Blog theme critique - beginners blogging help

[barbt]

Hello,

I'm just about done with my blog layout at Ask Owlbert: Blogging Knowledge, Made Simple - comments/insights greatly welcome.

My main goal - present easy-to-follow lessons for non-techie people who are thinking about starting their own blog. I'm not focusing on the make-money aspect, just the, how do I get going? aspect.

Thanks!

Barbara

[yogesh sarkar]

Site design is too busy to be targeted at newbies; they would have a hard time navigating it!

Change the site design to some thing more simple and easy to navigate.

I personally don’t like blogs where I have to click on the blog post to read it, try to avoid it. If you still want to do it, include a click here to read more option at the end.

Include the social bookmarking buttons below the post for them to be effective.

[barbt]

Originally Posted by yogesh sarkar

Site design is too busy to be targeted at newbies; they would have a hard time navigating it!

Change the site design to some thing more simple and easy to navigate.

I personally don’t like blogs where I have to click on the blog post to read it, try to avoid it. If you still want to do it, include a click here to read more option at the end.

Include the social bookmarking buttons below the post for them to be effective.

Good points. I have redone the main page - moved the blog to a lessons subdirectory and included graphics.

Ask Owlbert

What do you think?

Barbara

[ellie]

Still way to cluttered, I can't define the three column easily.

Try going back to a simple three column design. You know the saying "keep it simple".

The images are distracting and unnecessary. I didn't even bother reading what they said.

[barbt]

Good input yet again!

Here's take 3:

Ask Owlbert

Comments?

Thanks!

Barbara

[Selmanito]

hi,

Interesting site!

My advice after seeing the site is that it isnt enough user friendly. By that i mean, the navigation is not on the normal side of most famous websites. Take a look at top websites and see where their navigation is located.

is it all in one place?

is it in more than one place? how? why?

the "Search" facility, where is it located usually?

These questions help because most people are "used to" that way of navigating.
For example, Microsoft windows. Their navigation. Anyone who makes software for windows usually make their software navigation similar to windows. Like you always see the X button to close a window. So think that way for your web design.

The logo thing on the top, you need to improve its quality. Its more distracting or annoying. Like it should be simple.

Thats my 2 cents :P hope it helps

[Guardian Angel]

I think it is really better if you could use 2 column theme only if you like many posts appearing in a single page. Or better yet, lessen the posts in a page.

I also suggest that you use Add This to make a single widget for all your bookmarketing widgets and place it at the end of every post just like I do.

Hope I provided you some good advises.

[metareview]

My eye is drawn to the middle so I had to check twice to notice that the posts themselves weren't adverts. Perhaps the summary's could be longer to help emphasize the posts from the other content too.