We have made some more changes here at Wine Post!
The layout of the blog has completely changed, and this time we did not even change the URL! (Yes, last time I did this it was nothing short of a disaster. I'm learning.) I know, truly amazing, but the good people that make hundreds of thousands of blog templates need to be thanked for the smooth transition.
The color scheme is much cleaner, the way the posts are arranged is smoother. It is now easier to find who it is I follow and easier to find archived blog posts.
There is a new About section to tell you more about me, why Wine Post exists, and some statistics that every PR/Marketing/Winery/Importer wants to know. I also have made it clear how to contact me and what my policies are on sampling and advertising.
If you receive my blog through e-mail, click on the title of this post to check it out. Same with all of you that read this through the various RSS feed readers.
And most importantly, tell me what you think! How do you like the changes? Are things actually easier for you to read?
Leave a comment at the end of the post. I would love to hear from you.
Logging you in...
Benito · 790 weeks ago
RobBralow 61p · 790 weeks ago
RyanReichert 43p · 790 weeks ago
RobBralow 61p · 790 weeks ago
Robert Dwyer 81p · 790 weeks ago
Very cool redesign. Isn't it amazing how different your content can look after redesigning a template you've grown accustomed to?
I've always enjoyed comparing notes on blog templates, commenting mechanisms and such since we started our wine blogs around the same time. I'm still plugging along with Blogger too even though some people say WordPress is the way to go. They're probably right, but I haven't found a big limitation with Blogger.com yet that's forced me to take the time to make the transition.
You turned me on to IntenseDebate and that's been a great improvement over Blogger comments- thanks for that. I like their recent comments widget- you might want to check that out as a way of raising up awareness of posts that are getting a lot of attention that might not necessarily be the most recent post. http://intensedebate.com/extras
I agree with Ryan's point about a comment link after each post. Currently, when I come to your site the comment count for each post isn't appearing so in order to get to the comments I need to click on the hyperlink title of the blog post for the comments to appear. That might have something to do with the template interacting with IntenseDebate because I do see comments appearing in the demo version of the template you're using:
http://themorningafter-btb.blogspot.com/
Separately, I'd recommend purchasing your own domain and using Blogger's Custom Domain service. That way people could go to http://www.rbwinepost.com and you wouldn't lose people who were used to going to http://rbwinepost.blogspot.com. I've heard some people say that Google prefers content at www.<website>.com rather than <website>.blogspot.com.
And if you want to further cleanse the Blogger look, you could replace the orange Blogger "B" favicon with your own: http://www.bloggerbuster.com/2008/04/favicons-mad...
Overall, I really do like the clean layout of the WordPress-esque template you've chosen. I think it's a nice presentation of your great content.
Cheers!
RobBralow 61p · 790 weeks ago
Great suggestions! I have added a few of them to the right side of the template already, including recent comments and most popular posts. It is very interesting to see which ones are the most commented on.
I liked the clean feeling too. My last one had a horrible color scheme and was difficult to read. I like this a lot better.
I am still debating with myself about my own domain. I am also afraid to change to domain name AGAIN, but it might be time to do it.
Dale Cruse · 790 weeks ago
You forgot me in your list of Wine Blogs to Read. I'm sure that's accidental, right?
Also, Smells Like Grape is done. Becky & Steve put it to rest.
RobBralow 61p · 790 weeks ago
Yes, it was an oversight that you are not on that list, although your posts have spiraled into little more than soft-core porn, which I find it hard to recommend with a straight face. Enjoyable to look at, for sure!
Thanks for the reminder about Smells Like Grape. I remember seeing that, but I haven't updated my list.
Dale Cruse · 790 weeks ago
And who said you had to travel the wine world with a straight face?
RobBralow 61p · 790 weeks ago
However, I have added share links, retweet links, spell checking, and post a video comment (for all those that have been WAITING for me to see their beautiful or ugly faces).