New Website!
Welcome to MattCad.com, my new blog/portfolio/whatever site. I hope you enjoy the new design. It’s a major redesign relatively early in the life of the site, so I figured I’d explain why it was time for a change.
In January of 2009 I launched an eponymous website to help with my job search. It was designed to be an online billboard of sorts, showcasing some of my best work to potential employers. But while the site performed that function well, it was lacking in other ways. Chief among these was the static nature of the content. The back-end design didn’t allow for regular updates without removing the showcased material, making regular blogging very difficult. It also made the showcased material seem dated fairly quickly.
As my job search wore on, I decided to commit more energy to regular blogging and content creation. The site you see today helps me achieve that while still showcasing my portfolio. As an added bonus, the site also helps me attract the contract work that has sustained me while I’ve been without a regular job.
But why the new domain name? I bought my original domain, MatthewCadwallader.com after I was encouraged in school to get control of my own name online. The problem was, not only did people not know whether to call me Matthew or Matt (It’s Matt, by the way) but in this age of texting and twitter, having a 22-letter domain was cumbersome. MattCad.com is short, easy to remember and easy to type without looking at a business card. The old domain still exists but it now redirects here.
I’ve really enjoyed putting the site together. It’s built on Wordpress with a theme design by the excellent Elegant Themes. I highly suggest you check out their site if you’re interested in building a Wordpress site. They charge a flat fee of $20 per year to access the dozens of fantastic themes they have churned out. Kudos are also due to my hosting provider, Blue Host, who helped me move everything over to the new site and provided incredible customer service at times when I thought all was lost.
Well that’s it. I hope you enjoy the content to come!
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Matt's a social media enthusiast with a passion for video, photography and writing and interests in technology, politics and life.
Cool, there is actually some great ideas on here some of my subscribers may find this relevant, I will send them a link, many thanks.
Great site, Matt. Love the look too.