Blog Update Tips via Other People’s Reviews
Thanks to Dan’s blog review by Michael Kwan at Beyond the Rhetoric, I’ve picked up some tips on cleaning out the dead wood. Nothing major, but little things that make a difference.
First off, I’ve moved the RSS feed subscription links to the sidebar and added an e-mail option. I subscribed myself and must say that the e-mail is surprisingly clean and pleasant to look at. So if RSS readers aren’t your thing, then try subscribing via e-mail. I’ve also added a comment feed if you want to keep track of the current conversations.
The next thing up is fixing some annoying IE bugs. Being a Mac and Camino/Firefox guy, sometimes I don’t think about checking the site in IE (mainly because I’d have to get up every minute to check the site on my Windows machine in the other room). Thankfully, Chica hooked me up and told me what was wrong when she viewed it in IE. So if you see any weirdness over the weekend, it’s just me trying to find the right CSS hack to fix the problem. The navigation is apparently off as well in IE, so that will be fixed, too.
After that, I’ll look at the right side of the header and see if it’s worth putting up something or just leaving it as-is. It seems empty with just text. I thought about a well-blended ad, but I don’t want to make it look bad. As for ads in general, I’ll be reassessing ad placement in an attempt to get some more click-throughs. Same goes for affiliates. I also may look at different methods of monetization that may better fit my audience.
If you want a good review of your blog, maybe it’s worth the money to have Michael do one for you. I learned a lot from Dan’s review and I can only imagine how much I could learn from a review of my own. Thanks, Dan, for footing the bill this time around.
Update: It looks like I managed to fix everything, but I’d sincerely appreciate it if you would report any weirdness in the site layout. IE users shouldn’t have anymore rendering issues with the navigation and the content background. On top of that, I also updated the site search with the newer Google Custom Search, which seems a lot more smoother. Suggestions? Let me know via the contact form. Thanks!
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Thanks for the link.
And, once (if) I get this plugin done, maybe I’ll charge for it and you’ll be footing the bill for my review. LOL!
dcrs last blog post..Warning to Bloggers: Michelle is Evil and Manipulative
Looks great, Pete. Ever so slightly cleaner and neater.
Nice job!
soapbox moms last blog post..If You’re an Original iPhone Owner – Then What?
Your blog looks pretty much ace in IE now, right on. I just now noticed you also have that alternating header, right on!
Chicas last blog post..Photohunt: Support
I think a lot of us were motivated by Dan’s review by Michael Kwan, I haven’t gotten to all the cahnges I would like to implement yet- but plan on finishing them all in July. I think with blogging- sometimes the posting is so much work- that one gets complacent about the layout, sidebars, widgets, etc. “One” meaning me…
Michelle Gartners last blog post..Vintage Term of the Week: Voluptuous
I like the comment bubble!
dcrs last blog post..My Plugin Now in Alpha!
I thought something looked different. Looks grand in IE. Clicked on some ads, too.
Bill (not Jill)s last blog post..Approximately zero percent of each sale goes toward advertising