Welcome to our new abode, readers!
If our blog were a house, then let’s say we’ve done some serious redecorating. And structural work. Consider this our housewarming. Here, have a drink! Take a muffin. Sit down, feet up! And let us tell you all about it.
It’s about more than weddings
Once upon a time, as you know, this blog started off as a wedding blog, documenting the trials, tribulations and moments of Zen in the run-up to Clare’s wedding. Along the way she picked up some rather smart, sane readers who wanted to hear about more than just weddings, but about the wider issues that being a woman brings, be it married or unmarried. Aisling joined the team, I joined the team, and suddenly the blog was a runaway train, but a good runaway train, the sort that makes you think and debate and discuss and has some of your very best friends aboard. And cake.
We asked you to fill in a survey last November. And fill it in you did, and the results were very very revealing. Good revealing. We listened, talked, made decisions and where you are now, this redecorated part of the blogosphere, is the result of months and months of that work, us, our brains, our imaginations, and a lot of coffee. No “quick fixes” for our readers…you deserve the best and that’s what we’re going to give you.
Any Other Woman is the blog you all know and love, but better. We’ll still be talking about weddings; fear not; but our name gives credit to the emormous variety of inspiring, informative content that we and you, our readers, provide every day. We talk about issues that women face, and we want the name of our blog to reflect that.
We are absolutely committed to not turning into AOW Towers, or some big commercial enterprise, wearing slick suits and angry, pointy shoes. That’s not what we’re about, and that’s not why you come here. We’re still the same people, just in a prettier place. We still want your submissions, your stories and your opinions, to ensure this blog retains what makes it so special.
Launch Week will rock your socks
Oh readers, do we have a hell of a week lined up for you. You’re going to love each and every post. We’ve been working our socks off behind the scenes to make Any Other Woman a blog to rival the best of them, and it deserves a proper launch. Berlin Love Parade-style. Our float is grey, peach (with accents of navy blue), is covered in tissue paper pompoms, and has Emmi at the front, waving. And what better time to launch than in the week of International Women’s Day? In Her Own Words was a phenomenal success last year, and this Thursday March 8th we’ll have a whole host of brilliant writings to celebrate International Women’s Day. You won’t want to miss it.
We’ve got a brilliant competition or six coming up (trust me, you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled because these giveaways are, erm…mega). Get on the starting blocks readers. Fingers on the buzzers. There’ll be competitions all week…come back this afternoon at 1pm for the first competition! You will not want to miss it. I might disguise myself as someone else, and enter.
We’ve had some fantastic ideas for new series. We’re introducing Jobs for the Girls, a fascinating series documenting women with amazing, brilliant, unusual jobs, aimed at inspiring readers who want to make a career change, or who just want to find out more. This isn’t restricted to industry friends, and it won’t be restricted to a simple ”Q&A”. This series will feature women from all walks of life, in a whole range of work, and find out what’s behind what they do, and why they do it.
We’re also introducing AOW Hidden Gems, which is a travel series with a difference. We’ll be tackling the world city by city, starting in the UK, and asking you, readers, for your special, AOW-friendly hidden away places in each city. Not the stylish, slick places, but the book shops you love, the cafes you could spend hours in, the hidden walks, the place to get the best cake, the hotel that feels like home, the places that make you feel good, the places with a story. We want to use your tips and tricks to build a location map that serves as an incredibly useful tool for you, our readers.
We’re also introducing Two-Post Thursday….hurrah! So now there’ll be eight inspiring, thought-provoking (or drivellous, yes it’s a word) posts per week.
And of course, we all know how successful the last Any Other Party was. So there’s going to be another one. And it’s going to be even better. With more cake (because we’ve kidnapped RachBakes). And we cannot wait! More about this coming soon (I know, I know, we’re a tease).
So… what’s new?
As well as being remarkably…prettier (we did inspiration boards and studied colour palettes and Clare and I didn’t even hyperventilate! Much), our blog has some fantastic changes. Behold, our beautiful header!:
This was a hell of a collaborative design process. We wanted to represent women without resorting to Venus symbols or clenched fists. We wanted to incorporate a love of writing and words, growth and development, and represent the freedom that women have on this blog to say what they want. Whilst looking pretty. No stress, then.
I said something about birds being free and having wings…and spent a highly entertaining Eurostar journey photographing my favourite swallow necklace from various angles seeing how it would look against typography. “Butterflies!” exclaimed Aisling, and drew our attention to this beautiful opening sequence in Great Expectations, and before we knew it, Any Other Woman was written by butterfly’s wings. Super Runaway made the magic happen (more on them below) and lo and behold, we had the most perfect header imaginable.
