A Casual Discussion of Writer and Web Sites...
You are reading the blog "Scratched" - a casual discussion of writing, websites and life in general.
I'm Matthew J. De Reno, a writer and web designer living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I am also a creative writer, technical writer, a father, a husband, a dreamer, a stat in many categories. I suppose I wear many hats but who wants to wear the same hat every day?
The purpose of Scratched is a "casual discussion of anything" in a nice easy to swallow blog format and I do mean anything. An extended purpose is to hopefully teach you something about running your website, make you think about websites in a new way or make you want to get a website if you don't have one already. I may also gravitate toward sharing bits and pieces of my creative writing.
This rather wide-ranging statement of purpose could include the management of websites, website design, best practices, what makes them tick, how they should be used and what should be done with a website once it is developed. I will share opinions on how others are using websites — rightly or wrongly. On some occasion, I may even wax philosophical about them or about life in general.
Web security will be a frequent topic. After all, a website is unique in that it is a publication that is pretty much assaulted and attacked on a regular basis. Do people physically attack pamphlets or billboards or fliers? Well, I suppose they can, but a website is continuously targeted by an increasingly more sophisticated and malicious hacker; no sooner than one virus is solved, a new exploit is introduced, ready to render your latest web protection obsolete.
No doubt I will give special attention to Joomla-powered websites because that is the open source technology that we at Scratch Writing hang our hat on (at least one of our hats) and promote to our clients.
On occasion, I may simply make you aware of great resources on the web that you should check out. Sometimes I might stray off the beaten path and share rather odd assortments of wisdom, opinion and observations (this would be the "what have you" part of the Scratch Blog's purpose).
There are no special requirements or background needed to read this blog. Although, it is highly recommended that Scratched be consumed along with a pot of coffee (or other a libation of your choice). The point is to relax and take it in as you see fit. I'll finish this inaugural post by personally inviting your comments on any of the blog postings. You don't have to agree. If you should be so inclined, I would gladly encourage a guest to submit a blog entry on a topic of particular interest to them.
In that spirit, I welcome you to Scratched - a casual discussion of creative and technical writing, websites and life in general.
