Changing of the Blog

By on April 12, 2006 in Blogging with 8 Comments

Boy, changing this site was like cleaning out the garage. First thing you get before organization is … disorganization.

But I’ve been craving a three-column layout with two sidebars on the right side since I frist started blogging. Today, I got brave and it took most of the night. Now, I’m thinking of switching back (and I’m hoping you comment below with your opinion).

First, several kudos go out to John at TypePad Hacks for ideas on the additional sidebar, then Ed at The Technology Evangelist and Alex at Alexôme for ideas on the Category Cloud to the right. I also exported a Blogroll from Copywriting Watch.

So, my question(s) for you – Does it now look to crowded? Will that really matter as feed aggregators become more mainstream? Should I use a fluid width?

The Tag Cloud is nice (but not finished) and I’ll share how I did that in a future post. From a usability perspective, the added links add to the load time and it may cause readers to reach for the Excedrin.

Your thoughts?

Technorati Tags: , Blog Strategy, , Tag Clouds

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About Mike Sansone:

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  • http://www.maryschmidt.com Mary Schmidt

    Mike, I can certainly relate – I’m still doing clean-up on my seemingly simple site/blog. (“Now, why did it do that???”)
    It’s great that you’ve got so much on this blog now – and I love the title and the categories of blogs.
    However, (and this is my personal perspective) – I think we bloggers run the risk of trying to provide too much for the readers. I don’t know where to look next – great to give choices, but too many and our widdle brains start getting fuzzy.
    The great thing about all this – is we can play, change, try things – and keep doing it!
    Good luck with your new “baby.”

  • http://www.typepadhacks.org/ john t unger

    Mike,
    I like the new layout and I think you’ve done a nice job balancing the items in the two side columns. I would weigh in in favor of a fluid width… it definitely puts a bit more control in teh hands of readers to view your blog the way they feel it works best.
    As for clutter, it seems to me that most of the sidebar items you have are pretty on target. You don’t seem to have too much random bling for the sake of bling. I might lose the “recent posts” typelist and convert the archives to a drop down menu (instructions are at Typepad Hacks for that).
    Overall, though, very nice job! If you decide to keep the 3 column layout, let me know and I’ll link to it as an example from the tutorial page.

  • http://www.mikesansone.com Mike Sansone

    Hi Mary,
    Good points on too many choices. I think that’s where this site is right now. Who’d a thunk we’d be playing with code at this stage?
    Thanks for the positive views.

  • http://www.mikesansone.com Mike Sansone

    Hi John,
    Thanks first for your blog and instruction. I may just lose the Recent Posts altogether, but put the Blogs I read in a drop-down menu (there’s many more than what’s listed).
    I’ll let you know if this sticks. Thanks for the good words.

  • http://www.clicknewz.com/50/who-are-you/ Lynn Terry

    Hi Mike!
    I actually like your layout just fine. The sidebars are not in the way of your content, which is nicely positioned at the left. I was actually just ranting about this on my own blog (lol). So it was refreshing to visit your blog and find a name, a photo, and no left sidebar!
    I look forward to reading along – Nice to meet you!
    -Lynn Terry

  • http://www.mikesansone.com Mike Sansone

    Hi Lynn,
    Thanks for your thoughts. I thinhk I’ll go with John’s suggestions on a couple of places. I read your post, Who Are You?, and think I may organize the BlogRolls just a bit different too.

  • Sandy

    Hi Mike,
    I like the three-column design, and think the suggestion from Mary to use a drop-down list is a good one. I appreciate the links to sites you find valuable. Great job!

  • Pingback: How to Create a TypePad Category Cloud | ConverStations

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