But a site is about more than its header, no? Come back tomorrow afternoon for a guided tour by Clare (who is carrying a flag and a (peach) megaphone) where she’ll describe the exciting features of the new site. Including our exciting new Facebook Page, where you can use our forums, get to know each other even better, and which will serve as an extension of the site for those who want another AOW fix (but not replacing it, oh no). But don’t wait until then to have a play around!
The brains behind the pretty
None of this would have been possible without Super Runaway. They’ve built a hell of a reputation redesigning some of the most beautiful and well put-together blogs out there, so we knew they’d be good. I don’t think any of us anticipated quite how good. We’ve worked with them for months and months and they’ve been endlessly patient, dealing with our less-than-helpful questions at stupid-o’clock in the morning ”Liiiiiz, can you put a picture thingy there that links to that thingy over there?“ “Liiiiiiz, can you do magic code that makes THAT happen?“. They’ve been incredibly professional all the way through, have brilliantly creative minds coupled with coding expertise, but most importantly in a process like this, they got us. They got the site. They understood why Any Other Woman was so important to us, why we wanted to do what we did, what the point of the whole thing was. We’ve put so much love and time and commitment into this blog, and we were never made to feel anything but their top priority, even though they are insanely busy (and deservedly so). That feeling, the one where you are understood, and that you are important, and what you are doing is important, that feeling is not quantifiable. Thank you, Liz and Jeff.
So….what now?
Readers, have a play around on the site. Tell us what you think in the comments below. Do you love it here as much as we do? We love what we do, but we want you to keep loving it too. Does this seem like the kind of place you could kick off your shoes and stay a while?
Come back at 1pm. You’ll be glad you did…get ready for some competitions!
Clare, Aisling and Anna x
73 Comments
It goes without saying that I ADORE the new site! I know just how hard you girls have worked and I’m absolutely delighted for you.
AOWoman is such an innovative blog and I’m glad to count myself amongst the readership. Here’s to even more success in your new home!
SJM x
Oooh, I was first to comment – do I win a badge?!
Dear ladies, It’s very lovely here. Well done & I’m just sad I have to go to work today.
xrachel
So very proud of you all! The new site is AMAZING. You have taken AOW and made it better, which is no mean feat in itself!
The site is fantastic. You’re all fantastic. Absolutely cannot WAIT to see more. So very exciting!
K x
Wow!
Girls, you have outdone yourselves, the new place is stunning! Love the colours, love the butterfly, love the new categories, the links….
Already losing myself in the random post generator (I still have old posts I haven’t read!) and I love that AOB has her own header!
I actually woke up before my alarm today (Should I admit that?!) because I was so excited to see the new site, THAT’S the kind of place you have built! We all care so much! So glad I now have a whole hour to explore before I need to get up! (Well it’s already down to 30 mins – damn having to work, why can’t the world understand we need extra time off today!)
Already inspired more posts I want to write and send in! Off to join the fb page now too! Seriously love you guys! (Stopping gushing now!)
Bex
x
Bex…we love you. The end. And all our readers.
Just had the best squealy Skype session. i have never squealed so much at 7.30am before!
So excited to know it’s gonig down well already…. we are SO PROUD x
You should be PROUD in capitals because it was so worth all of you girls’ hard work!
Yay!
(Would also squeal but hubby’s fast asleep next to me since he’s on late shift this week!)
Sorry, I keep saying girls when it should clearly be women!
Any Other Women no less!
Guys, its brilliant. I heart it. I’m tempted to bunk off work and spend the day wandering the streets of london ordering people to come and read.
Girls, love that you are patrolling the streets of London Town…I’ll drop by with coffee and bacon sandwiches for you both! Served in a peach and grey lunchbox, with accents of navy blue…
Oh.my.giddy.aunt. I love the reply button too. Looking forward to my bacon sarnie!
A peach and grey lunchbox with navy accents sounds so stylish! I think you might need a new button on that sidebar labelled ‘Merch’? I would buy one.
ps. now might be a good time to mention those flags you were going to make us Anna. What do you mean you are exhausted from the blog relaunch?! Pft.
Amy – I’ve just finished painting my sandwich board. Meet at the steps of St Paul’s with our megaphones, yes?
SJM x
Yep, see you there. I’ll be the one with butterflies all over my head!
Love it!!! Well done ladies.
Wow, guys, it’s just fabulous! (And, how has it been a year since International Women’s Day?) I think it’s safe to say that all your hard work has paid off.
Here’s to the start of even more amazing things for AOW!
xx
It’s sooooo pretty! And really cool looking…and what Amy says (but for Manchester!).
I also am loving the random post generator, esp. as the first post it took me to was Mahj&Martin’s AOP – love it. Could lose DAYS on that.
