2003-12-03T05:47:00.000-08:00

Blog design, or more specifically the template, is an essential part of its creation. The template itself is a malleable work of html (the actual nature of the html may differ from server to server) that designates the layout of the blog, i.e. colors, menu placement, fonts, text sizes, archives, comments, links, etc.

Whether constructed from scratch (meaning it was actually written in html by the blog author), downloaded from a template writer, or simply adapted from a preset template (as this template was), the template says much about the nature of the blog. The color scheme and layout of the page alone says much, as does the presence of graphics, html tricks, comments, and other goodies. Obviously, blogs with more conservative, business-related, or otherwise serious content tend to have very structured and mature templates whereas the more liberal blog writer may sacrifice some of that practicality to increase entertainment value.

Along with the template, good formatting of settings can make a blog easier for the reader to use. For example, the amount of posts to display per page needs to be reasonable. It's probably a good idea to set the post count the same in the blog as in the blog software, so that the author and reader see the same things each day. The addition of comments to a blog, which is very commonplace now, can be a nice way to get feedback from readers of the blog. Often the readers can provide insight on a topic a blogger may be discussing. It also allows communities to spring up among like-minded bloggers.

Consider the Design