Blog Up

As you may have noticed, I've upgraded the blog. What you may not have noticed were the curses and creative swear words in doing so.

The books I read didn't come across, so I had to type them in again; nor did the stat counter move and I re-posted that too. Disappointingly, it won't let me have my coloured gradings of the books I've read - but I shan't give up, I'll find a way to post the icons.

The upgrade hasn't done much other than prettify the sidebar. I'm wondering if it was worth it; so far it's a 'no'. I'm sure there are some interesting widgets out there to put in, but I haven't had the time to search... yet.

One question is whether widgets distract from the content of the blog. I've visited a number of other sites and checked out the add-ons. I'm of the opinion that less is more. I'm also of the opinion that a blog space is for personal preference; like a house, the decorating is up to you. Although, coloured text on a black background is annoying, as is a multitude of photos.

I was watching a house renovation programme yesterday, and what struck me was the ideology that 'themed' rooms are no-no. I'm thinking your blog space uses the same idea. Fussy, over-the-top spaces throw me off, and I'm less inclined to visit again, no matter how interesting the host is. Plain, simple stuff with accessible archives is what I look for in a space. Of course, that's just me and I'm not up-to-date on all the fabbo stuff out there I can put up.

I think I'll keep it simple and easy to read. I'm not part of the blogging generation and I'm happy not to be; there are some things in your life, you really, really shouldn't be posting about. I'm sure you can think of a few. Things that defame, things that come under the heading of 'too much information' and things that are just plain ugly - racist, sexist, spiteful and generally unpleasant. You've also got to remember copyright issues. It might be a big world out there, but bloggers have friends that have friends, that have friends, and so on and the original blogger will find out if you've nicked someone else's work.

Still, it's a great exercise in writing, in finding like-minded people, and help when you need it. I think I'll keep the blog after all...