Shall be tweeting about the shiny new look forthwith…x
The Random Post Generator has a lot of love from me, too! I lost about three hours to going through the archives! It’s totally my favourite bit. Well, along with the header and everything else…but it’s my favourite techy bit. Except for the drop down menus…Oh OK I love it all….
Yay, yay and double yay.
Love it. I thought my pret flat white was the best start to the week. Until this…
So excited, love the new layout. Well done.
I’ve been a blurker of your site for far too long to be normal, but this influx of pretty has broken my blurking spell at last! Gorgeous site. Wonder how long I can spend mooching around before my boss notices?!
Lucy A, welcome! Hope this encourages you to comment more! We’re always desperate to get our regular readers who don’t comment to do so….and we’d love to get to know you better! x
Just found the random post generator. Goodbye productive Monday!
K x
Just found the random post generator. Goodbye productive Monday!
K x
Marvellous, well done Willy Wonkas on your truly scrumptious chocolate factory. Off to jump in the waterfall with my mouth open.
Pxx
Heehee. Love it!
Best. Image. Ever. I’m imagining you in your pink tutu dress and leather jacket in the waterfall. Obviously.
Wowzers!
It’s really, truly lovely over here.
I love how easy you’ve made it to find everything with the drop downs.
Amazing job. I hope some cake and champagne is getting consumed today after all your hard work!!
Congratulations girls… can’t WAIT to see what’s coming next. Well done. xx
Hold the phone – there’s a random post generator?! Noooo, I don’t want to do work today, I want to play on the random post generator!
I am in raptures over this relaunch. I feel actual butterflies. This is going to be the start of something very special indeed, I can feel it in me bones!
xoxo
Mahj, just explain to work that you are currently occupied learning about life love and marriage and all the bits between….they can’t possibly argue!
You are here! Congratulations, I know just how much work has gone into this and it has all been worth it. Ladies this website, nay HOME, is so brilliant I’m going straight for a celebratory glass of freshly squeezed orange with my breakfast and I don’t care who knows it.
Also random post generator = best thing EVA
L to the Sten, I hope that glass of freshly squeezed orange juice was as delctable as it sounds! Thanks for all your support x
Oh yes. This is a lovely home. We’ll be happy here!
I was so excited this morning but I was good and waited til I’d logged on to a computer rather than check on my iPhone… I wanted to see it in all its glory! Was worth the wait!
Congrats you three, you are wonderful x
Frankie you make me laugh! Glad you waited though, to see it in all its finery! x
Aw Frankie, you were restrained! I couldn’t wait for computer access this morning so my first view was on my extremely cracked iPhone screen. I’m now on my big shiny lab mac and it’s EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL on big screen. I’m sort of tempted to stroke* the screen. That’s okay, right?
K x
*I’d lick it but this computer is in a lab office and they’re fairly against you licking things in the lab.
@katielase – Officially the comment that has made me laugh out loud the most today. So far. Consider that a challenge readers…
Love love LOVE – that is all
Love the new design, layout and overall feel. Well done girls!
Woooooo hoooooo! Massive congratulations on the rebranding and new site, I loves it all! AOW is one of the best places on the internet ever and you have just made it even more awesome
I can now see all the pictures and comments on my work computer (this could be a bad thing!!) and the random post generator is perhaps the most fun ever.
Be proud girls, this is EPIC! x
Oh Roz me too! That’s the first thing I checked! Now I don’t haveto get squinty eyeness anymore from doing this on my phone. Hooray! xoxo
You have no idea how happy I am that you can finally see the pictures and comments at work (sorry, work, but it’s important)…anything to make life better for our readers!
Well done ladies, I like what you’ve done with the place. Looking forward to having a proper nose when I’ve finished work.
x
Well done most wonderful threesome on the tinterweb!
So far it looks deliscious, will have to wait til this evening to delve in a bit more.
he he he, this made me chuckle.
I’m wondering how many folk will unwittingly stumble across this site when searching t’interweb for ‘threesomes’! Still any traffic is good traffic, no?
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
SO EXCITED IT’S AMZING OMG CAN’T TURN OFF CAPS LOCK ARGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
xxxx
Congratulations on a fab relaunch ladies! The site looks amazing!
x
Yay you guys! The site is beautiful & I’m so excited about the travel series. & I love love love Super Runaway. I feel a wee sisterhood with the blogs that they design, & your beautiful blog is no exception! Can’t wait to see what unfolds on these pages.
Hey girls!
Congratulations on the relaunch and well done! I know you’ll find WP so much easier behind the scenes and it’s evident already how your readers are going to reap the rewards of a better organised site.
LOVE the random post generator – fab idea.
Lots of love,
Rebecca xo
Oh wow! Lookin’ good ladies! Great job and so looking forward to seeing what’s to come. x
Woop woop! My first thought this morning actually was ‘new AOW site goes up today!’ I’m loving it and wishing that I didn’t have to work so I could spend hours lost on the lovely pages.
