The estimated reading time for this post is 3 minutes
Behold! 
The long-awaited renovation of The Wonder of Tech is complete with a new and improved site for your reading pleasure. No longer do you have to suffer with:
- the standard WordPress theme without a sidebar or
- solving CAPTCHA math problems in order to leave a comment (though many of you praised the effect that CAPTCHA had on your math skills)
The Wonder of Tech has a new theme, Thesis, with a new look, Chronicl. We also have a new professional hosting account at Bluehost to make the pages load much more quickly than before.
All of this means that the New and Improved Wonder of Tech will be faster, prettier and more functional. And isn’t that what you want in a blog?
Props
Ashvini Kumar Saxena
This transformation would not have been possible without the help of the amazing Wonder of Tech team. And by “team” I mean Ashvini Kumar Saxena. The Brilliant Blogger from Bangalore came to my aid in a big way when I embarked on overhauling this site to be better than ever.
Although I am a tech blogger, I’m not conversant in coding. I’m not alone, I heard that Steve Jobs didn’t write code either, so I don’t feel too bad. But when you want to redo your website, knowing code sure comes in handy.
I reached out to my dear friend Ashvini whom I know through blogging. Discovering his blog, Thoughts on Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Motivation, was a treat because of his eloquence and insight, but getting to know the person was even more enriching. When I found his blog, I nicknamed Ashvini “The Professor” because he shares his extensive knowledge with others and interacts with his readers in such an engaging manner. Visiting his blog feels like attending your favorite class.
As Ashvini was helping me transform my blog, I realized that his Professor moniker was more accurate than I had previously realized. Instead of merely making the changes that I requested, Ashvini would often try to teach me the coding he was using, even though that would take him more time. He wanted me to try all sorts of maneuvers, assuring me that what ever I did could be fixed.
Luckily, Ashvini was wise and set up four different test blogs for me to practice upon. I broke one completely, but by the fourth try, we were able to establish a practice blog with enough resemblance to The Wonder of Tech that he was sufficiently satisfied to move the theme and its settings to this site.
As impressive as Ashvini’s efforts were on my behalf, what’s even more amazing is that he helped me while he was recovering from a poisonous spider bite he received while navigating the jungles of India. Perhaps I should change his nickname to Professor Spiderman?
I joked that, as with the superhero, Ashvini’s bout with venom seemed to provide him with super powers as he was able to take my ideas and transform them into reality, teaching me along the way. Not an easy task, especially since Ashvini lives in a time zone 9 ½ hours ahead of mine.
According to the site birthvillage.com, the name Ashvini has special meaning:
People with this name tend to be natural leaders, self-sufficient, and ambitious. They generally want to make their own decisions in life and are not afraid to take charge or manage a situation. Professionally, they can be successful in political leadership, celebrity status, or as a small business owner.
I am not alone in my praise of Ashvini. A fitting tribute to Ashvini was written by Swami Balendu: Ashvini Kumar Saxena and his Blog about Entrepreneurship.
If you haven’t had a chance yet, you should check out Ashvini’s blog and his Kindle books, Bare Bones Entrepreneurship and A collection of short stories.
My sincere gratitude and appreciation goes to Ashvini!
The Other Members of The Wonder of Tech Team
Thanks also go to others who helped me with the renovation. My dear friend Rachel not only helped with the move to a new account, she also helped by advising me on images to use for the top of the blog. My beloved husband and dear daughters also chimed in with their opinions, making the choice of the water rainbow image a unanimous decision.
Bottom Line
I hope you enjoy the new and improved Wonder of Tech.
What are your thoughts about the new Wonder of Tech? Do you like the look? Do you miss solving CAPTCHA math problems in order to leave a comment? Let us know in the Comments section below!
* Math CAPTCHA image by CyberHades
Hi Carolyn,
Wow. Your blog was lightning fast. And I love your navigation.
You did an awesome job, and I’m so glad that Ashvini helped you out. He certainly knows what he is doing.
I can’t wait to hear about your new hosting experience.
