Blogging

Running a website like Chocolate & Zucchini isn’t a fire-and-forget operation: ever since I did my big redesign (and major switch to the WordPress blogging platform) a couple of years ago, I’ve kept busy behind the scenes, tweaking things and adding features to improve your experience and the site’s performance.

I’m not doing this alone, fortunately: I am lucky enough to work with the amazing cre8d design agency for my site design and development. Cre8d is a brother-and-sister team (which I think is super sweet): Rachel Cunliffe handles the creative side, while Stephen Merriman takes care of the technical implementation. And I can’t speak too highly of them. Their professionalism, their informed advice, their fresh outlook, their responsiveness: it just feels amazing to have them on my side.

I thought I would offer this review of cre8d because I know many of you have a blog of your own, and it’s often in the wee months of the year that we feel an irresistible itch to change things up, whether it’s a mega overhaul or just a fresh coat of paint. Or maybe you’re just wanting to start a blog (yay, you!) and you want a personalized WordPress theme that will help you stand out.

But it’s hard to find web designers who are both talented and reliable at a reasonable rate, and I feel like I’ve struck gold with the cre8d team.

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I’ve been having so much fun with Snapchat and Facebook Live that I wanted to report back on my experience. If you’re a food blogger too, this should help you decide whether these new platforms are for you; and if you’re a reader of food blogs, you’ll learn what’s in it for you!

Wait, what’s Snapchat?

Snapchat is a smartphone application* that was originally used by teens to exchange photos, short videos, and text messages that disappeared as soon as the recipient had viewed them.

The app has gradually gained features, and as it did, attracted a wider following with more grownups. The most significant change is the possibility of adding your photos and videos to your public “story”, which lives for just 24 hours before disappearing. Any snapchatters who adds you (I’m clotildenet!) can then view your daily story, get a feel for what you’ve been up to, and send a quick comment if they want to.

The general aesthetic of Snapchat is very unpolished, and the tone is light and fun. On your images and videos you can add text captions, emoticons, and very basic drawings made with the fat tip of your finger on your tiny screen. The idea is not to worry about lighting and the perfect frame, nor is it to labor for hours over prettification and curation. The idea is to just shoot and share, shoot and share, knowing it will live for just 24 hours** so if you’re not 100% happy with what you put out, well, tomorrow’s another day.

The result is a marvelously refreshing social media platform that is undemanding and unthreatening, through which to share daily nothings and just be yourself. (I enjoyed this related article.)

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