15 years. I've seen a lot of versions of homeschooling. The good, the bad and the ugly. It is my hope to bring everything I have to the table: experience, stimulating thoughts, gobs of humor, occasional frustration, regular encouragement, and my typical "stick-poking" to the broad topic of homeschooling.
Each month, I will let my readers here at theMangoTimes know what I am writing about over there and hopefully you will visit me at both locations.
Today's post is a basic introduction to who I am: Meet Fletch!
For those who have been around theMangoTimes, there's nothing much new about me to say, but I would still love it if you would drop by and leave me a comment at The HSBA Post. Thanks!
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
Updating theMangoTimes
I have recently added two new sections to theMangoTimes.
Who We Are - A Gallery of Family Photos
My Favorite Links - Some recommended places for you to cruise around the web!
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
Happy Thanksgiving 2012
Every Thanksgiving, I make it a point to make contact with friends and family who have made an impact in my life over the years. Just a quick note or phone call to thank them for being in my life! I want to do the same to all of the readers of theMangoTimes!
Thanks for reading, thanks for interacting with me, thanks for helping me laugh, thanks for helping me think, thanks for reminding me when I've encouraged you, thanks for telling me when I've stepped on your toes! I am thankful for social media, blogging and the chance to interact with so many of you!
Eat well! Fellowship well! Be grateful!
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
Thanks for voting!
It looks like I share one thing in common with President Obama. We have both been reelected.
That's right...theMangoTimes has been voted once again as the Best Homeschool Dad Blog! That's awesome and I thank all of my readers for voting.
I realize it's not a popular category. There aren't that many homeschool dads who write blogs (reminds me of the new Disney show: Dog With A Blog. there are only a few of us out there). However, as small as the category may be, I like to think that theMT represents a different slice of the conservative Christian homeschool community.
You know what I mean? In public, Christian homeschoolers are the butt of many jokes. Last year, one of my favorite Halloween costumes was a couple that dressed as homeschoolers (essentially they dressed as nerds, only they wore more denim). Christian homeschoolers are often viewed as uber-conservatives who dress their kids off the Garanimal rack. They button shirts to the chin and hem skirts to the ankles and pile their giant families into fifteen-passenger vans on their way to and from church sanctioned educational events. This microcosm of homeschooling tend to run in their own circles. They play instruments, not sports! (Well, except for Tim Tebow, because he is the poster child for Christian Homeschool normalization).
Relax. I will stop. I know I am exaggerating. I hope by now you would know that I like to push the example to the edge.
Only this time, my example is pretty close to reality (for years we did pile our kids into a fifteen passenger van and shuttle them to and from educational events, music lessons, and Christian homeschool gatherings, but our kids never wore Garanimals).
Yikesy, we can be an odd bunch. That is one of the reasons I like to write about homeschooling in theMangoTimes. I like to demonstrate that you can desire all the positive things about homeschooling as a Christian family, without losing your voice in the world or living up to the wacky stereotype that comes with it. I also like to think that theMT is one of the only homeschool dad blogs that will write about Church Music like this and I think I am one of the only who has a wife who is in fact a super hero.
Thanks for voting for theMangoTimes!
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
Know Your Audience
Kenj and I travelled to the 2:1 Conference in Virginia this past weekend. It was a conference for Christian homeschool bloggers. Certainly a narrow sampling in the blogging world (yes, there were more than three people at the conference), but it was a really cool opportunity to meet and network throughout this small world that I share my words with as a homeschooling dad.
All weekend I was asked two basic questions: "Why do you blog?" and "Who is your audience?" The first question is simple: we live in a funny world with crazy people, I think someone should write some of this stuff down. I have a standard answer for the second question: I blog for three people and I truly have them in mind as I think through what I am writing. (I know, you are wondering...am I one of them?).
But what about the rest of you? I was encouraged to remember my audience. With the advent of microblogging through social network sites like Facebook and Twitter, commenting on blogs has declined dramatically, but I am constantly shocked to discover who is reading, lurking, skimming my words.
This isn't a plea to let me know you are here. I assume I have folks that laugh along with me at the funny things I write about. I know there are thinkers who join me in pondering faith and questioning life. I know I have my critics who look for the latest piece of evidence that Fletch has jumped ship and departed their version of orthodoxy. I know there are lurkers (I met some of you this weekend) who just read in the background. Cool! You are all welcome to hang out here.
Wondering if theMangoTimes is a blog you should share with others? I have put together a new page to help you decide: Should you read theMangoTimes? Yes. I fully expect my readership numbers to drop dramatically! :)
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
A New Look...again?
That's right!
Through a providential turn of events, theMangoTimes was asked to pack up and move from their prior rental space on the web. So, like a dilapidated old Winnebago, we loaded up all of our belongings and moved across the Internet. Thanks to Sven at SvenonTech for the great lead (seriously people...Sven rocks!), we have landed at our new trailer space on the web.
If you are viewing theMangoTimes on a reader, pop on over to our website and see if you agree. We hope you like our new look and interface.
Anyhow, we are here, we are happy, and we hope to stay for a long time...
Quietly making noise,
Fletch