Sidebar Clean Up Test

I removed the "Last 100 Posts" completely because the same information is contained in the "Extended Archives".

I moved the "Top 100 Posts" to the "Pages" widget and renamed it to the "Top 100 Articles/Posts".

I upgraded the "Top Commentators" plugin, moved the "Top Commentators" to the "Pages" widget and renamed it to the "Top 100 Commentators".

I moved the "Links Manager", which contains the blogroll, to the "Pages" widget.

I am considering putting some social widgets (like MyBlogLog) onto pages in the "Pages" widget.

This test will last until at least the end of April. I want to find out how it will affect my readers as well as search engine optimization (SEO).

Inspired by an article from Andy Beard, I took the clean up a step further. I used the same procedure as I did in WP Plugins: Exec-PHP, Smart Archives, and WP Categories and Posts except that I lifted the function calls directly from the theme's sidebar file.

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Chris on 2007-04-03 at 5:49 am (Reply)

The clean up is great for speed, and obviously for the reasons pointed out by Andy.

I'll tell you one thing I'm missing straight away though - the 'Recent Posts' block, especially as you only have 3 posts on your front page. I used to navigate your blog on my non-reader visits through recent posts, as I could see what I'd missed.

IMHO, it would be an idea to either re-instate it, or extend the number of posts on your front page, in an effort to trap the unwary first-time visitor into reading more.
goldcoaster on 2007-04-03 at 6:40 am (Reply)

My opinion - not trying to be picky…
I notice the Recent Posts is gone. That was how I found what new Posts you had done.
I think Categories block should be above the Archive block.
There is no Blogroll on the front page anymore

To me, it seems that too many things are now hidden away and will be forgotten or never found by readers (may not affect search robots).

http://goldcoaster.wordpress.com
RT Cunningham | Untwisted Vortex | Philippines on 2007-04-03 at 10:39 am (Reply)

Chris: I'm in the process of reformatting the front page. I meant to do that before but I was pushing the envelope on lack of sleep. If I can do it the way I want and not the way WordPress is trying to make me do it, there'll be many more than 3 on the front page.

Goldcoaster: I swapped the positions of the archives and the categories to see if anyone would notice and someone did. I'll swap 'em back today.

I'm still experimenting on some layout techniques and it has required me to read a lot more about theme construction than I wanted to, but it's a learning experience. Hopefully, what I learn can be passed onto others.
goldcoaster on 2007-04-03 at 12:44 pm (Reply)

I guess I am lucky that with the Free wordpress blog I have no control over most things, layout wise.

http://goldcoaster.wordpress.com
Justin on 2007-04-03 at 1:50 pm (Reply)

I like it RT looks good and is easy to navigate.
RT Cunningham | Untwisted Vortex | Philippines on 2007-04-03 at 2:36 pm (Reply)

Thanks, Justin.

Okay, I added the last 20 posts under the 3rd article on the main page.
RT Cunningham | Untwisted Vortex | Philippines on 2007-04-03 at 4:16 pm (Reply)

I just added a kind of "more" thing to the front page posts. You can scroll down, see the previous 20 posts. If you want to see a complete post of the 3 on the front page, just click on "[ Read the complete article ].
Chris on 2007-04-04 at 1:42 am (Reply)

That's cool. Its different, but it works.

Will it catch newbies who only read your first post though? Do you care?
RT Cunningham | Untwisted Vortex | Philippines on 2007-04-04 at 1:53 am (Reply)

Do I care? A little, but only a little.
Matthew Jabs on 2007-04-06 at 9:38 pm (Reply)

Okay RT…I have a lot of opinions on the new layout.

First: I think that you should reinstate your recent articles widget in the top left. That is how I, and apparently many others navigated your blog.

Second: I see you did away with the "read the complete article". Good choice. I like having all the info there. I drill into the post if I want to leave a comment, otherwise, I like it all on the front page. This is especially important on your blog since it has only 3 posts on the home page.

Third: Now that your blogroll and top commentators lists are "hidden away", your readers don't see your contacts unless they choose to go into them specifically. This will obviously cut back on the amount of traffic your blog was providing those in your blogroll & top commentators list.

My favorite thing about your blog layout are the scroll bars. I think that is a sweet idea. I read your post on how to do it, but was overwhelmed by my lack of geekness toward implementing it. Good job though.
RT Cunningham | Untwisted Vortex | Philippines on 2007-04-06 at 9:45 pm (Reply)

I did away with the "read.." because it didn't work right. I only used it for a short time until I saw what it did to posts under 1000 characters. Yuck.

Remember, I'm just testing until the end of the month. If it has no effect on anything as it is now, I'm going back to the way it was for quite a few things. I like "some" of the changes, but not all. Again, it's only a test right now.