Hi Jens, Welcome! So glad you stopped by to check out the new site. I’m glad it’s loading fast for you — that’s the idea! You’re right, the navigation was changed as well.
Thank you also for your kind offer of help. I was knee deep in the project with Ashvini at the time. Amazingly, he never gave up on me, in spite of how many times I messed up the coding.
Bluehost is amazing. They handled my questions very quickly, which is what you want from a hosting company. I have the Pro Account for quick loading times. Before I was on a shared non-Pro account but the blog was getting too much traffic for that account.
Hope you had a relaxing weekend, Jens!
Hey Carolyn!
Nice! I love it. I was thinking of bringing changes to my blog but I just become too lazy. You have motivated me. Let us see what I get doing and when I get it done!
But back to your blog, I love the new fresh look! The sidebar is nicely organized! 🙂 I am in love with your blog, all over again!
Aw, thanks, Hajra! I’m so glad you like it. Ashvini and I worked very hard on this project for weeks. Yours may not need to be so involved, but after Adrienne wrote about blog maintenance, I wanted to do a complete overhaul.
It was fun, though, kind of like redecorating. Nothing like theme shopping for a good time!
I look forward to see what you come up with, Hajra. 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
I like it and it does load faster, but most of all I like this comment box. Ican see it better being a dark background. One of my main problems is slow loading I think. I might use a plug-in later to cache it and speed it up.
I dislike tiny fonts on many blogs too, I use one about the same size as this in Calibri and it’s an improvement on the default font.
I’ve written some humour this weekend and taken some better photos, the light improved a little.
Hi Mike, Yes, the comment box is black with white type. I didn’t set it that way but I’m glad you like it. The look of the comment box is similar to the look of your blogs.
I did a lot of research on fonts and tested what I liked in style and size. I look at a screen all day so small fonts drive me a bit nuts.
I will definitely be by to visit. I read a bit of your post in my email but your pictures always seem to look better with the black frame of your blog background!
I never got a captcha to solve! Love the look! I think you had so much fun doing this and making new friends!! Change is so fun. Loved the look of the last one, too. Whenever I get stuck I rearrange furniture. Works every time. I’m the wrong one to ask about functionality and appearance. I like you and your content. But I have to admit it’s REALLY cool!
Thanks, Betsy! I had math CAPTCHA on for about a week. I think it scared away some folks, though the math wasn’t nearly as hard as figuring out the letters in some of the CAPTCHA plugins.
My mother used to rearrange the furniture in our home frequently. My father knew if he came home from work late to turn the lights on so he wouldn’t trip over the furniture.
Thanks for stopping by and checking out the new site, Betsy! :-bd
Hi Carolyn
Looking good with your new theme and it is very fast too. It seems like you have found a good host for your blog. By the way I don’t miss the CAPTCHA solving 😉
Hi Thomas, You don’t miss the CAPTCHA? That’s a good thing because you know who had to do those math problems more than anyone else? That’s right, me! I was so happy to delete that plugin. It couldn’t come soon enough for me.
It’s great having a new home for this site. I appreciate you stopping by to check it out, Thomas!
Carolyn ! The blog looks amazing with the new theme and of course the comment box system is a lot better without the captcha system. :-q
Ashvini, Great work done !!
Hi Mushfique, Well, I’m certainly glad the dislike of CAPTCHA is universal because I really didn’t want to reactivate that plugin.
I’m glad you like the new look of The Wonder of Tech, Mushfique. Thanks so much for coming over to see it!
The new layout sure looks nice, Carolyn – very nice and readable. And yes, as Jens pointed out, it loads lightning fast. That’s always a plus.
Hi John, I’m glad that you like the new look and that it loads fast for you. That’s exactly why we worked so hard on it.
Thanks so much for coming to check it out, John!
Oh, and the commenters’ avatars being round, that’s a really nice touch, too.
Carolyn:
I adore this comment box. The dark background is terrific and so much easier to see and type. The speed, what can I say, faster is better. Your hard work with Ashvini is clearly visible. Lastly, about CAPTCHA, never liked it , don’t miss it and always thought it sounded like a disease. Glad you found the cure!
