A NEW WEBSITE MARKS A CHANGE OF DIRECTION…

In terms of tone, my approach will be the same as it has always been, either in print, or on here: professional, opinionated and as well-informed as I can be.

Over the last few years I’ve given some considerable thought to my online presence and how my work responsibilities can be shadowed by my social media profile. Much of that has been through platforms such as Facebook and twitter with the odd incursion into the world of Instagram and though that has been positive in the main, there has always been that nagging doubt that perhaps I need to be more focussed and more controlling of what is seen and how that work is presented. This new website hopefully addresses some of those concerns.

So why the changes and what will this website offer that the other services cannot?

I guess that the most obvious change will be how material is presented, both in terms of the pictorial content and then the written descriptions that partner those images. Image quality on here is obviously higher than on other platforms, so that will allow you the chance to see my work in more detail, with everything being laid out in a way that’s more familiar to magazine readers than those used to online portals. 

The second change will be embedded links that take you to places of interest, other posts, websites, or pages that will help understand how the model was built or what you can expect from the subjects being discussed. They will offer addresses for suppliers, shops and then the publications in which some of the models appear in print. This is simply not possible elsewhere, so I really hope that you appreciate the change!

The final change is simply down to you actually being here, wanting to see what I am up to. If you have decided to follow this site with your email address (using the sidebar box that you can see to the right of this update) you are actively choosing to see what is posted, whereas with Facebook, or Twitter et al, that is determined by their algorithms and you may go for weeks without seeing anything. That means that followers of this page are here because of interest and support and not simply through the luck of the draw. I may not have the same immediacy of reaction that Facebook offers, but that is offset by the knowledge that modellers have offered their support and I can return that favour with content that they can see, the way I want them to see it. 

In terms of content, this will primarily be a store/showcase for my work, but it will be a lot more than that. As the site is developed, I will be adding to the editorial posts and stories that I have published previously, with news updates and reviews underpinning many of my thoughts within those essays. Imagine a magazine format and that’s what I hope to achieve, with editorial musings holding hands with showcases and in-depth build features, the latter, either as one-off features, or segmented updates that offer more depth over a number of weeks/months. Eventually, the site will be added to with premium areas that will allow access to far more than you see now, with more depth of article, video and podcast links, as well as special offers for exclusive books only available to members. That’s off into the future, but that is certainly what is being planned.

In terms of tone, my approach will be the same as it has always been, either in print, or on here: professional, opinionated and as well-informed as I can be. If you are expecting fireworks from me, you will be disappointed! I’ll offer pointed opinion, but that will always be balanced and nuanced enough to provide both sides of an argument. It’s not my place to be unnecessarily confrontational, my need to remain positive and supportive of those within the hobby, always outstripping a desire for conflict. I’m not suggesting that it is wrong to be confrontational (some of the best sites on the web are great because that is precisely their approach) just that that is not what I am here for. This will also be a family-friendly site, so if you have younger modellers who would like to check it out, they can do so with no fear of anything that might be explicit or inappropriate…

So this then is my new site – or at least the start of it. I really hope that you enjoy seeing the chapters that I’ve created and that you can spend some time looking at the models and reading my thoughts. One thing I will say finally, is that this will eventually be the only place on Web that I post my work, so if you are keen to see it and don’t want to miss out on the updates, please follow the site with your email address and you will be told each time I post some new material. 

Thanks you all for reading this – it’s very much appreciated!