You can probably tell that we have made a major change from our previous blog template. So, the most important for us right now is to get your feedback, because we always want to see if there are any plausible changes we can make to improve your blog reading experience. We do have to admit that we might not be able to incorporate everything that you mention, but we try our best to see if it makes sense!
Anyway, give your feedback please!
Here are some of the reasons for the template change.
1. The loading time for the previous blog is horrendous. I guess it’s the images that needed to be loaded, or perhaps the number of entries that are shown on the front page. This alerts me that we got to have a splash page to reduce the loading times.
2. I always wanted a better categorization, and show more entries on the front page while not causing longer loading times. This blog template allows us to get the best of two worlds.
3. Always wanted a featured section for posts that we want to keep on the front page no matter what.
4. I wanted a simplistic theme rather than something that complicates matters. It’s of course a little less exciting than our previous template, but it is cleaner and more user friendly in my opinion. We are still working and fixing some issues due to such a major change (Astrobunny nearly died in action for this).
5. If you notice, we provided a specific section for editorials. It’s mostly for Lelangir so that the editorial posts (which are not time-specific posts in general) can get more readership and be exposed often.
6. New template = awesome.
Anyway, we still have a few things to work on because it is not the final product.
- We still need to include the plugins to tidy up our stuff on the sidebar.
- The top menu bar looks dirty ugly, and we have to get it done too.
- The recent comments is not showing what it should, but it will be fixed in the next few days.
- The bright red on the front page can kill, and we have to fix that with a much milder red.
Now, do you think there are any other things that can be improved? Please tell us and we hope to hear the feedback from you!
Edits from comments
1. The anime banners are definitely making a comeback! This is a bit of a “work-in-progress”
2. We will be trying to centralize the blog template, rather than have the main stuff “left aligned”. Not sure how we can do it.
3. We are going to figure out how to do a blogroll on the front page. Give us a little time!
4. We are going to explain the features in the splash page.
5. Calawain is pissed off at me. Scatterbrained Impz is going to be so dead!
6. Thinking of having a sidebar…
Keep up the feedback. We need it!
63 Comments
It’s alright… but it doesn’t look as clean and neat as before. I’ll just have to get used to it.
Two things: more/other colours would be nice and a bigger font for the comments would be too.
Much better. I like very much.
To be honest, because the area I’m in has sucky internet, I had a lot of trouble loading pages when I was following Calawain and Crusader’s tag-team on Maria+Holic. It almost impossible for me to load Random Curiosity too. But now THAT is loading much better.
Its not easy on the eyes.
Hard to navigate and things look quite messy.
Might just need to get use to it though.
For some reasons I get error 500 Internal Server Errors now…
Strange thing is that’s only for the homepage. If I jump directly to articles, it’s fine… but yeah, the old layout is much easier on the eyes and preferred.
I’m sorry, but I don’t like it at all. I don’t like the fact that I have to click to read posts; what’s wrong with having them loading inline?
I also don’t like having three columns that I have to check for new stuff. (I don’t like having to check for new stuff at all.)
Uhh… don’t like this one at all. It’s frustrating trying to read around. However, if you still want to keep this one, perhaps you could try aligning it to the center?
not a big fan of the color scheme. the rest is ok
its a bit confusing… i like the “have you read” but the recent posts section is just messed up. its linking back to Lucky Star’s announcement..
Ah! Holy crap! What’s going on? My eyes! ‘ So confused. Am I in the right place?
Well, I gotta say, I liked the old comfy blog, but…..nothing, nevermind.
Everything is just too squished. I makes me feel a bit anxious for some reason. I liked the full page. Also, was the text always this small, or is it just my new anxiety? I can’t seem too find old posts or things that I want to look at. Everything is somewhere else. Yeah, maybe this is all just due to the fact that it hit my head a bit hard and is bright enough to make me squint. (-_-) If it gets better with color and everything else you mentioned, we’ll see. ‘ Might like it better if that happens. =3
Suck with capital S
what’s up with the categorization you some super neat freak? OCD much? It’s not like you update so often you really needed categorization.
No trademark rastardized pictures? Just some ugly hollow That blog words and two frigging big buttons.
I can understand wanting to have a new lay-out. But this is just but ugly. Should have made some contest or something.
And the soft pink really nice. Makes me bond with you on an emotional level. Could used a little bit more pink though. Never can have enough pink…
I was wondering why the site was down for so long. i like this layout much better than the one you had before. everything is alot more simpler, less messy and easy on the eyes and easy to navigate through.
I’m glad you have the old template back =)
Awesome template man!
i like it, keepitup!