Over the rainbow and then some.
Anneliz
Hi Anneliz, Lol, I agree, I’m glad I found the cure for the CAPTCHA disease. I thought it sounded like a medieval torture device, or maybe that’s how I felt when I used it. Anyway, that’s gone for good!
I’m glad you like the comment box, but that just kind of happened. Maybe Ashvini set it up that way or it came that way “out of the box.” But I like it too so it’s a nice bonus.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your good wishes, Anneliz! 🙂
Hi Carolyn!
Congratulations on the update site. I love the speed and the comments box, and the water rainbow is beautiful. Almost as nice as the wormhole!
Hi Kathy, I’m glad you like the new and improved site. I know it’s a disappointment to Star Trek fans not to have a wormhole design, but I do hope you’ll visit again anyway! 😉
Hi Carolyn,
I love the new look. It is fabulous, loads quickly and is chock full of great information. You should be proud and pleased.
Hi Jack, Thanks. So long as the readers are happy, then I’m happy. So far so good! 😀
CONGRATULATIONS to you and the Wonder of Tech! The new blog is outstanding. You, Ashvini and the rest of the team did a fabulous job.
WOW! This new light on dark typing in the comment section is fun.
Even though I feel I had pretty much mastered 1 + 1 and 4 – 3 and was ready to move to higher math problems, I still think it is better to be able to make a comment without any type of Captcha.
Carolyn, give yourself a big pat on the back for this magnificent job AND for learning how to code. Now I am even more impressed with your talents.
Look forward to reading your of-so-informative posts on your dazzling new blog. Aloha. Janet
Hi Janet, I’m so please you like the new look and the comment section. Ashvini was a delight to work with, teaching me as he went along. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert coder now, but I know a whole lot more than before I started this journey.
Believe it or not, I got Captcha wrong a lot. I wouldn’t pay attention to + vs. x and so would have to go back and try again. I do believe that’s the one way I wouldn’t try to make readers happy: I wouldn’t bring back Captcha even if readers demanded it. But I think I’m pretty safe in thinking everyone is happy without it!
I will definitely try to keep bringing you articles about awesome tech, Janet! Thanks for visiting and checking out the new look. 🙂
Congratulations Carolyn!
You did it! I was just looking forward to seeing what you would come up with and this is truly amazing! The speed with which the site is opening is wonderful indeed, something that is so rare nowadays.
Wonderful work done on it by Ashvini I must say, even though he was down with a spider bite! I have been meeting him around but never really visited his blog. I guess this would be the perfect time to congratulate him for the wonderful work done on this blog.
The comment box with a dark background is wonderful and so is the improved navigation, making it easy for anyone to look around the blog. And yes, your husband and daughters have indeed helped you choose the right water rainbow image that goes perfectly with the blog. 🙂
Thanks for sharing and wish you all the best with the new theme and all new blog 🙂
Thank you for your kind words, Harleena. They mean a lot coming from someone who has such a beautiful blog design!
You definitely should check out Ashvini’s blog. He is a wonderful person and writes positive stories about business much as you write positive stories about family life.
The redesign really was a team effort. I tried many different header images before setting on this one. Designing the images was fun. I should write about the experience in a future post! 🙂
Really great work Carolyn,
Finally you’ve come up with nice looking blog theme and user friendly navigation.
Hi Aasma, Thank you. Yes, it took quite a while but Ashvini and I wanted to be sure that everything was all set by the time of the launch. I’m so glad you stopped by to take a look, Aasma!
Hi Carolyn,
It was a lot of fun to work with you. The reason that this blog looks great is because we worked in sync and worked with a lot of patience. It now looks superb and I have to say that all your front end work ( setting up fonts, pics and everything else) is turning out to be great.
Congratulations for the new blog look :).
Thanks to all your readers too for their kind words 🙂
Hi Ashvini, Thank you so much for all of your good help, kind teaching and wonderful patience. I’m sure it would have been much easier for you if you had just made the changes I asked for instead of teaching me along the way. But now I know so much more than I did when we started this whole process.
