Introducing The Jaguar and Allies 2.0

The time has come. For a while I have felt like I had outgrown my blog, and I have decided to do something about it.

New Theme

First of all, you probably noticed that I have changed The Jaguar and Allies’ theme. For those who do not know, the way WordPress works is that authors can select different themes that act as templates for their blogs. For the past three-ish years, I had been using Gateway: a clean theme that allowed me to design a striking homepage. I have now purchased a paid WordPress subscription, which gives me access to more themes.

After staying up far too late the past few nights testing different designs, I have settled on a theme called Perennial. I wanted to make The Jaguar and Allies even cleaner and more elegant than it was before, and Perennial fit the bill.

Perrenial’s minimalistic design, slide-out menu and sidebar, and typography options also make it a great theme for a text-heavy blog, such as this one.

Updated “About” Page

In addition to switching themes, I have updated The Jaguar and Allies’ About page. It more clearly explains what this blog is about, and better reflects how my life has changed since 2015. Click here to view the updated page.

Expanded Blog Focus

My interests are more varied than they were in 2015. I am still mesmerized by big cats, and they will remain a dominant focus of this blog. But this is an unimaginably fascinating world, and there is much more to learn about. I would like The Jaguar and its Allies to become an internet hub for all sorts of knowledge pertaining to the natural world – and of how to live within it.

Most importantly, I want this site to become a platform for promoting the individuals and groups who are working towards for a better future.

Along those lines, I have added a new Request to be Featured page for those who would like to be featured in Q&A, interview, or guest posts. Please forward the page to any social scientists, natural scientists, artists, naturalists, or other nature enthusiasts who deserve recognition for their work.

Monetization?

The above updates raise a problem: how will I turn this blog into the type of site I envision without starving to death? I do not see how I can finish my master’s thesis, work, and keep growing this blog at the same time. One possible and very tentative solution is to monetize this blog.

I approach this topic with extreme caution. Making money was never my goal. In fact, I have actively resisted doing so – even though I have had people offer to pay me to place links on this site. I also hate ads; one of the reasons I bought a paid subscription was so I could turn off the ads WordPress was forcing on me. It is hard for a website to make money without ads.

Still, I have created a basic poll to assess what you think. In your opinion, would it be acceptable for me to monetize The Jaguar and its Allies?

Of course, what I would most like to do is make enough money from freelance writing that I only have to work part time. I would also be able to share my articles on this site, giving me additional content. But this is a long-term goal, and I have no idea how one gets into freelancing.

Coauthor?

Another way to deal with the aforementioned conundrum would be to recruit a volunteer coauthor. This person would have to be a (very) strong writer, and would need to be passionate about the natural world and learning. I would also feel much more comfortable if a prospective coauthor lived close enough for me to meet in person. This is not a hard requirement, however.

If you or someone you know fits the above description, and ideally lives in northeast Ohio, please email me.

Feedback

Please let me know what you think about the changes to this blog, and what I have said in this post. I would greatly appreciate your feedback!

-Josh