Straightening Up

For the first time in years, maybe encouraged by the clearing-out we're doing in our studio, I've overhauled the design of this blog, trying to clean up, organize, simplify, and update the content. I'm not done yet, but done enough to make the changes "live" and try them out on you...so please tell me if the background color is too dark, or the type too small, or whatever. I'm still undecided about a fixed-width main column or whether to keep the width variable. I really like being able to post large photographs - what do you think?

The blogroll and category lists have disappeared for now because the former was woefully out of date, and the latter just too long a list; I've substituted a category clou, which is pretty interesting, to me at least! I'll be revising the blogroll and re-posting it in the sidebar soon, along with the new Search feature, the Online Shop, and a link to Phoenicia Publishing. My "author" photo and website have changed too - the ABOUT tab now links to my author's page at Goodreads, where my books are listed as well as a bunch of reviews, some cross-posted from here.

I also realize, somewhat to my chagrin, that much of this design work will rarely be seen by the many readers who follow the blog through an RSS feedreader...but that's OK, I'm glad to have you with me however you receive the content!

Doing this work, I felt once again how behind-the-curve TypePad is as a blogging platform, but I'm reluctant to leave because I know it will mean a drop in readership. For other purposes, I use WordPress and I greatly prefer it, but here we've been for nine years and counting, and here in this familiar, slightly faded velveteen box, for the time being, we'll stay.

Comments

[mike]

It looks great to me....big photos are good, but anything bigger than what you've posted today requires scrolling to view the entire image. I don't mind scrolling and seeing more detail, though...scrolling and strolling are not so very different.

[Lorianne]

I clicked through to check out the new digs: nice and spacious! The gray background might be a bit dark: I like how photos show up against it, but it makes the black type more difficult to read. I think if I were reading a long post, the black-on-gray scheme would get tiring.

Maybe a lighter shade of gray?

[Rachel Barenblat]

I feel much as you do, Beth, about Typepad; I use Wordpress elsewhere and would probably switch over, given the choice, but I don't want to lose the readership which nine years in one place has brought me!

The new look is lovely. I don't mind the grey background; I like the cleaner look; and the tag cloud is nifty, as they so often are.

Hm. Perhaps I should think about updating VR, one of these days...

[Lilian Nattel]

I like the new look, do find the grey a bit dark for reading. if i wasn't already following your blog it might deter me because i tend to skip over blogs with dark backgrounds (because of the ease of reading). i get your blog in my reader but i don't read it on my reader. I click through to the blog itself.

[Beth]

OK -- I agree, I think the grey is a little too dark myself, so that, at least, will be changing!

[Marja-Leena]

Looks good to me, Beth. I find the font a little small, but I have no problems enlargening it with a quick click on the button up top. I, too, think the grey is a bit too dark. I love the image you chose for this post!

[Beth]

Thanks, Marja-Leena! I have a small collection of vintage drafting sets, some - like this one - truly antique! The outside of the case is beautiful wood with swiveling brass clasps, and an inlaid brass plaque, but I couldn't take a good photo of it. I actually use the tools sometimes, they're such a pleasure to hold and use.

[flask]

hi. i of course read through rss. but i came to look because you posted about it.

it's pretty. i can't compare it much to the old site.

[Dorothee]

looks good to me, too. and i like the freudian slip: category clou. it really is a clou, though :)

[Dick]

It looks very neat and clean, Beth, but I agree with Linda about the darkness o.f the grey.

I'm with you too about the Typepad/WordPress issue. I'm trying to jumpstart my blog at present and, if successful, will probably stay with Typepad for the same reason as you (although both hits and response level - beyond the artificial stimulus of appearances on poetry prompt sites - aren't promising!)

[Jean]

It's lovely - still feels like you, still looks better than any other blog I've ever seen. The grey background is fine for me, but accessibility issues are important, as I'm sure you also feel, and I don't think a lighter grey will change the look much.

[Anne]

I see that many of the comments say the same thing I would say. It is all good except the dark grey makes it really difficult to read for my old eyes. I am always grateful for larger type, but I realize that the world cannot be arranged solely for the elderly.

[Dave]

I like gray a lot, but I agree with the others that you need a lighter shade of it, beautiful as this shade is in contrast with the black and red. The font in the sidebar strikes me as a bit too small. Otherwise, things are looking very sharp indeed. Glad you finally have a link to Phoenicia in the sidebar! As for the linkroll: as you know, I've moved Via Negativa's to its own page, but have made more of a habit of blogging link+quote posts in order to give front-page attention to the bloggers in my 'roll. (Inclusion in a links page, while a nice service for readers, doesn't do much for anyone's Google ranking.)

I don't have a smartphone or iPad to see how it looks on such devices, but I presume you are taking that into account as well. It won't be too long before a majority of our visitors view our sites that way.