I’m so pleased with how it turned out. The complete overhaul was so worth it! I couldn’t have done it without your help. (*)
Looks awesome! I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Hi Carol, What’s next is more articles about awesome tech! I don’t plan a redesign of the blog ever again. Unless I change my mind, but I’m very happy with how the blog looks and functions now so I’m set, at least for a while! 🙂
Thank you for this introduction to Ashvini. He sounds knowledgeable and so helpful! Four different test blogs – that’s great.
Love your Captcha graphic. Hysterical.
Hi Leora, Yes, you absolutely need to meet Ashvini. He is a treasure for the quality of his blog and for his kindness and knowledge as a person.
I’m glad you enjoyed that Captcha image. My math problems weren’t that tough, though some days it felt like they were! :((
Congratulations on the new look Carolyn and I know you’re really excited about it as you should be. You did a fabulous job because Ashvini told me that you did do a lot of it yourself.
But I also know the hand he played in helping you with what happened with your other blog so my hat is off to the Professor for sure. You know how much I admire and appreciate Ashvini as well. He’s come to my rescue too. What a guy.
So happy to see it finally up and running smoothly. I love the look and it was quick to load. I’m sure I should do a major overhaul with mine too but I do have everything on it I like at the moment.
I’m so happy for you Carolyn. Now you enjoy your week. You deserve it!
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Yes, your article about blog maintenance was an inspiration. You know when you decide to give away an old coat that you don’t wear anymore and the next thing you know your entire closet is empty and there’s a huge pile of clothes on your bed? That’s what happened with my blog. After I read your article I went through every plugin, setting, widget, etc. to see what worked and what didn’t. I looked at fonts, colors, images, themes, skins, etc.
It’s good to do that after you’ve been blogging a while, as you know. In the beginning when I first set up The Wonder of Tech I had different ideas about what I wanted. Now that I’ve been blogging a while, I have learned a few things!
I know Ashvini has helped you too, Adrienne. He is a great guy to have as a friend as he is knowledgeable and helpful.
Thanks also for your help and support along the way. You are definitely a great friend to have around as well! (*)
Hey Adrienne,
Now I am professor for you too. Its hard to teach the class of so many knowledgeable students 😉
Carolyn it looks wonderful !!!
a rainbow is so happy!!!
Hi Rene, Thanks, I’m so glad you like the look. That means a lot coming from you! >:D< I agree, I like color and happy and the rainbow image in the water just seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us, Rene!
I love the new site Carolyn and I love the new layout too. I didn’t know Ash was helping you with this. Great job to you both. I am so happy for you girl!
Hi Sonia, Yes, Ashvini was a huge help to me in overhauling the blog. He not only helped with coding, he guided me in the right direction every step of the way.
I know you are a big fan of Ashvini too. Your recent article spotlighting him is fantastic!
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing in the launch, Sonia! 🙂
Love the new site Carolyn,
It’s very clean, crisp, and easy to use…just like a great tech gadget.
Props to you and Ashvini for making this happen.
Bryce
Thanks, Bryce! I’m so glad you like the new look. Lol, I looked at one theme that made your blog look like the screen of an iPhone. As tempting as that was to have my blog actually resemble a gadget, I passed as there wasn’t a lot of color on the page.
So glad you stopped by to check it out, Bryce!
Cool indeed; I read it on my phone but took me awhile to make it here to comment. I knew Ashvini was smart like that; glad it worked out for you. Slick, clean and efficient; I like it a lot.
Hi Bill, I’m so glad you’re putting your iPhone to good use! I can’t think of a better purpose for your iPhone than checking out the brand spanking new Wonder of Tech.
I thought for sure though that you would be whining about missing the CAPTCHA math feature. I’m glad you’ve moved ahead past your grief and are enjoying the new site. :-bd
Simple, colourful, streamlined, easy to navigate – love it love it love it! Congratulations Carolyn, can\’t wait to hear how it works for you!
