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This happens from time to time and it drives me crazy.
I accidentally write a post and hit publish instead of save or something like that. Then my server sends out a notice to everyone with the web link to the new post. Well if I delete the post, all the feeds stop working for that post. It is all just a huge pain.
Anyway, this happened because I am trying out a new design for the blog. It will allow for a lot more information to be presented than the old layout.
Another thing I like about this design is that we got rid of that HUGE graphic at the top of the site. That thing was starting to drive me crazy.
I know it has only been 8 months since we launched the site - but it is funny how things like that annoy you after time. I would love to hear some comments. Even if the comments are bad (but understand please that I will be fiddling with it for a few more weeks) please let me know. I think this is beneficial for any credit union that is thinking about starting a blog. Most of the folks that come here are pretty blog savvy - so it should be easier to notice holes in the layout and design.
That would be invaluable for anyone thinking about jumping into the blog-pool.
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Comments
@Ginny - There is a lot going on with the sidebar. One thing that I was looking for was to be able to list the most popular posts. I have a tendancy to put up rambling posts and I hate to think that folks are shuffling through my random rants to get to the good posts.
I am horrible about posting wildly and not re-reading. You are right about my typos and I will fix them.
The Twitter thing you mentioned is a bug that only pops up in explorer. I use Opera as my prime web browsing browser, Firefox for my “Working” browser (I have a lot of plugins that help for design) and IE as a last resort and as a way to make sure errors like this get resolved. The reason it went into the second column is that IE didn’t know how to handle a long, non breaking string of text (that hyperlinks). As for if tweets are relevent - I am currently wrestling with that. Kristen (one of the designers) agrees with you, that my personal musings might not be relevent. I (as an Agency representative) think that humanizing the agency has a benefit. Sometimes, when talking to potential clients, they are afraid to talk to agencies for their marketing (which could be a post of its own). They see agencies as these evil money sucking machines. I am hoping that by humanizing our rag-tag bunch of goofballs, folks will understand that we are here to help - not empty your budget. Anyhow, as far as tweets go - I will have to get that figured out
I was playing with the archives and I think I will have to make a decision on that. I think I will keep it in the tab and pull it from the sidebar. I should mention that I did not code this wordpress template. It was designed by someone else - I simply did a little customizing for my own needs
Thank you for all your suggestions!
@Jeffry - I really appreciate that. I think the old design really showed that we were new to the blogging game. It was too much design and not enough substance. Obvioulsy style is good, but style with substance is better and that is what I was trying to do here. So we made the logo smaller and brought a lot of information “Above the fold”.
I will be tinkering with it for at least a few weeks. Thanks for hanging in there with us ![]()
I actually liked the big green blob on the old setup, but this design is bewildering. I like how the layout is more about the content and less about the design, yet it’s still eye-pleasing and catchy.
One thing I might suggest is revisiting the blogroll setup. I like how you actually describe who you are linking to, but the secondary bullet (-) and the way the text doesn’t stay indented is bothering me.


Hi Tony, I know what you mean about hitting the “publish” button instead of “save” - it can be pretty unsettling.
You asked for feedback on your design. I like the clean lines of your banner and the “inset” style of your main column and the sidebar. Personally, I think you have a little too much in your sidebar. Consequently, the Twitter feeds appear to bleed into Archives. You have an Archives tab at the top of the sidebar - do you think you need to list them by month, too? I also can’t say I see the point of putting Twitter entries into the blog unless they are an extension of the blog.
I also find that I often need someone to edit my posts and the statements I make on my blog. For example, on this post - 5th paragraph down - you say “another” when I think you mean “annoy”. The line above “Comments” doesn’t sound quite right. “please consider to leave…”? I know this may sound like it’s nitpicking but I always regret it when I don’t have a fresh eye look over what I write.