Tech Blog: Update 20th July 2026
It’s been one of those weeks where very little code was written and yet Circles took a huge step forward.
Good software isn’t just about programming. Before a single feature goes live, there’s an enormous amount of thinking, planning and decision-making that shapes everything that comes afterwards. This last week has been all about building those foundations.
On the content side, I’ve expanded our Philosophy of Circles series with articles covering everything from confidence and rejection to communication, casual relationships and emotional intelligence. The aim isn’t simply to generate traffic, but to create a community that reflects the values we’re trying to build into the platform itself.
Behind the scenes, I’ve also continued researching the technology that will power Circles. Rather than jumping on the latest trends, we’re taking time to evaluate services for identity verification, media storage, security, scalability and long-term maintainability. Choosing the right foundations now will save countless headaches later.
The business side has moved forward too. We’ve continued refining the business plan, developing the investor and media packs, and mapping out how the platform can grow sustainably from launch through future expansion. Every decision is helping to answer one simple question:
“Can this still be the right platform five years from now?”
Branding has received plenty of attention as well. The logo has evolved through several iterations, the visual identity is becoming more consistent, and we’re beginning to settle on a style that feels unmistakably Circles.
Finally, we’ve started planning regular content series for launch, including the upcoming Literary Misconduct feature, which will celebrate wonderfully awful romance and erotica every Friday. (Someone has to keep the Literary Court in business.)
Phase One has never been about building pages as quickly as possible.
It’s about making good decisions before we start building them.
Every article, every technical evaluation and every planning session brings Circles one step closer to becoming a platform that’s secure, scalable and, above all, built to last.
Follow the site’s Tech Blog if you like that kind of thing.