Hi Ruth, So far so good! The reaction from readers has been very positive and I’m enjoying the new features as well. It’s similar to having a new frock that I designed myself. I enjoy the look but I really have to love it since I’m wearing it every day!
Thanks for visiting and sharing your thoughts, Ruth.
Carolyn, the new team looks great, I really like the colorful water pic. And the site really does load fast, even scrolling up and down the page goes smooth. It was nice to read about Ashvini and your endeavours 🙂
Hi JD, I’m so glad you like the new look and feel of the site. I couldn’t introduce the site without letting my readers know about the superheroic efforts of Ashvini. His intelligence is only matched by his kindness.
Thanks for checking out the new site, JD!
I love the new look! The layout is very clean and the colors are pleasing to the eye. It seems that you have a good crew behind you to come up with a good design.
Hi Olivia, Thanks, I did have a great team. They worked hard to make sure that The Wonder of Tech was the best it could be! 🙂
Congrats on the re-launch, Carolyn! The site looks great and the content is as solid as ever! Kudos!
Hi Amber, I’m happy you like the new site. Thanks for stopping by to check it out! 🙂
Hi Carolyn, New interface looks good. But I prefer a header with higher resolution. It’d be great If you could separate the search and subscribe widget with using a margin .
Hi Pubudu, Good suggestion about moving the subscription and search widgets apart.
I have a higher resolution of the header image, but I thought it looked much better as a blurred water image. The sharper image was a bit harsh.
Thanks very much for stopping by and offering your thoughts, Pubudu!
Carolyn,
I love, love, love, love your new design. It’s clean, easy to maneuver, and most of all, it loads quickly. Ashvini did a wonderful job. I don’t recall the math CAPTCHA you had before, and although I love math, I don’t missing having to solve a CAPTCHA to leave a comment. Your site turned out wonderfully, and I’m glad I was able to visit your previous site (with no sidebars) just before you changed things over, so I could compare. I also like the white background (which I believe you already had) and spaciousness. It’s so easy on the eyes.
Great work to you and all who helped along the way.
-Allyson
Hi Allyson, Yes, I had CAPTCHA for about a week and a half, which wasn’t pleasant but got the job done. The basic WordPress theme lasted a bit longer than that, but I wanted to get this theme just right before launching it. Ashvini was an immeasurable help. He was patient and knowledgeable, a great partner!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your kind words with us, Allyson!
It looks terrific. Wow, I even LOVE the comment box coming up in black. I am also on a custom WP platform and I love it! Well done!
Hi Bruce, I’m so glad you like the custom theme. I was very fortunate to have Ashvini’s help in turning my ideas into a reality. Your blog looks fantastic and unique, Bruce, so your words of praise mean a lot!
I am so impressed with all you do and the energy and ambition to create something so relevant to us all. Thank you for your friendship and hugs to all.
Hi Yvonne, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I am so glad you are enjoying the blog and find it relevant. Many thanks for all of your kind words and best wishes for a tech-tastic day! 🙂
I love the new look and especially the logo, it looks cool. If it was me, i would hv gone without the banner up top, but hey it is just me!!!!
As Jens said, it is very fast and loads up in a flash. Cool design.
Hi Praveen, I know some blogs do without the banner, but I love color and I think that the colorful theme sets a happy, welcoming atmosphere for my blog. Besides, if I have to look at the blog a lot, then I need to enjoy the look of it.
I’m glad you are finding that the pages load more quickly and that you like the design. I like the new design of your blog as well! :-bd
This Ashvini fellow did all that for you just from knowing you through blogging? The world could use more Ashvinis.
Hi Dave, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re absolutely right, the world would be a better place with more people like Ashvini. The blogging community is a very supportive group and Ashvini definitely went beyond the “extra mile” for me. I am very grateful to him.
The new look is more pleasing to the eyes! I like the interface right now, it’s easier to use and more understandable. Cheers!
Hi Kim, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Thank you, I’m very glad you like the new look and find the blog easier to navigate.
Have a lovely weekend, Kim!