Test Warning – Temporary Live Posts To Be Published On this Website

A Note to Theoretical Beta Readers
(Whether Accidental or Intentional)

First, welcome to the Sunlight Scholar website. This platform is the original creation and labor of love by just one individual as of today (that’s me)! My name is Rachel and for now, I am the sole owner, adminstrator, content manager, and primary contributor to this not-quite-launched-yet website.

And now…a quick note for theoretical readers who may stumbled upon this post and/or the entire Sunlight Scholar blog on which it is published:

That’s right – this website TECHNICALLY has not gone live to the public yet. This website is a work in progress, to put it lightly! It may be visible in it’s half-evolved form to members of the public or readers who went looking for the page after seeing it linked on my social media.

Alternatively, you may have been specifically asked to access an archived site with a password to get into the still archived website. So for now, however you ended up here, think of yourself as a beta tester for an amazing brand new platform that ideally will grow and thrive after launch. If this does not yet apply to you but it piqued your understand, see the contact form at the end of this page.

Why Not Just Put the Site Behind a static “Under Maintenance” or “Coming Soon” page if you are not ready for the public to see it?

Why not just leave all this behind a generic Coming Soon or Under Maintenance screen that functions as the only visible and accessible part of the website, even allowing readers to sign up for updates or follow the creator on social media?

Well, the simple rule is the owner and creator of this platform (that’s me!) cannot work effectively like that. These early stages of building a brand new platform and planning out its future is a more complex and interactive process than most audiences realize.

Most people know about the obvious steps one must take to mold the idea of a website like Sunlight Scholar into a live, fully functional platform that readers like you can access, interact with, and/or enjoy the wide array of content and resources every day, at any hour of the night. Although that endeavor is even harder than it sounds on paper (in text? on the page), it is only scratching the surface of what one must figure out before a website is truly ready to go live.

For example, this includes but is not limited to:

• Planning the content that will eventually get published on the platform
• Establishing a consistent brand identity for the website
• Ensuring full website functionality, usability, and accessibility for all people
• Mapping out categories, subcategories, and hierarchical topics for the site
• Seemingly simple details like site layout, info organization, sitemap, etc

Administrators have plenty to work with in the brainstorming stage of this process, but that does not always translate to how the website behaves normally, nor does it reveal the best methods to optimize user experience

So What Does That Mean For Me as a Reader?

The greatest part of all this is it doesn’t have to mean anyting for you as a reader if you don’t actively want to participate. You can click off now and come back later when the website is live. You can even put in your contact info below if you would like to be notified when the site is ready.

If you do decide to stick around as a passive observer, please pardon our mess. Keep in mind that several pages and posts will be published temporarily as placeholders or to test the site readability and functionality.

Finally, if you want to stick around but play a more direct and active role, fill out the form below to apply as a beta tester. More guidelines for this option to be uploaded soon