A new look for a new book
March 9, 2012, 7 Comments
Welcome to the new world of Swiss Watching! To celebrate the arrival of the German edition, my blog and website have been combined and re-designed. No bells or whistles but simpler to navigate, easier to find popular posts and even some pages in German. Plus a quirky little ‘Swiss fact of the week’ for you to use in dinner parties and coffee breaks.
There’s been little change to the content – that will continue to be much the same mix of stories about Swiss life, politics, travel and trivia. And still in English. All the existing content of the blog is now here on this new site, so you will always be able to read and comment on any previous post; as before you can also find upcoming events, read book reviews, leave comments and contact me directly. The difference is in the layout and presentation. Here’s a quick tour:
- The Featured Post slider at the top of the front page always has the two latest posts plus others that change regularly. They might be past ones that are perennially popular or seasonal ones you may have missed first time round
- Below that are previews of the six most recent posts, followed by a handy little grid of thumbnail pics, each one of which is a link to a popular post
- All the posts have been categorised so that if you want to read more about Swiss politics or travel, just click on that category, either in the menu bars or one of the groups at the bottom of the front page
- Clicking on the books will bring up information in the relevant language and links to ordering online
- Es gibt etwas auf Deutsch über ‘Der Schweizversteher’ und mich
- And you can see my latest tweets, some video podcasts and ‘like’ the site on Facebook
Speaking of which, the Facebook page has already had its makeover. As well as the latest posts from here it also has photos from my travels around Switzerland, updates on Swiss-related stories and interesting titbits, such as the recent launch of a new Toblerone bar. All the important things in life.
The hard work revamping this site was made much easier for me thanks to the expert assistance of Michael at ThinkTag in Basel. Without him it would look lovely but probably not work very well. Now that it is up and running, you might like to update your settings:
- Please update your bookmarks and favourites to this new address. There is an automatic re-direct from the old blog address in place but if you have links to that site, then it’s better to miss out the middle man
- If you had subscribed to receive an email each time there was a new blog post on the old site, that will no longer work. Unfortunately I cannot take your names & email addresses from one site to another (for privacy/security reasons). Please re-subscribe here
- You can also subscribe to a newsletter, which will be a regular digest of the latest blog posts plus highlights from the Facebook page, Twitter and anything else that takes my fancy as I explore Switzerland
Hope you like my make-over. After two and half years it was time for a change, although by Swiss standards that was quite a speedy decision. I look forward to hearing what you think and to enjoying the new few years of watching the Swiss with you.
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7 Comments on "A new look for a new book"
Good boy, well done! I hope you aren’t going to become annoyingly commercial?
Heavens no! It will be the same content as always, just with a new layout, more interaction for readers and easier for people to find me on the internet.
I just listened to the interview in Regionaljournal and I am so glad that I heard it and that I discovered your blog! Wonderful! You are so right about the queuing… Looking forward to the book and more news on your blog! Christa
Thanks for the kind words. Es ist immer schwierig für mich, ein Interview auf Deutsch zu geben. But I have to get used to that. The German edition should be in the shops next week.
thank you, diccon bewes, for an enjoyable reading. to save words and repetition: I full heartedly agree with all comments made by the “experts” on the cover of your book.
to put my comments in perspective: I am swiss, married to an english lady, l worked longer time in england, usa and in spain, thus viewing ch from in- and outside.
– one huge “blunder” in your book ha, ha: you fell into the trap of the swiss cheese lobby governed by “emmentaler cheese”. never use this cheese in fondue … it pulls threads sticking all over your face. stick with gruyère and vacherin and add a bit of your beloved appenzeller!
– thanks for your understanding of the swiss problematic position during world war II. after all, many swiss flirted with hitler from conviction or opportunism, plus the mere, and not always pure, survival reactions of human beings. and you rightly so criticize our banking morale which hopefully keeps improving.
– in your super inside on switzerland, to my mind you miss the vital influence on swiss life and behaviour of the compulsory rs (rekrutenschule – swiss army, where even officers “start on the bottom”) and the apprenticeship frequented by the great majority of the 93 % non-academic (!). both experiences are the root of discipline, orderliness, depth, precision and professional know-how on the job leading to success in execution and invention of products and services. you talk well about the effects of the said two systems of education, but miss out the source of it. you must be thinking too much of your tick “red shoes” … which I will now start to observe!
I love reading about us swiss in such a endearing manner expressed by a guest of our country. personally, I am much more critical with us swiss …. but not so much when I am abroad …. like currently in spain!
keep writing! – yours unknown armin grond
Excellent website. Lots of useful info here. I am sending it to several pals ans additionally sharing in delicious.
And certainly, thank you in your sweat!
You can definitely see your expertise within the article
you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid to mention how they believe.
Always follow your heart.