
I have grown to like the word iteration over the last few months - it has become my friend after quite a long battle!
The Oxford Dictionary definition of iteration is "The repetition of a process or utterance."
In other words the "repetition of a procedure applied to the result of a previous application, typically as a means of obtaining successively closer approximations to the solution of a problem."
Urghhh...what a waste of time to have to keep doing something over and over again, tweaking it slightly every time to get it closer to how it is meant to be. My modus operandi in the past tended to be more along the lines of do it thoroughly as well as I could and that's it - job done.
Developing a website doesn't work like that. There are processes that mean content pages have to be revisited again and again - this time to add some formatting...or categories...or tags...or images...or links.
Sometimes, the whole process of setting up the content on the new ANLP website has felt like slowly disappearing down a plug hole...circling round and round and round until I disappear into a black hole - which I have done frequently. Between the black holes and the rabbit holes, I've been exploring a lot of holes in recent months!
(...And, in case you were wondering, the Oxford Dictionary definition of a rabbit hole is "Used to refer to a bizarre, confusing, or nonsensical situation or environment, typically one from which it is difficult to extricate oneself.")
So yes, my patience has been tried...a lot! My boredom thresholds have been tested...a lot! And over the months, the iterative process has become my friend as I tweak and link and build the content for the new website...with a lot of help from my colleagues!
Lets hope it is all worth it in the long run...we are nearing the end of the tunnel, methinks. Maybe that is a topic for another day!