I’ve been thinking about changing things up with my blog. I still like the template I chose when I started this blog, about two years ago, and I think it’s suited me well, but I feel like I’m ready for a new look. My first inkling of this need for change came a few months ago, when I found a blog for a comedy/entertainment group that used the same template. One member of said group is an old boyfriend of mine, that one who broke my heart, and then broke it a couple more times – and he’s not a bad person or anything, it just didn’t work out no matter how much I wanted it to work. Anyway, seeing the look of “my blog” on that blog felt disorienting, and the idea of changing things around took root.
I was experimenting with Blogger in Draft a few nights ago, and inadvertently changed my whole design. I wasn’t ready for THAT to happen, so I quickly went back to my old template, and moved a couple of page elements that had gotten switched around. I don’t know if I got the layout back exactly the same as it was before, but it was close enough for me. Still, some of those designs are really cool and interesting, and a few of them reflect my current mood, my place in time. I’m excited to explore my design options further, and hopefully make some decisions about my layout soon.
Another thing I’ve been thinking about, just the past week or so, is changing from a blogspot url to a custom domain. When I looked at Blogger’s help pages the night before last, I was excited to see how little it would cost to make that basic change, without the need to change any of my content. I do want to change the design, and have the option to change content, but I want to make those decisions separately from just getting a new url that doesn’t have “blogspot” in it. Anyway, changing the url is another possibility that’s on my radar.
If anyone has tips or suggestions for things to try or include as far as design and format, and/or if anyone else has switched from a Blogspot or other blog platform url to a custom domain and wants to share their experience and things they learned, I’d be thrilled to hear from you! I’m comfortable at the computer and on the internet, but know NOTHING about web design and very little html, so the simpler the information, the better for me to understand and gain from it. 🙂
I changed my blog around recently with Blogger in Draft & I like the results. I kept my header & most of my page elements, but switched from 3 columns to 2 and changed my background. Blogger in Draft is definitely fun to play with. 🙂 Good luck with your decisions!
Hi Katy — Thanks for your comment! I'm starting to look at other people's blogs with an eye toward the design and elements, to get ideas and see what I might like. I'm curious, is the big book picture (in your blog header) a picture that you took yourself? I haven't done too much with my own photos online, just a few here and there (and a Flickr account that's too often overlooked). Adding a photo of my own might be a good way to really personalize the page, even if most of the design is a Blogger template. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts! 🙂
Little known fact: design actually enhances findability. I tinkered with my blog format for a few months before finally getting it where I wanted.