New look blog at Sparkplug 9 >> bizhack

New look blog

28Sep06

At risk of stating the obvious, bizhack has a whole new look today.

I wanted something simpler, something darker, and something a little more cutting-edge. Voila.

The highlights:

Web 2.0-ish look
There is/isn’t a web 2.0. Yeah, I know. Web 2.0 has nothing to do with style or image. Yup, MySpace is proof of that. Still.
More economical layout
More words fit on a page, while still being very legible and reader-friendly. Content starts higher up, so more is “above the fold.” The two-column design lends itself to more space for images in posts. And so on.
Google AdSense
It’s ba-ack. I took AdWords off my blog way back when Google made its Dr. Evil moves to get into China. I still think Google did the wrong thing, but at least there are ways to get around it now. And I wanted to start generating some revenue again.
Now with less … of everything
Blogs clutter up over time with Flickr badges, delicious links, and all kinds of extra schtuff that justs makes your page bigger, dependent on more servers being up and fast, and slower. Enough. Every blog needs a spring cleaning from time to time. Even when it’s fall.
More coming
I’m not quite finished with my tweaking yet … more will be coming soon. (Thanks Phil for the tips!)

I’m using the fairly excellent Unsleepable theme built for Wordpress. It’s a little more complicated than most themes, but I think the final result is not too shabby.

Tags: blogs, theme, wordpress, blogging, john koetsier

Filed under: blogging, design, personal, web2.0 |

10 Responses to “New look blog”

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1 Ian Delaney on Sep 29th, 2006 said:

Hmm. Great choice, John. You have clearly got excellent taste.
2 John Koetsier on Sep 29th, 2006 said:

Great minds think alike; fools never differ?
3 Ian Delaney on Sep 29th, 2006 said:

Exactly. Probably time for me to get bored with this.

What other themes did you flirt with? I am wondering (quite seriously) about going seriously old-school with one of the PlainTxt designs.
4 John Koetsier on Sep 29th, 2006 said:

To be honest, I hate most of the themes at the Wordpress theme browser. Few things there are simple enough.

Good design is so much less and more at the same time than bad design.

In answer to your question, I really didn’t seriously consider any other themes.
5 Ian Delaney on Sep 29th, 2006 said:

Mate, I totally agree. I do not want plant and flowers spurting out of my posts. The themes I was referring to are at http://www.plaintxt.org/
6 John Koetsier on Sep 29th, 2006 said:

Whoa.

Those are aggressively plain. Probably, like Frank Zappa, an acquired taste. I’m not sure I want to be that naked. Those designs are for the very self-assured aesthete, I guess … the kind of person who can wear any old junk and walk around like a supermodel, daring you to say that the emperor has no clothes.

Side note:

I must say that an all-white page makes my eyes ache. I prefer a little cooler coloration.
7 Phil Gerbyshak on Sep 29th, 2006 said:

I really like the new look. Very clean and crisp, and the black is not overpowering. Your ads are unobtrusive, and your links are nicely laid out at the top of your page. Well done.
8 Liz Strauss on Sep 29th, 2006 said:

John,
The new look is really nice, as Phil says clean and crisp, easy on the eyes. I could stay here and read for a while, oh yes.
Liz
9 John Koetsier on Sep 30th, 2006 said:

Thanks, guys!