New Year, new blog features: let me explain them!

Hello Lovelies! I'm so ticked to have found some fellow cartophiles among you ☺. I'm really looking forward to making 'Mad about maps' an ongoing series of posts. I have so many pretties and ideas stashed away to share with you! Anyway, back to some little changes I've made here which I intended to explain to you before life got in the way. With the new year dawning, I had the urge to *freshen things up here* a little. Isn't it funny how the turning over of a calendar page incites us to all sorts of action?! Okay, let's go!

I've changed my pages tabs up the top 

• After a suggestion from my blogging buddy, sweet Felicity, I deleted the 'PB Housekeeping' page and added the information to my 'Planet Baby 101' page. Now that can be your 'go to' page when you're first reading the blog. 

• I've updated my 'More about me' page - do have a peek! My aim for 2012 is to write more of the posts which have been rattling around in my brain for ages - especially the ones about my other interests and passions. By the end of the year, I'd love to have hyperlinks to posts on everything I've listed there under 'What makes my heart sing'. I really want this space to truly represent many more facets of me and also discover even more of you who are like-minded!

• I've kept the 'Blogging tips' page which I update with links to any such posts I write. Tell me - do any of you read them or use them? I'm wondering whether it's still serving a useful purpose.

When I have some time, headspace and money (to employ Planet Baby's Honorary Magician, Katrina, to work her wonders), I hope to add further pages.

I've spruced up my sidebar

'Let's connect!'

Under 'Let's connect!', you now have four options for contacting me and following the blog. Now you can click on:

• the envelope icon to email me;
• the RSS icon to subscribe to follow the blog via a reader;
• the Feedburner icon to have my posts emailed to you instead of following them in a reader; and 
• the Pinterest icon to see my pretty pins (yes, I know - I'm a sucker for alliteration ☺).

At this stage, I haven't connected my Facebook and Twitter accounts to my blog as I'm deciding whether that's what I really want. I'm going to post on the issue of my *digital identity* soon so you can read my thoughts.

'Planet Baby topics'

Under 'Planet Baby topics', I've reduced the number of labels in the 'word cloud' as I thought there were too many and it was cluttered. I may eventually reorder all my labels under a handful of broader topic areas.

Let me know what you think about this. Do any of you use these labels to find any of my posts? Or do you just ignore this box? I'm all ears - please let me know. I want to make this little spot in Blogland easily navigable.

I've deleted the 'Older Planet Baby tales' archive widget as I thought it was doubling up on the 'Planet Baby topics' widget.

'Read my daily PB newsletter!'

I've added the 'Read my daily PB newsletter!' widget. This is a flash idea I discovered other blogging friends like A-M publishing on Twitter and thought I'd give it a try.

The paper.li website is so easy to use and collates blog posts from my favourite blogs into a daily newspaper, 'The Life on Planet Baby Daily' for you to flick through if it takes your fancy. Then you can see what blogs fire up my grey matter and give me pleasure. Do let me know if any of you have clicked onto it and read it. I'd love to hear any feedback.

I've changed my commenting system

This is the most important change which so many of you have noticed. I've switched over from Blogger to Commentluv which I am really enjoying using. However, I'm aware some of you are having trouble even seeing it, let alone using it.

When I have some spare time, I'll try to troubleshoot your issues and then post on how it works. If it's causing too many of you problems commenting on my posts, then I'll revert back to Old Boy Blogger. I want all you Planetarians to be able to join in as much as you'd like and not feel shut out by a commenting system. We're all in this together - okay?

So, there you have it. I'm also mulling over whether to change my blog banner to freshen things up a bit but I am rather attached to those gumboots. Your thoughts? Do share - I'd love to hear!

PS Ah, the irony! Just as I was trumpeting the fabulousness of CommentLuv, somehow overnight, its comment box has vanished from my blog as some of you have seen. I've emailed their Help Desk so hopefully will get it back up and running ASAP. Until then, at least you have Old Boy Blogger's assistance!