OK well I’ve made some changes to the site. The basic template is the marvellous Cutline theme by Chris Pearson with more than a head nod towards Technorati.
I’m going to need to adjust the settings on a couple of the pages but I’m quite pleased with the results.
What do you think?
Tech Tags : Blogging, Chris Pearson, Cutline, Wordpress, Wordpress Theme, Technorati
9 responses so far ↓
Miha // Dec 12, 2006 at 9:50 am
I liked the old look more.
Mike // Dec 12, 2006 at 4:52 pm
Hi Miha,
What was it you preferred about the old design?
Mike
Blog Bloke // Dec 15, 2006 at 10:18 am
I see nothing wrong with the design except for the post area being more wide than necessary. There is so much room here that you could easily put in a second sidebar.
But just remember that design is objective. What is one person’s junk is another’s treasure. So stick with whatever you like.
Just my two bits worth.
Mike // Dec 15, 2006 at 1:30 pm
Thanks for the feedback, BB.
I thought about a second sidebar and a larger font but I kinda like the space created with the new style. I know some designers/marketers will say that I’m wasting valuable screen real estate but I feel that this style makes for an easier reading experience.
I may introduce a second sidebar next year if I feel it adds benefit. On the old site, for example, the second sidebar didn’t add anything to the viewing experience. Hence the reason most of that content has now gone.
Blog Bloke // Dec 16, 2006 at 1:09 am
I’ve noticed that most who use a second sidebar reserve it primarily for advertising. Especially since an AdSense hot spot is near the top right-hand corner. I’ve considered it myself. Since you are running a business-type blog that might be a suitable application for it.
That’s my free advice and it’s worth every penny. And if it makes you any money just remember me in your will.
Mike // Dec 16, 2006 at 1:33 pm
One of the reasons I’ve not run AdSense or similar on the front page is because I don’t want to encourage people to click off the site as soon as they arrive. Now I know that some marketers will say I’m crazy but, unlike some of them, I’m not writing this blog just to get AdSense revenue. I’m writing it because I want to share my experiences so I’d rather they read at least one of my posts before clicking off somewhere else!
Blog Bloke // Dec 17, 2006 at 12:43 am
That’s a good point. That’s why I put my ads on the post page as well. But still, you could have two sidebars on you post page could you not?
Mike // Dec 17, 2006 at 4:39 pm
True but I often feel that pages with two sidebars just feel cluttered and if you’re using a second sidebar purely for ads, I feel it contributes heavily to ad blindness. The reader knows that column A is purely advertising so they don’t bother looking at it.
I experimented on one of my sites the other month. I started with two sidebars and central content. The left hand sidebar was purely ads, the right hand one navigation. The CTR was rubbish so I swapped them over and CTR dropped so I then took the ad column out and put ads into the content and the CTR has now increased.
Sucharith // Jan 5, 2007 at 11:22 am
Nice site… i use cutline as well
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