RSS
Well, as you can see there has been some redesign to this website. And, for the most part, I'm just looking for feedback. If you were viewing this site over the last few days you may have noticed the background image changing many many times as I attempted to get the shadow to fit properly, and working for all screen resolutions. I also faded in the side images and then faded them out, trying to make them "less busy" and distracting.
This morning I noticed my updatable "blogabond" map at the top was down, and sp I thought I would start to redesign a header graphic as well. So you will see a new, semi-vectored map (the green countries are the ones I'll be visiting on my year long trip) at the top. I think that I'll keep it there, because it also allow the webpage to load faster, not needing to run the blogabond scrip as often. I am planning on still keeping the blogabond though, and will probably create a link to it in the future.
I am looking for feedback on if you think the new design works, what you think doesn't, and what you think I could still improve.
Thank you.
Hello Mike! I've not been by in a while. So it was with great surprise and delight that I stopped by via the TBEX site. This LOOKS fantastic. Really, i can't say enough how very appealing it is. The photos (static) on the sides are unique and eye catching. But you've lightened them and shaded them such that they don't fight for attention from the main part of the site. LOVE the photos in the left column (been thinking about doing something similar on mine). The new header is perfect in my opinion just as it is. I noticed you weren't heading to China. I was a bit disappointed at first, but that quickly reverted to "wise call." The country is so large, you can go back someday and concentrate on it. You could consider moving (and enlarging) the RSS button to the top right of your header (see my header for an example). Doing that makes it more prominent AND unclutters a bit the site map choices (or index choices -- don't know the proper term for this). Since you've got your email address in the right column, you could even do completely away with the 2nd line up there (if you moved the RSS button). Only other thing, Twitter has become so big, I'd find a Twitter badge and put it prominently in your right column somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThe site is VERY attractive & functional and I congratulate you on the upgrade! Such things are so very time consuming and labor intensive.
When do you depart?! -- Tammie
I do like it very much. It carries a stronger tone that this blog is about travelling.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures that you used for the background are great, yet they're not distracting from the central part of the blog.
I do like the way you use photos on the left to highlight different blogs that you've written. They're a mixed of instanteously recognizable photos and photos that would catch people's attention because they're showing something interesting.
The map at the top of the page is a bit rough looking in the sense it looks a bit pixelized. But, maybe that's the look that you're going for. At first, I thought the green areas were nations that you've covered already.
Would you want to show what countries you've already covered and then add nations as you visit them throughout the year...it would subtly make the map a bit interactive.
Otherwise, it's a very nice 1.2 version of your blog! I can't remember what the old one looks like mostly because I read your blog through bloglines reader.
Heads up on the typo on title for this entry
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