Dumping wisdom on design and the web
While it’s never good to run into problems while managing your business, if you start to have a hard time using some of the vital software to your operations, like Salesforce, you might find that almost every other aspect of your business is negatively affected. But luckily, if you do run into issues, you don’t have to fumble through everything on your own. You can get the help you need so that you can get things back on track. [Read more…]
Originally posted on January 12, 2022 @ 10:23 am
Websites are built almost solely on its communities. In the case of blogs, the communities hang out in the comments section. That’s where all the socialization and exchange of ideas take place. But writing a thoughtful comment alone is difficult enough. Don’t make it any harder for your readers.
This is one of the most horrifying comment areas out there:
Now that’s a long scroll. This isn’t from a product landing page or a shopping site with pages upon pages of “special” offers. This is a blog, for crying out loud!
Let’s assume for a second that only the top box (which is the actual comment form) exists and focus on that. It’s just too busy! My eyes were all over the place with the sprawling combination of boxes and text.
I know it takes effort to align form elements. (Or not, since this particular site uses tables to do that.) But it would be much easier on the eye if all the input fields appeared in a linear fashion, one after the other, to minimize the confusion.
Linear is not always necessary, but always keep forms as simple as possible, if you can help it. Take a cue from Smileycat’s comment form design showcase and note how functional and uncluttered those forms are.
Okay, so you get through the ordeal of leaving a comment, but this blog says you’re not done yet! It continues to nag you with the “Blog this at your site” and the “Tell a friend” sections. It doesn’t help that the lack of comments subconsciously discourages the reader from actually commenting. Even if there are any comments, those two extra panels have already separated the reader from the “leave a comment zone” since the comment box is now too far away.
The Share This button is certainly more desirable, both in form and function, than these bulky boxes. If you don’t think a button will cut it, what about collapsible panels with JavaScript?
Since the comment form above belongs to a blog in a blog network, many more readers will be turned off and confused by this comment form on several different blogs. It’s not too difficult to elminate this usability problem: Don’t complicate the process. Don’t ask too many questions. Don’t look desperate. Just let them comment.
Originally posted on July 25, 2011 @ 4:09 am
You might remember that I bashed b5media for their general themes, and the lack of blog profiling in them, quite some time ago? If you don’t, then read up!
Anyway, they manage to lay their hands on the excellent videogame blog Siliconera, which wasn’t in the b5media template of course. It is now.
Luckily, this theme update to the gaming blog is well done, and a great example of having a general template adapted to the blog in question. Sure, there are things that could do with some polish, but I think it does Siliconera justice. [Read more…]
Originally posted on March 10, 2008 @ 11:01 pm
So you’ve decided to run multiple blogs after all. Good for you, as long as you’re contributing (or making a truckload of cash) then it’s fine. Or why not just hire someone to blog for you, that always works, right?
Time to install 35 WordPress blogs! Even if that 5 minute install was all that was needed, it would be around 3 hours of work, and that’s not counting setting up your databases, uploading WordPress files, and so on. Then you’ve got your average plugins, API keys to paste into Akismet’s settings, activating the right theme, fixing the permalinks…
Originally posted on December 15, 2007 @ 6:59 am
I’ve been thinking a lot on whether it’s a good idea as a publisher to focus on several smaller blogs, or try to build a real power house. In my opinion, it’s not an obvious choice for someone that wants in the new media publishing sphere.
On one hand, having a bunch of smaller blogs means that you can cross-link and -promote to launch new projects, as well as drive traffic from one blog to neighboring niches. That’s a good thing, and what blog networks such as b5media does.
Originally posted on December 11, 2007 @ 1:25 am