Wednesday, June 20, 2007

New Look for the Blog!

Over the past week or two, I've been trying to add my friend Scott's new Blog to my "Friend's Blogs" category on the side of the Blog, but were continually getting an error message whenever I tried to update my template.

Low and behold, I discovered that this was due to the fact that the Google-Blogger conglomerate actually wanted me to "upgrade" my template. Preventing me from doing any changes must have been their friendly way of saying "we can't force you to do this... but you aren't going to be able to do anything new if you stay old school."

Reluctantly, I caved.

So here it is. I tried to make it look as similar as the old Blog, but you can see some differences in the font and layout.

The question is - since we're going through a bit of a remodel, are there any suggestions to make the Blog better or prettier? Like all good Cincinnatians, I fear change - so we might as well get all of them out of the way now so we can get back to our familiar rut!

PS - check out Scott's Blog. He went to Miami, but he's okay.

16 comments:

orangejack said...

Yours is fine. I personally like the simplistic look like "Sanddollar". But I read most of your posts in Google Reader via your RSS feed so I don't pay much attention to the layout and such. I'm here for the content!

Anonymous said...

hey Brian, I'm glad you're posting during the off season, good work brother!!

what is the little writing at the top of the screen?

Anonymous said...

haha this is gold
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/sawyer.php

Anonymous said...

yeah, what is that writing?

Anonymous said...

This layout is fine and looks very similar to the last one. My only problem comes when the post is long, like those really deeply explored episode analysis of yours where words exceed the 5k count...then it gets a little hard for my eyes to cope, maybe because of the contrast or whatever.

Anyways, if it happens to more people then maybe a subtle change wouldnt be bad, if not, I would recommend you keep lost...and gone forever as simple and cool as it has been.

Brian said...

That small writing at the top was part of the Blogger template that I removed from the original template a while back. Looks like it came back during the "upgrade".

It's now gone again.


What are your suggestions to help "break up" the longer posts? I try to throw in pictures and things to help the eyes - any other ideas?

Anonymous said...

maybe instead of white text, you could make the text off-white a little - like one of the colors on the Subdued color palette at:
http://www.paletteman.com/
It might make the text easier on the eyes.

Heather Arthur said...

Thanks for keeping the link to my site! I just caught up on the Lost episodes (I saved them to my DVR and just now had a chance to watch the last couple). Wow, they got good. I really had no idea what was going to happen so I enjoyed them. I look forward to working on the show next year.

Anonymous said...

I don't know if this counts as a comment about the blog. But I would love to see just one message board. It is difficult to keep up with two sometimes and the discussions can be confusing because you forget who said what where. I don't really care which one. Brian, what do you think?

Brian said...

hope - I kinda wrestled with this throughout the season, and suppose some sort of official decision needs to be made before the next season starts. Here's the problem:

- Some people love the Message Board, use it a lot, and prefer it.
- Some people hate the Message board, don't use it, and don't read it.
- Some people read and post on both.

There doesn't seem to be a clear "favorite" among one vs. the other, so I'd hate to discontinue one and in the process turn away some potential comments, which may be pretty solid.

Of course, there's always the chance that once you force the issue, everyone will eventually come around - but I think we'll have to have some sort of vote and discussion on the matter, in a dedicated post on the Blog.

But feel free to throw out some thoughts in the meantime. I'd love to hear them.

Anonymous said...

Some Skyline chilli would be good... think you could ship some to your readers?
The prices for the canned versions online are outrageous!

Anonymous said...

Are we going to get a Walkabout write-up?

PHG said...

1. I like the simplistic colour scheme.
2. I like the white words on a coloured background, easier on the eyes.
3. If it is too long, take a break from reading.
4. I say force the issue, either message board or comments section. People will go to one or the other. Both have their pros and cons.

Anonymous said...

I LOVE the blog, Brian. I read where you were contemplating losing either the comment section or the message board. Personally, I see no harm in keeping both operational. I enjoy reading posts on the message board, but I actually prefer the comment section.

As for suggestions to break up the longer posts....The only thing I could suggest is add more pictures. Your previews/analysis/predictions are so interesting and insightful to me. I actually love the longer posts....more to read!! They always read so quickly that I don't really notice if they are long or not.

Sawyer's Optician said...

I'm with Joe D. Keep both comments and message board. I like the comments section, because it is easier to know if i have read everything. I also like sometimes to look at the message board, but find myself spending waaaay too much time there. I'm not a very technical person, so I really have know idea how much work the message board takes for you, Brian. I guess i like the comments section because it is neatly all in one place. I love your blog and adamantly tell all losties i meet to read it. I also enjoy pictures.

Smokemonster -- holy crap that was funny! I don't know why, or what it was, but i am now singing in my mind "Sawyer, Sawyer, Locke!"

singhy said...

Please don't delete the comments! I don't have the time or inclination to go off-site to visit the message board, although perhaps its good for those who do want more in-depth discussions. Comments are simple and I love simplicity!

p.s. do let us know when you about to do a new rewind so I can make sure I watch it at the same time, thanks ;-).