Well done girls, fabulous job.
xxx
Glad we’ve had the official Real Married seal of approval! Can’t wait to see your next column on these peachy pages! x
Can someone tell me how to get a shiny picture next to my name? I have shiny picture envy. Although the abstract patterns are tres pretty.
K x
Katielase do you have a gravatar? Shiny picture ahoy!
http://en.gravatar.com/
NOW I have one. Wheee… I feel REAL!
K x
Welcome to the blog, Actual Person!
But wherrrrre has mine gone?! Right…am off to investigate. I’m not too happy about not being a real person right now…
Ladies ladies ladies (or should I say Women Women Women) – thank you so much for all of your support. We are honestly so excited about what we can do with the new AOW and how great a place it’s going to be for you all to come and hang out (do kids even say that any more. Oh dear god I’m old).
I have to say that what with the whole trying to keep a human being alive thing I’ve been doing recently, I’ve not taken on as much as I’d have liked with this new launch, and it’s Anna K who has really led the AOW procession to where we are now, and I am so proud of her. And to all of you have helped out and given advice and support (you know who you are) I’m thanking you from the bottom of our AOW hearts.
Ladies – Any Other Womanhood begins here. It’s going to be awesomeballs.
Xx
Awesomeballs just made me snort. Loudly. At work
This is AMAZING. I have no words!
I will get working on my next submission- I shall have to fancy it up to fit it with the new look!
Love love love the rebrand and agree your new title describes you so much better -and I personally am so anti anything with the word ‘wedding’ in it that I am very pleased!!
Congratulations team AOWoman 
Is an insane amount of grinning a natural reaction to the launch of Any Other Woman?
Yours, cheek aching in Nottinghamshire, x
Same here Lucy! Big smiles all round.
LOVE the new site design, congratulations ladies. I look forward to reading AOW… the next level
Chloe x
LOVE IT!!!!!
Wow ladies, this is fab-u-lous! Loving the new look! Can’t wait to explore, esp the random post generator I’ve heard so much about! And the new name is great. Love Any Other Womanhood, Clare!
xXx
Well done Clare, Aisling and Anna. You really do have a brilliant blog, and it just got more awesome. I love the change in name, it is very fitting.
Congratulations!
xx
Congratulations – the site looks fantastic, plus I’m loving the new name (saves me having to explain that no darling, I am not *still* looking at wedding blogs daily 9 months + after we got married, ahem). All hail Any Other Womanhood!
Yay! So much pretty and that’s the least of it. Now off to explore…
Ok, I’ve explored & I love it! I’ve just read Aisling and Anna’s first ever posts for the first time! I am soo glad that I read the ‘four best wedding blogs’ in Brides (?) magazine, I think, back in November in my first purchased wedding mag after getting engaged! I read it everyday and have laughed, cried and thought A LOT about many of the posts. Thanks AOWoman X
Love it ladies. Super Runaway are the best!
I saw a lot of website but I think this one contains something special in it in it 739830
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[...] has been a quite frankly awesome week here. We started the week showcasing our shiny new site and new name, had competition after competition, ran the ‘Choices’ series for [...]
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[...] Find More Informations here: anyotherwoman.com/2012/03/any-other-woman-is-here/ [...]…
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[...] Read More: anyotherwoman.com/2012/03/any-other-woman-is-here/ [...]…
[...] been a little while now since we launched our brand new, ever so shiny, peach and grey (with a navy blue accent, don’t you know) website. We’ve been utterly thrilled at everyone’s kind comments, tweets, likes and emails, and [...]
[...] are looking to complete this week. We have a project plan for these next two weeks that makes the blog relaunch look like childsplay (featuring carpenters, movers, painters, and a variety of Georges, Martins and [...]
[...] at Any Other Woman we want to bring you a range of sponsors. By the nature of what the blog used to be, many of our sponsors are wedding-related. But sometimes, a sponsor comes along who does [...]
[...] …Any Other Woman was born? Remember all those AMAZING competitions we ran? Sarah and her fiance Craig won this incredible giveaway from AOW favourite Erika Szostak and proceeded to style and star in their very own uber-fabulous, totally personal and so.damn.cool engagement shoot. [...]
[...] After sleepless nights and overdosing on excitement, we re-launched the blog. [...]
[...] an oldie but a goodie: content is king. No matter how busy life gets (being ill, blog relaunch, moving house), do not let the content slip. Good content is the bread and butter of what AOW is [...]
[...] it will be a whole bloody year since we took a deep breath and pressed ‘publish’ on our shiny new blog, with our shiny new name. Doesn’t that seem crazy? I can’t believe that was a year [...]