The Blogging Tips Design
I know, I know….another freaking post in the site news category!! 
Ive had a lot of reviews of BloggingTips in the last week and the main criticism has been about the design. I hate the sidebars as much as you guys haha. There have been other criticisms as well however im happy to say most comments have been constructive. I must admit i find it funny that people are only bringing up the fact the sidebar doesnt display properly in older browsers after i posted about it myself and let everyone know hehe
Ive kinda got an idea of what i want but whether i will be able to implement it is another story. As much as i understand wordpress and CSS etc there is only so much i can do with designs – when it comes to it im just not a graphics guy. I can get by but i can never design something really great So i am strongly considering getting a professional design done for the blog. Before i do that though im gonna play around with the design and get an idea of how it should look. Heres what i have been considering :
* I was playing around with the idea of just one sidebar – eg the main content area would increase by 200 pixels with just one sidebar at the right. If this happened then id probably place a box at the bottom with the latest comments, forum threads and other info which isnt essential but still useful.
Im strongly considering this as more focus would be on content and larger images etc could also be placed. I tried this out myself last week and it looks ok.
* Color Scheme – I dont need to keep the current color scheme. The mascot and banner can be used with other color schemes so it may change.
Thats the two main things i need to look into. I am going to contact some companies to get some quotes.
If you like the blog but hate the design then please let your voice be heard in this post. I want the blog to have a nice clean look so any feedback from regular readers would greatly be appreciated.
Also, John Chow suggested in his review of blogging tips that the more tag should go.
Here is the comment i left at johns blog regarding this
(note im not using the more tag in this review!!!)
the more tag : im still of two minds about the more tag. I use the more tag for two major reasons
* Search engines – when you do not use the more tag you are placing your full content on several pages of your blog so you are effectively duplicating your content. By making sure the full post is only one one page you are ensuring the search engine knows which page is the source. Ive read some people say these effects are minimal but others profess it can make a huge difference. I am not 100% sure which is correct
* long posts – i dont use the more tag on shorter posts but with very long guides etc i think its still useful to use the more tag. Take my recent post on integrating adsense onto the home page for example. If you are not a wordpress user its a helluva long way to scroll – though i guess the more tag is a preference thing. When the blog is more established, ill ask readers and if the majority really dont like the more tag id remove it
thanks guys
Written by Kevin Muldoon from Blog Themes ClubPosted on May 12th, 2007 and filed under Site News
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9 Responses to “The Blogging Tips Design”
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I agree with what John Chow has to offer you. What are you plans about the sidebar? What types of changes do you plan on making? I think it would look better if it matched the header. Just a thought. I like your posts though.
It all depends on what you want the site to be and what your goals are for it. Is the site a personal site? Is it a “reference” site? Is it both?
I’ll agree that the black sidebars are a bit jarring and the layout seems slightly cramped & busy. Yet despite those niggles, I just recently discovered your site – and subsequently subscribed to your feed on my first visit – because the content is relevant and interesting to me.
Although there are a number of “blogs about blogging” that offer great insights and useful tips, a few seem entirely too consumed with revenue generation and that comes across in the tone of their posts. Yours is not one of those. So, you’re doing the content thing right. Design is secondary.
I hate the more tag, personally.
i hate the more tag, personally
thanks for the feedback guys
im happy to remove the more tag from future posts if thats what everyone wants. I do want to optimise the blog for search engines but first and foremost i want to make sure regular readers of the blog are happy
kumiko – well its clearly not a personal site
ive owned kevinmuldoon.com for years (i used to use it for my cv) and if i ever decide to a personal site that might get used. I dont think its a reference site either however i do want a lot of the content to be as relevant in 6 months as they are now. Essentially i want people who blog a lot to come by and read the posts and hopefully take something from it – be it advice or whatever
Rob O – thanks for the compliments – im glad you like the site, its encouraging to read that people like what im writing. I was a little surprised by the number of ‘oh no another blog about blogging site’ from people. I ran an affiliate directory and affiliate discussion forum more than 5 years ago yet i dont think ‘another blog about making money’ etc.
I will talk about making money online from time to time. However, im not one for boasting about how much im earning. If people want to know how much then ill consider talking about it but i dont think that me boasting about how much i made last year will help people.
also, let me know what you think about the more tag. i can remove it from future posts if people really dont like it
I agree about the more tag needing to go. I’ve never really liked it myself, either. Anyway, to be honest, I like BloggingTip’s current layout the way it is. *shrugs* It’s unique, I guess. It appeals to me.
your probably the first person to say they like the current design!
Your going right on my christmas card list! haha