New website who dis?

New year, new website – I have transitioned elliottbledsoe.wtf from WordPress to Ghost.

If you’ve been here before, you might notice elliottbledsoe.wtf look a little different. If this is your first time, welcome to the new iteration of the website. In December I started quietly transitioning the website from WordPress to Ghost. I am very fond of WordPress, but Ghost is simple, clean and lower maintenance. It also helped that Ghost is open source software too.

One reason for the change was because I had a few people reach out asking if they could get my WTF now?! weekly round-up by email. While it was possible to do that through WordPress, it was fairly complicated to implement. I had also thought about introducing memberships and subscriptions for some of the unique content I create. Nothing flash or outrageous – I just hoped to bring in a bit of support to free me up to keep creating compelling content my readers like. Ghost makes all this much easier.

More philosophically, the internet feels increasingly broken. The free and open internet is under threat and surveillance capitalism is drowning users in algorithmic crap, clickbait and AI slop. Online ads pop up incessantly, commodifying users and gatekeeping access to what they want. What happened to content meant to inform, entertain and generate discussion? It's a small ambition, but that is what I am aiming for with elliottbledsoe.wtf – I hope that is what you are keen for as well.

Moving to a membership model means a more direct relationship between you and me; not dictated by advertisers and algorithms.

What to expect?

I’ll be posting more regularly, with clearer intent about who each piece of content is for and why. Many posts will be public. Some will be for members. Some will be specifically for particular subscription tiers.

I am also reinstating WTF now?! – my weekly round-ups of what I have been reading. I have changed the date range for each post though. This year they will cover Thursdays to Wednesdays. I think mid-week is better for most readers but we will see how it goes. Look out for the first one for this year this Wednesday!

Through 2025 I put out a few briefings on key reports that had been released. I find them useful for my own purposes and people have told me they are useful to them too. In 2026 I will do more of them.

I am still bringing some of the older content across from the old website and I am still getting used to Ghost and ironing out some of the kinks – so please bear with me for the next few weeks!

What's next?

Over the next few months I want to introduce more thematic blogs focused on the topics I care about: AI, the arts and culture, copyright, open culture, technology and the internet, marketing communications and more.

I will also be putting out a range of arts marketing resources that I haven't released before, staring with information resources and templates on the 7 Ps marketing mix, segmenting audiences and positioning brands. Others will follow soon after.

I am also working on adding a microblogging component to rapidly share links to things that don't necessarily warrant a full blown blog post or other content.

Why subscription tiers?

The move to Ghost was a recognition that not everyone reading elliottbledsoe.wtf want to engage with all the content I put out. Some people really want to get the weekly round-ups, some want the extensive and growing library of arts marketing resources I have created and others still want my briefings on key reports that have come out.

So, rather than one generic subscription, I’ve created distinct membership tiers.

• Free membership
  While I will still be publishing much of my content broadly for anyone to read, soon I will start publishing members-only content. This membership tier doesn't cost you anything, and will give you access to that content. On this tier you can also subscribe to the Something old, something new newsletter which highlights recent content and something from the content archive.
• WTF now?! reader – $5.50 a month or $55 a year
  This tier is for people who want my weekly WTF now?! round-ups of what's happening in the arts, tech, copyright and more. When you sign up, you'll get a 30-day trial so you can read three or four WTF now?! posts before you will be charged.
• Arts marketing learner – $5.50 a month or $55 a year
  For readers wanting to access my growing library of arts marketing resources – including explainers, how-to guides, templates and more – this tier is for you. There is a 30-day trial for this tier.
• Been briefed reader – $5.50 a month or $55 a year
  If you are looking for briefings of key reports, research and policy documents related to the arts, tech, copyright and more this tier is for you. Subscribers to this tier also enjoy a 30-day trial before being charged.
• Gimme it all! – $11 a month or $110 a year
  If you are thinking about two or more tiers or if you want access to everything behind the paywall this tier gives you that. And yep, you guess it, there's a 30 day trial before you'll be charged.

And of course, by opting to subscribe you are supporting me to keep creating content.