It has been a while since I've posted anything regarding my website, TrailCentral.com (TC). The reason I've been quiet about it is because I haven't been working on it in over a year. Yikes! Well, that would be a true statement about 3 months ago. Let me explain.
About three months ago I had a hard decision to make because I noticed that the path TC was on meant one of two things: Continue to neglect it's operational needs and let it implode on itself or upgrade the server.
This was honestly a hard decision because my priorities in life have changed a lot to include family, work, fun, and much more. When I looked at it in terms of priority it seemed TC was always on the low end of the priority list. However, it is like letting go of a family member. If I think of all the lost sleep and energy I put into creating the site, it would be a hard pill to swallow to let it implode on itself and forget about it.
I know big time investors and business people would say, "Cut it loose and focus your energy on the next big idea." I agree with the statement when it comes to business, but TC has never really been a business. One of the most important things I've realized in my time away from TC is that it is not a business and honestly, I don't ever care if it becomes a business. What I care about is having a place where I can continue to play with new ideas. A place where I can explore the world of web development and system management. Most importantly a place where business need does not dictate what I develop, but a place where instinct and effort allows me to develop anything I want about a sport I am passionate about.
So after all that long winded rambling can you guess what my decision was regarding TC? Should TC sink or swim? I choose swim... but not an Olympic freestyle king of swim; more like a doggie paddle.
Three months ago I made a plunge and purchased a dedicated server. This single element (system management) has always been a black hole on my radar. In the past I've always developed code. If it worked... great! If it blew up my system... I always was able to call the 1-800 number and have an operations expert help me to get it rolling again. Honestly, I wouldn't have gotten a dedicated server without the help of a good friend I work with named Zach. He's an operations guy and knows his stuff. Plus, he is willing to let me ask really stupid questions and answers me with somewhat of a straight face.
Since I've started running the system I learned something; it isn't as intimidating as I thought. In fact, it has helped my development by allowing me to see how my code is running on my server. I no longer think in terms of getting it to work. I now think of it as getting it to work with performance and stability. Pretty cool!
I didn't make my decision a moment to soon. In fact, since working on the new server I've noticed that the old site has been acting up a bit, as if it knows I'll be shutting it down soon. I receive daily notices that I'm reaching the capacity of my current server. Each time I hit the ceiling it causes my database to lock up and at times takes down the entire website. It is ugly and I'm sure it isn't a pleasant user experience.
However, there is hope. I'm reaching the end of my development and hope to have the new server turned on in the next month or two. I'm making a lot of changes. I will E.O.L. several areas of the website that require a lot of effort on my part and I'm trying to enhance areas of the website that require community. This way the site will stay as fresh as the community that uses it and not look dated because I haven't updated it. While optimizing the performance I have also been updating the look and feel of the website, which was something I've wanted to do for a long time.
So the short of it is I hope you hang in there with me. I realize the old server is sinking and nobody will be more pleased than me when the transition to the new server is done. There is hope... There is a light at the end of the tunnel... and thanks to all of you who have been a part of my journey with TC. I'm happy to say the journey is not yet done.
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