As will be obvious to anyone reading this, the website has had a massive overhaul to bring it humming beautifully into something like an acceptable modern form.

This is my first posting on the new site. I am doing it to check that I can master the simplest WordPress buttons before moving on to trickier stuff. And to alert readers to the fact that there are still some technical glitches being ironed out, so if some page-links here do not work properly do not (yet) despair.

Not to forget apologising to anyone who has been and maybe still is being pestered by Pingbacks from WordPress during the transition. I hope that that one has been fixed. If not, please let me know. Who knows, I may soon find out what they are

While all this behind-the-scenes upgrading has been going on, I have not posted much if anything here, leading people to think that I must be dead. But I am not. Normal service is going to be resumed, although as I am so busy trying to earn a living these days things will not be so profuse here as they were back in 2009/10 when I was churning out postings at a pace that amazed even me.

Key obvious points of interest:

  • I have revised and improved the posting categories on the right-hand side to get rid of all the whimsical things that made fleeting sense to me in 2008 but baffled or annoyed readers ever since
  • I have added new categories such as Asia, Africa, Libertarian Ideas and so on, grouping scores of earlier postings under them accordingly. So if you want to read everything I have written about (say) China you can go to the Asia category or use the general excellent site Search box
  • I have got rid of all sorts of other cluttered ‘stuff’ that had crept on to the site over the years, to make the whole thing simpler
  • There are some new pictures under the FAQs. Not sure I like the new Home page picture of me, but it will do for now
  • Above all, I have reorganised the site into three basic categories: Negotiating and mediating; Public Speaking and presenting; and Opinion (ie all the ‘blog’ work accumulated since 2008)
  • The point is to make much clearer what I am offering now by way of professional services. For example, I have been contacted by a leading security consultancy who have asked for help in rewriting their travel advice to clients. Huge progress is being made to general satisfaction
  • Finally, I have updated and improved all the supporting pages of the site including the FAQs, the linked speeches, and the Terms and Conditions. Have a look

To add to the excitement, I have been busy working on my first book about diplomatic speechwriting and other aspects of public speaking for leaders. I’ll have more to say on that soon.

In short, it is a pleasure to be back in touch via the site after many weeks of lying low here (but not elsewhere). I hope that you like the new look and style, and find it easier to use and easier on the eye.

All thoughts and suggestions welcome. The Comments are up and running, but if that fails send me an email via the site contact page and I’ll get back to you.

By the way, old comments on old posts may have disappeared in the transition. Anyone henceforth commenting here who wants those wise words kept somewhere safe for the sake of their own future reference should save them elsewhere too.

Onward.