The New VanagonForever.com

I learned something a bit shocking the other day. It turns out that there are people out there who actually read this blog. I know, I’m as shocked as you are. Up until now I’ve viewed this more as my digital notebook that I’ve been using to try to remember my ideas and the things I’ve done with my Vanagon. That’s great and all but now that I know people are actually looking at it I realize that it could be a bit more. I don’t know about you guys but I spend a great deal of time surfing the web looking for interesting information on all sorts of topics. One of my big vices is information on Vanagons – specifically things that people have done to/with their Vanagons. While there are a few real gems out there, I haven’t found that one site that offers me the sort of information that I’m looking for. So I’ve decided to give making that site myself a shot. You folks will have to bear with me while I work out the kinks but my sincere hope is that I’ll end up with something that other people will look to when they need their Vanagon itch scratched.

What will all of this mean you ask? My first order of business is to establish a posting rhythm. Personally, I like a site that updates regularly enough to keep me interested but doesn’t overwhelm me with information. This site will now be updated every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I may stick in a few additional updates here and there but you can be promised that there will be new stuff here at least three days a week. Second, I’ve ditched the blogspot.com domain and actually registered www.vanagonforever.com as the name for this site. The old name will still work for a little while but vanagonforever.com should now be considered the official address for the site.

Over the next few weeks I will be evolving the content on the site to include more than just blog entries. This week I’m introducing the first of that new content by rolling out a HowTo section. This new section will feature tutorials that will be targeted towards people just starting out. There is a ton of great information out there but a lot of it expects you to already know a lot about working on cars. I’m certainly no master mechanic but at this point I’ve had to figure quite a few things out and yet I still retain that beginner’s mind. I’m hoping my HowTos will address a lot of the newer mechanic’s concerns while still providing actually useful information.

Which brings me to my next point: I’d love to hear your feedback. I’ve created the email address stuart “at” vanagonforever.com. Sorry for not spelling it out but I’d rather not get spam at my brand new address – to send me an email just replace the “at” above with the @ symbol and remove the spaces. If you’ve got comments on this new direction, ideas for future content, or just want to say hello then please drop me a line. I’ll do my best to get back to you promptly.

Well, I think that about covers it. Here is to new beginnings! Today is the first day of the new and improved VanagonForever.com. I hope you all enjoy it!