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What do you think of my NEW blog?

by Zachary R. Skinner
11 replies
Alrighty warriors,

My professional blog is about 90% done and before I wrap things up I really wanted to get some feedback from my fellow IM'ers.

Here's the blog (ignore the little ads in the top right sidebar, they're taking up space until my subscription box is done)

What are your first thoughts when you arrive?

Does the page load properly?

What do you think of the pictures?

Is the site easy to navigate?

Any other suggestions?

Feel free to let me have it....
#blog
  • Profile picture of the author JayXtreme
    Hey Zach..

    The page loaded OK, but was a little slow.

    I think that Polaroid theme is terrible.... hundreds of blogs are using it, most of them are teenagers..

    Aside from the cheap look of that theme, it also compresses your content so that your post titles become 3 - 5 lines of text instead of 1 or 2 lines..

    The articles become difficult to read, too.

    Apologies for being so blunt, but you did ask

    Please remember, this is only my opinion and could be completely worthless to your end goal for that blog.

    Peace

    Jay
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    Bare Murkage.........

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    • Profile picture of the author Zachary R. Skinner
      Originally Posted by JayXtreme View Post

      Hey Zach..

      The page loaded OK, but was a little slow.

      I think that Polaroid theme is terrible.... hundreds of blogs are using it, most of them are teenagers..

      Aside from the cheap look of that theme, it also compresses your content so that your post titles become 3 - 5 lines of text instead of 1 or 2 lines..

      The articles become difficult to read, too.

      Apologies for being so blunt, but you did ask

      Please remember, this is only my opinion and could be completely worthless to your end goal for that blog.

      Peace

      Jay
      I'm actually glad that you were so blunt! That's why I made this post after all

      So what theme would you suggest instead
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      "The successful man is the one who finds out what is the matter with his business before his competitors do"
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  • Profile picture of the author 12holger34
    Originally Posted by Zachary R. Skinner View Post

    Alrighty warriors,

    My professional blog is about 90% done and before I wrap things up I really wanted to get some feedback from my fellow IM'ers.

    Here's the blog (ignore the little ads in the top right sidebar, they're taking up space until my subscription box is done)

    What are your first thoughts when you arrive?
    Your website is not looking professional but personal. I think this is a plus to build up trust, when people arrive.

    Does the page load properly?
    Yes, no complains.

    What do you think of the pictures?
    When you are a dog lover it is a good signs.

    Is the site easy to navigate?
    Yes it is easy to navigate, but the posts are hard to read. Black letters on grey background. Where is the contrast?
    Any other suggestions?
    In any case it is a good idea to ask questions like you did in the forum. That brings traffic to your site.
    Feel free to let me have it....

    I hope my answers above will help you to think about.
    Cheers
    Holger
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    Check out my website I created with Jimdo.

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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    I don't care for the theme and when I saw that articlesbase was the source of the articles, I wouldn't bother sticking around to read it. For a flagship or main business blog, unique content is what will drive traffic and build subscribers.
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    • Profile picture of the author Zachary R. Skinner
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      I don't care for the theme and when I saw that articlesbase was the source of the articles, I wouldn't bother sticking around to read it. For a flagship or main business blog, unique content is what will drive traffic and build subscribers.
      Thanks for the suggestion.

      I'm using prewritten articles right now because I want to get the theme right before I start writing the content.

      Thanks again for your input though!
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      "The successful man is the one who finds out what is the matter with his business before his competitors do"
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  • Profile picture of the author ppcpimp
    I am not in love with the theme either but that is personal taste. My bigger concern would be with the content. If you had killer, unique content you could use a sticky note and people would come back again and again.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tam Chancellor
    Red is my second favorite color, but there is too much red on the blog. It should be used sparingly. Red text on gray was a bit hard to read and all caps made it worse. The different shades of red used for the category titles makes it too hard on the eyes.

    Tam

    P.S...the red on the WF is very tastefully done. It's not overwhelming.
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    "Talking ain't doing." --Zoe Washburne

    "What you do speaks so loud I cannot hear what you say." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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  • Profile picture of the author dgoldie
    The site loads fine and the navigation is easy enough. I think the theme is ok, although I agree with the others that it could be better. I like the shades of gray on the page and the color of the gray text. I don't like the red text as it is difficult to read and hard on the eyes and the lines on the top of the page run together.

    I think you could improve the site by making it look more professional and less casual. For example, you could hire a photographer to take some quality shots of you with a backdrop of your choice either in studio or outside. The photos you have are great, but probably not the best for a professional image. Also, your About Me page could be better written. When I read, "Because I'm a big dork with no life...," I am not inspired to listen to what you have to say. Don't be self-effacing! Be positive and promote yourself!

    Good luck!
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    Financial Advisor | Certified Financial Planner
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  • Profile picture of the author sanjid112
    it is little slow to open.
    I don't like the theme, sorry about that.:p
    you have good contents on it, that's nice.
    Please change your photograph, since you said your blog is about marketing not pet shop or somebody who share about how to raise a dog.
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  • Profile picture of the author Zachary R. Skinner
    Thanks everyone for the awesome feedback!

    It looks like I need to redesign the site. I think I overplayed the friendly angle a little too much, among other things.

    I will post the new blog design here in a couple of days. This time, it will look bad ass!
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