September 13, 2004 | View Comments (10) | Category: Whitespace
Summary: My analysis of the entry pages. Keep it sweet, keep it simple.
Last week I offered my analysis of the homepage. In the comment many suggestions came in and I listened to all of them and implemented some. There is still some tweaking to do, but we are getting there.
Now the entry page of a blog is the most important page on the site. This is the reason people visit your site. Well sometimes they come just to admire your design, but the content is where its at. However, most blogs have content pages that have to compete with the rest of the site.
This is a problem on Forever Geek which has a very “busy” design, but this is intentional. For Whitespace I just wanted to make the entry page an entry page. If a reader wanted to learn more about the site they would have to explore it because the entry page wouldn't help them out.
I have always gotten by on one thing and that is my content. I care about design, but I care so much more about content and this page reflects that. I was very close to just having the entry on the page and not even including a sidebar, but I realized that might be pushing the envelope of usability a bit too much. Besides that just isn't practical :-).
The sidebar drops a bit lower than the content and this was a styling mistake that I just happened to like. I know some people find this disconcerting, but it provides me with an effect I like and shows that content is a “top” priority for this site.
I mentioned in the homepage article how the design reflects my philosophy. I lied a bit. This layout is what really reflects my philosophy. When I go to a site I just want the content. I want the same thing on my own site. I want readers to discuss with me my thoughts without being distracted. When someone prepares to leave a comment I wanted to provide an atmosphere where they can focus on their thoughts and nothing else.
In this time and age where information overload is what we are becoming accustomed to I just wanted a design that made things a little bit simpler. Hopefully I succeeded.
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I think your entry pages are a great reflection of your philosophy and the purpose of Whitespace. It's clear that the content you offer are your written thoughts and any discussion that follows. The minimalistic design emphasizes that everything else is secondary.
Personally, I like the quirk in the sidebar. It draws the eye just enough so a reader knows where the search box is without being too distractive.
Jack (http://boxofjack.com)
Mark, well it upsets me because I make no money from those ads and we all know I bust my ass on my sites just to make money. I am thinking about placing huge graphical ads to avoid anymore of those non-paying ads. That way I can make lots and lots of money.
....
sarcasm people, sarcasm
....
Real answer: I just need to work better on keyword density I guess to get the ads better targetted. It's a small price I pay by having the ads up I suppose. Since they are black and white I don't think it hurts it as much as it could.
Scrivs (http://9rules.com/)
And oh that sarcasm wasn't directed towards you Mark. Just having some fun.
Glad you like the sidebar Jack. It took me hours to develop it ;-)
Scrivs (http://9rules.com/)
to me this site, nice as it is, reminds me of the coldness felt in a hospital, or somwhere similar. Compare that environment to a warm, colourful and inviting cafe, and the coversation usually flows as readily as the coffee
errm, yeah something like that;)
david arthur (http://www.justride.co.uk)
I think you've achieved your aim of helping readers focus on the content admirably. The fonts aren't too small, there are no annoying graphics or bright colours etc. So it is a quiet, calm place. I would like to see a link to next and previous articles or a list of other articles in the same category. Occasionally, I want to read something more on a similar subject and am too lazy to go to the home page and start searching around. I want it all laying on for me.
Peter 01010 (http://www.01010.org/)
I sure wish a full article was on the whitespace entry page (like it used to be).
As it is, I have to do an extra clickthrough every time I load up my bookmark.
brewthatistrue
What are you talking about? There was never a full entry on the homepage.
Scrivs (http://9rules.com/)
Thank you for at least 1 entry summary on the page. For some reason, despite all the links, the page seems ..empty. Like there is nothing to focus on or something
Funkatron
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#1
That's cool and admirable that you try to present a focused atmosphere, and I believe you do a good job with that - seriously.
Just out of curiousity though, how do you feel when that environment you worked so hard to create is impacted when Google occassionally posts a big honkin' "save the world" ad right dab in the middle of everything?
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)