I'm sure that most of my readers have noticed a new look for the blog. After resisting for several months, I decided to give the new "Dynamic Views" template a go. When these templates were first introduced several months ago, I didn't like the fact that gadgets or applications were not included as a feature. The main page simply consisted of the blog posts with no links whatsoever. That meant I could not display my favorites, archives, or other links on the main page. They have now included some of these applications, although they are a somewhat hidden. They show up on the right side of the screen as a black line and when the cursor is placed on the line, the links pop out. This is all good, but at this point there is no application for the list of bloggers that I regularly follow. I liked the fact that I could see when a favorite blogger posted something new. Readers also use this list to link to other blogs that might be of interest. I've sent feedback to Blogger and I imagine that eventually this gadget will be added as well.
I like the clean, uncluttered look of the Dynamic View template but sort of miss playing around with the use of color in the old template. I could spend a great deal of time fooling around with color choices, but these days I spend most of my spare time on the photography course.
Another interesting feature is that the reader can change the view by clicking on the button at the top of the page just to the left of the Home button. This simply allows the reader to discover various views of the blog page. I'm not sure why anyone would think to do this or even want to, but obviously some web designers thought it would be fun.
I think that it is nice to occasionally change the look of a blog to keep it interesting and fresh. Interestingly, my page views have more than doubled since switching to this template. I have no idea why this would make any difference at all, but I welcome the increased traffic.
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| Images by John Bradshaw 2012 |
I'm afraid it's not clean and uncluttered on my side. I have grey squares with numbers in them down the edge of the right hand side and then another row about one third of the way in from the right, covering some of your typing.
ReplyDeleteHi Barb, thanks for the comment. I'm not sure why you are having difficulty seeing the page. I do know that the new format doesn't work well on small screens, such as a smart phone, or even an iPad. Other than that it should display correctly. Tapping on the photo at the top of the post should bring up a new window displaying the post, with a comments button at the bottom of the post. Please let me know if you continue to have problems. I do know that it worked fine for Lee. Others could be having a similar problem as I have had very few comments.
ReplyDeleteGracias
Hi John -- I read your blog regularly, and did notice the change. I do miss the list of your favorite bloggers -- I would use it check for recent posts -- so I hope that can be added. I've noticed that the new template also takes a bit longer to load. Other than that, no problems. My personal taste is for a simple presentation, with options (archives, blogger lists, etc.) clearly visible, but am probably a bit old-fashioned.
ReplyDeleteWhatever the presentation style -- I look forward to reading your posts!
Thanks so much for the feedback. I miss having the blog list as well and I'm not sure that it will be added to this format by Blogger. I will most likely return to the previous format with a few modifications.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeletethanks so much for these tips! My blogs usually do bring readers and responses. One thing I do is engage with the readers.
Hi,
ReplyDeletethanks so much for these tips! My blogs usually do bring readers and responses. One thing I do is engage with the readers.
Thank you, Morocco vacation, for commenting. Glad you stopped by.
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