tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646050951626315427.post261643983283932746..comments2008-07-21T15:50:33.588-04:00Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06452027893718928662noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646050951626315427.post-77107968798275719202008-07-21T15:50:00.000-04:002008-07-21T15:50:00.000-04:00Wow, thank you all so much for the feedback. We were gone Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and by the time we got home yesterday I was absolutely chomping at the bit to see what everyone had to say! <BR/>This has just been so helpful. I'm sure you all know how difficult it is to be objective about something after you've stared at it for so many hours! <BR/><BR/>I'm happy to hear that my love of the topic comes through, and that the content seemed acceptable.<BR/><BR/>The comments on the tagline are super-helpful. I've tried a few, going from cute but not that helpful ("this is what we do all day") to pretty dry, but I'll work on something that's less commercial-sounding but still playful. <BR/><BR/>Also, I just switched from a three-column to two-column format and I agree that the width is great! My posts felt sort of squished in between the columns and it made it difficult to integrate images into the posts (something that seems critical when you're posting instructions for a project). I'll work on refining the content in the sidebar and balancing the weight of the two, something that's quite a bit tougher to do in Blogger than in something like Wordpress, but I'm getting to be pretty good with CSS so I should be able to make it work, and if nothing else it will keep me from packing too much info in there! <BR/>I fixed the twitter button, and I'll do something about the welcome message to make it stand out more. It's such an important component I definitely want it to be noticeable and good-looking. <BR/><BR/>Again, thank you all for the comments. It's so hard to gauge what your audience is interested in, and how things look to someone who's seeing it with fresh eyes that your input is absolutely invaluable. <BR/><BR/>If you have any other ideas, I'd love to hear them...either comment here or email me (mommio @ kiddio . org)! Thanks!mommio @ www.kiddio.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13102052872110352811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646050951626315427.post-1602731712720941402008-07-18T18:10:00.000-04:002008-07-18T18:10:00.000-04:00I forgot to add that it seems like your Twitter button isn't working, or it isn't linking correctly, or something. :)Toblerone @ Simple Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05874451651002385900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646050951626315427.post-18507972868650479632008-07-18T18:07:00.000-04:002008-07-18T18:07:00.000-04:00I definitely like how wide your site is! I'd say most of it looks good, and it's nice and uncluttered. The things I would consider changing are:<BR/><BR/>• I'm not crazy about the font, which I believe is Trebuchet (or maybe Verdana). I feel it's very overused in the blogging world, and it reminds me kinda of lots of blogspot blogs. I'd go with Georgia or Arial.<BR/><BR/>• I agree about changing the tagline. It does sound like you're selling a product. Here's a great resource for creating a good tagline (which ultimately helped me come up with mine): http://www.copyblogger.com/tagline-clinic/<BR/><BR/>• Finally, I'd consider making your header a smidge smaller. I've heard a trend among blog readers these days is preference for a smaller header. Not sure why.<BR/><BR/>Hope that helps! It looks great.Toblerone @ Simple Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05874451651002385900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646050951626315427.post-43606455711534240842008-07-18T14:35:00.000-04:002008-07-18T14:35:00.000-04:00The layout is nice and clean feeling, good job there! For some reason I feel like there needs to be a border of some sort. The left column seems to feel like when I'm taking personal notes on notepad. I would suggest at least a narrow border of some type. Comparing the two columns there doesn't seem to be a weight balance between them. It is so "heavy" feeling on the left, and mostly light and airy on the right. I think the right column being so wide, makes it look more unorganized than it really is. I do agree with moving things around there, but I think making things in that column more justified than aligned to the left would help. The posts in the main column look a bit crowded also. I'd try to lighten it up by just adding a bit more space between to feel more balanced with the right column. HTH And thanks for asking for opinions, it takes guts to do that!polkaspotfarmhttp://polkaspotfarm.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646050951626315427.post-83667999298664130052008-07-18T11:41:00.000-04:002008-07-18T11:41:00.000-04:00(Commenting before I read others' so I'm not influenced!)<BR/><BR/>I like the two-column layout. I especially like that it fills my wide-screen monitor. My own blog has so much blank space on the sides on a wide-screen, but this is nice so I can see more at a time and do less scrolling.<BR/><BR/>Unless you have a specific idea/purpose for a third column, I'd stick with two.<BR/><BR/>The stuff on the right side seems unorganized to me. I would move the subscription options up more, at least above your blogroll. If it were mine, I'd do them in this order: Welcome (is there any way you can make this in bold type or a larger font to emphasize it more?, Label Cloud, Subcription stuff, Blogher ad (does the more from Blogher naturally come below that? If not, move that down with your blogroll IMO), Kiddio picks, Blogroll. But that's just me. ;-)<BR/><BR/>I think the content is good--lots there but nice short blurbs with links to other blogs. One comment about formatting--be consistent. If you're going for an effect with not capitalizing headings, do this consistently. Both in your post titles and in your second column, some things are capitalized and some aren't. Keep your style strong throughout.<BR/><BR/>I like the header with its colors. Is there any way to show off those colors a little more throughout? (Some themes allow you to have different colors between posts, as headings, etc.) It starts off colorfully and then just goes to blue and white. If you can't tweak it easily, I'd leave it. It does have a nice clean look. But if you can work in one or two more colors, I'd give it a try.<BR/><BR/>Hope this helps. Now off to read what others thought!minnemomhttp://minnemom.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646050951626315427.post-73525976975944949292008-07-18T11:20:00.000-04:002008-07-18T11:20:00.000-04:00I agree the layout is nice and uncluttered. I love your logo, but I would suggest looking into a new or adapted tagline. If I were to see your logo with tagline anywhere but online, I would assume you were competing with Crayola. It gives the impression that you sell products not ideas.Shopping Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083083778944735084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646050951626315427.post-77198770920230808102008-07-18T09:20:00.000-04:002008-07-18T09:20:00.000-04:00I like it! The layout is uncluttered and this makes it easier to browse and absorb the content. The content looks good, you are obviously writing about a topic you are passionate about and actively engaged in. I would recommend creating a simple graphic for the "Welcome" message - could just be a box with a light background color and a bolder font. Since it's at the top of your blog it seems like it could use more visual appeal. You've got a great start, and thanks for being so brave to ask for a critique!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995807344587490716noreply@blogger.com