DC Blogs site note
Site note: I’m trying something different with the links but have mixed feelings about it. I'm seeking opinions/advice regarding a different approach to link art. I’ve assembled more than 250 links so far and with few exceptions they’re all active blogs. I’ll do my best to keep this list updated.
Regarding the link art: it may help the links look distinctive and encourage visitors to explore blogs. But I’m also worried it may make the site look like a commercial strip on a New Jersey highway, as well as hurt page loading.
My plan, for now, is to leave it the way it is (partially completed) and see if there’s any reaction from readers. If you have thoughts about this link format, I’d really appreaciate your feedback, good or bad. If the reaction appears negative I may reverse course.
posted by kob @ 11:17 AM
12 Comments:
Thanks, LS. I checked out that link -- very nice resource. Part of the address was shaved off:
http://www.lucazappa.com/brilliantMaker/buttonImage.php
I like what you do on your web site. Your link arrangement is very attractive, accessible (great content as well). Agree, this is all labor intensive; right now, I'm saving screen shots, croping an image on PS. Sharpening, sizing, hosting the image on flicker... I was wondering if the link appears as a image, not text, will show up as "linked?" In other words, will people think I've de-linked them, when I haven't? Hmm.
I like the mastheads in the secions above the live section. The mastheads in the lives section are just so dinky it's hard to get a sense of the blog. It kind of hurts my eyes. I would actually just take them out in the Lives section because I wonder about the criteria. Is it visual appeal? Quality of the writing? Name recognition? Please do keep the other ones though. It's good to get a sense of those.
This looks great! I agree with lucky - an alphabetical list would also be nice, or maybe moving more of the "lives" blogs to more distinct categories?
Thanks for doing all of this! It must take a lot of time . . .
Visual appeal does wonders in cyber space. Agreed about the alphabetical listing as well.
I read this daily.....so thanks for organizing it all!
First, thanks for including me in the links and creating a banner for me. That said, I think it's a little confusing. No additional content is conveyed by the banners and isn't your purpose to focus on the content of the blogs? Your regular posts accomplish that nicely. A couple of words appended to each link would be interesting--this (non-DC)blog does a good job with that by using different color type (her blogroll is on right, towards the bottom of the page).
I'm curious about all the links you have gathered, but I'm most likely to click the ones you discuss or those in a category of interest.
Also, have you thought about adding a "RIP" or "hiatus" category? There are a couple of blogs in your list that are not active and probably are not coming back to life.
I think your own assessment in that it may look like a commercial strip is on target. It's visual overload. I preferred your previous layout, but I would suggest (only if it's not a huge pain in the wazoo) alphabetizing the sections. I don't use Eblogger so I don't know how much work that would entail by constantly shifting things about versus a simple insert for new entries. The "DC Lives" section would benefit the most from the alphabetizing idea.
You've done such an excellent job of staying on top of active D.C. bloggers and keeping us posted on blogs of note that I hate to criticize at all. You are truly unique in the service you provide. I wish DCist were equally as generous in listing the growing D.C. blogging community.
I like it. Maybe one tweak is to put a space between each graphic where one is on top of another?
Hey Pat...
I like your original, simplistic design much better. Fantastic ideas.
Overall, there seems like no way of evading the probability of some outdated links or disorganization. Unless you are superhuman, this can be expected.
Your site is on point and comprehensive, no need to change what is allready working! Alphabetizing may be a good idea.
In line wih CatCiao's notion, "a space between each graphic where one is on top of another" would help. I wonder if it would be beneficial to include the title in text under the banner to both provide the space and to enable quicker distillation of the linked graphic.
Either way, thanks :-)
I like the idea of an alphabetized list. I'm not to familiar with code on the "internets", but could you maybe have a drop down menu for each letter A-Z?
I like it. And I appreciate that you have included my blog on your list.
This is very interesting site... » »
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