changing up the blog. like moulting, except less gross & creepy.

Burnout is a bitch.  And I think that's what I've been suffering from for the past few weeks.  It's led to a lot of not-good things.  Infrequent posts. Surfing my favourite blogs but not commenting. Random visits to blogs I would never have visited before (now *that* was a time suck!).
And even on some days, avoiding going online altogether.  Because it made me feel icky.  Yeah.

So, to help get my online mojo rising again, I've done some much-needed (at least, I thought so) bloggy renos.  Cleaned up some margins here, changed a header there, used new colours in some places.  Oh, and yeah, added a new sidebar.

In case you've forgotten, it used to look like this...


About that new sidebar, here are some notes and requests for you...

1: Accepting ads.  Not a lot.  Just some.  Being a capitalist, money-grabbing tyrant an independent free-spirit, I decided to stop serving BlogHer Ads and strike out on my own ad-wise, and I squeezed in that new sidebar specifically for advertising.  So, ...
a) if you if you know of any folks who'd like to advertise a product that would be a perfect fit for my blog, please send 'em my way!
b) if you're thinking of getting something from Amazon.com, please use the search box at the top.  Your support will help keep this blog going and you supplied with a constant stream of my kids' crazy antics and my self-inflicted experiments with baking soda, vinegar, and other bizarre things I willingly put on my body for the sake of natural health and personal care. 

2: Stripping down for speed.  On the down side, adding the 3rd column slowed page loading a tad, so I taken down some superfluous gadgets, like the FB fan window and replaced it with a button, to help the page appear faster.  If it's still frustratingly slow for you, please let me know.

3: And now, a poll!  Despite loving that new column, I'm still open to going back to the old layout.  It looks pretty to me, but if it's a turn-off and keeps people from visiting and sticking around, I'd rather ditch it.  You can see I'm totally on the fence about its usefulness.  And here's where you come in.
Please vote, comment, and tell me what you think!



Which layout do you like best for Life Candy?
2 column
3 column
either way is fine.
I love cheese.

  
pollcode.com free polls

9 comments:

  1. I like the new header a lot. :-D Very spiffy!

    As for columns . . . with the ad column that would be four columns not three. Four seems a bit much. You may want to stick to two content columns and one ad column. You could always add link to an "other stuff" page like you did with the fishes. :-)

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  2. The only reason I voted for the two is because it no longer fits on the page. The entire column on the far right it cut off now. It lines up on the left, but the column on the right is off the screen. Have to scroll left/right at the bottom of the page to view it.

    Just my two cents.

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  3. INenette, I like both layouts.

    Actually, I visit your blog because I like your words and sense of humour. Your posts are always entertaining and I can relate to you on so many levels.

    Hope this helps! Re-vamping stuff ... websites or our homes ... is always fun!

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  4. I love every way you have it. I do love cheese too. For me, I'm not getting the same problems the Rabbit is having. Maybe it has to do with the user's screen settings? Everything shows up on mine, no scrolling needed.

    I love the entire simplicity of the site. It's airy and breezy! Please let me know if the ads pay off. I've always thought they only brought in like $2 per month! Also, I love the simple line of buttons for all your social media links.

    Good job!

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  5. I've had burnout since September. Every once and a while I get a little spurt of blogergy (blog energy) but then it dies out. I don't even care if I miss a day or six of Twitter any more.

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  6. I'm a fan of a main content section with a small sidebar. The more room for content, the better. But it could be some horrible design and I'd still come read it just por vouz.

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  7. Your blog looks GREAT! And the ads are tasteful and not intrusive. Go girl! xo

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  8. Hey there, Nanette! I am now following you thanks to Follow Friday and it would be so nice if you could share the love back on my blog:)
    Oh and if you need a bit of guidance, don't forget to stop by today to check our easy steps to become a successful blog! It's right up your alley:) See you there! Happy Monday:)

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  9. Anonymous17 July, 2011

    I am looking forward to looked over way more of your current well written articles, have a pleasant day!

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