Hello! Happy New Year! Thanks to my Millennial Mentor, Julie, A Map Through the Valley has a new look. The "click" buttons are now color coordinated with the theme of the blog, and provide better contrast, so I hope it will be easier to navigate. She also inserted a "Subscribe" feature that does not attach unwelcome advertisements to the posts. Other ways to connect are listed below.
Thanks for reading!
Connecting with A MAP THROUGH THE VALLEY as of 15 January 2024
Since the blog was launched at the end of September 2023, I have been checking on ways for our readers to connect with us easily and receive notifications when new posts are published. I tried inserting a “Subscribe Button” from a third party agency (Follow.IT) into the web page. Some readers reported difficulty using this function. I myself discovered that the agency could provide this as a free service to my site by attaching advertisements to the emails they sent to subscribers. All of these ads were annoying, and some were actually inconsistent with our mission statement. I removed the subscribe feature from Follow.IT. I also checked on the steps Blogger.com recommended to “follow” the blog, and found out that the post was sent as an unformatted text without the images. This was a disservice to the website and my wonderful blog mentor Julie, who worked hard to make the web page look good and easy to navigate. We have updated the look and function of the site to make it easy for those who enjoy the blog to connect and receive posts and notifications. Here are several options:
1. A “MailChimp” subscribe button has now been inserted to the right margin of the website. Enter your email and your name (first name for sure, last name or initial preferred). This immediately adds you to the MailChimp address list. You will receive notifications by email from the blog, with a link to read the full article. Your contact information will not be shared with any third parties.
2. Use the Contact Form feature. This is located in the right margin of the website, below the "Search" box and "Popular Posts." Enter your name and email. In the message box, state that you want to be notified when new posts are published. I will manually add you to the contact list of the MailChimp. Your contact information will not be shared with any third parties.
You can also use the "Message" field to send me a message, ask a question, or share resources that could be helpful. The "Comment" option for each post requires a gmail account. You can make a comment to me using the Contact Form if you do not have a gmail account. Using the Contact Form means that your comment will not be seen publicly on the website with the post.
2. Bookmark the
blog website. Search for the website in your browser. When you are viewing the
homepage of the website, click the bookmark option on your computer screen.
3. Record the link in
your phone. www.amapthroughthevalley.blogspot.com
I have an iPhone, so I opened the “Notes” app, and entered the website URL as a new note. To navigate to the website, I open Notes, then select the URL, then select “open link.” Android phones should have a similar process.
I hope you find this information helpful and that we can connect easily now.
Thanks for reading A Map Through the Valley. Happy New Year 2024
