New Template
Trying it on for size. Provided free by this site.
The Web is a moving target. My old template started displaying oddly to some people, with a purple patch on the text. I hadn't changed the code, so it means that some CSS command started being interpreted differently by browsers. I tried fixing it manually, and it worked for my browsers, but apparently not for others'. My fear is that the changed interpretation is an update and as more people's browsers get updated,the problem will become more widespread.
I don't have as much time as I would like for CSS or for tinkering with my weblog, which is after all a pretty important part of my life. Finding and modifying this one knocked me out of meeting a writing deadline. Hope it fixes the problem for the moment.
Those of you who say you don't like the type size are being silly. Webmasters no longer really control the look of their pages, since you can set the default font size you like in your browser options. I have poor eyesight so I set mine to 14 points rather than 12. You can even do 16. The template I chose is scalable, so aside from having to scroll more, you'll be all right if you size up. Most browsers nowadays also let you size up the font by pressing CONTROL and the plus sign.
You can also set the font type in your browser. Many experts advise sans serif fonts for the Web,which is what this template uses. But if you like Sabon Roman, knock yourself out.
I kept basically the same format because readers had said the two-column display read well on their phones, unlike three columns. Hope you like it. You'll let me know if not.
End/ (Not Continued)
posted by Juan Cole @ 5/31/2009 12:25:00 AM
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18 Comments:
for me it's a step backward:
- design-wise
- hyperlinks are almost same color as text (much unlike the original beautiful dark red)
- social bookmarking now takes up a lot of space
but I didn't have any problems before, though...
Displays OK for me using IE7. Not too hot on the purple text, but it is functional. Hopefully these sort of technical changes will not detract much from your work Doctor Cole. As someone who has family members in Iraq (both highly and lowly placed) I rely on your daily missives to keep me informed.
It looks good, no problem. Thanks for your good work,
Like the clean new look. Less cluttered than the old, but not big on banners on the left side.
Change! Egh! Give me back the old format! I never had problems with it!
But if it helps others, so be it.
I am always impressed at how the good prof finds time to handle the technical tinkering of maintaining a blog, let alone updating the content in a timely fashion.
Keep up the good work!
1. My eye is first drawn to the ad and link column, not your blog.
2. Native font is too small for me, and not particularly easy to read.
3. Headlines and paragraph leads don't grab much attention.
4. Liked the previous version better, and had no problems with it.
Still, I'll read it everyday- thanks!
PMac
Boston
The previous format was easier to read.
Barry
It's too bad the old one started malfunctioning for some- it was exceptionally better in my opinion. Oh well, we get used to these kinds of changes so quickly.
Hopefully this will work as a stop-gap and someone will be able to help you bring up a template on par with the previous one.
I'm using Firefox and didn't have any problems before. This one is OK, but the bold purple font of the titles is hard to read (mushes together),
And the purple clashes with the blue of the Title. Ha! But, that is likely just a quibble...
CHM
Juan,
The two columns are fine, but please switch them. I prefer my reading on the left, and the links and ads on the right.
I agree with Andreas above, the social bookmarking tags are way big now. I also never had problems before (on a Mac w/ OS 10.5.7).
Thanks. Keep up the great work.
On my Classic Blogger template, I use a READ MORE function. If could port that into a template like this without losing time, I would definitely consider it.
On my iMac in both Safari and Firefox, the left-hand links column renders poorly. Things are mis-aligned. Also, the icons next to the user name in the commnents has a large white space around it plus a border. The header and articles look fine.
The bold column on the left is distracting and I would prefer the column remain on the right. Firefox seems fine with the format. I have to try Google's Chrome though since I am told it is far faster than Firefox or Explorer.
Like the new format!
Using Firefox 3 or Safari 3 in Mac OS 10.4.11. I definitely agree that the ads should be on the right, not the left. It's a left to right world here and the ads just feel very annoying on the left. Don't worry, we'll notice the ads too if they're on the right. I don't know what everyone is talking about purple. The title is blue. Everything else is gray lettering with black hyperlinks. I'd probably vote for a light background color instead of white to avoid snow blindness.
Content, though, is always great. Thanks, Dr. Cole.
I have 5 blogs that I read daily, and yours heads the list. The new format is fine for reading, except I find the ads and links on the right side distracting. This is probally because we read from left to right.
After all, it is the content that really counts.
The letter spacing on the headlines of the individual articles is visually really nasty and hard to read. Check out how compressed combinations like "illi" are. I think it might be easy to open this up a bit. Otherwise no problem w/new format.
At first, the headline letters were smooshed together, but once I clicked the font up one notch it was OK.
I prefer the primary text on the left and ads on the right, but.....whatever. The content is still terrific
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