Have you ever stopped reading or cut down on your reading of a weblog because they changed the design? Radio Free Blogistan, one of the first Salon blogs, used to have a spare, plain design. I used to read it quite often – lots of good stuff about the world of weblogs. But now that they’ve switched to one of those busy, choppy, non-scrolling backgrounds, it’s hard for me to look at.
Let’s face it, the web is all about text. People who fight that are waging a losing (and reader-losing) battle. My Web Common Sense newsletter this week is about the very same topic (and if you’d like to subscribe, I’d be honored).
ouch! i hardly knew ye….
well this does make me reconsider the fun i’ve been having with the design lately. maybe i need a plain alternative? or just go back to something spare…?
maybe i should take a poll?
I agree completely (about the principle, not about RFB, which I’ve not visited). If the design gets in the way of reading, rather than facilitating or enhancing or supplementing it, there’s something wrong. Unless what you are trying to communicate is the design, in which case there’s not a lot of point in doing it as a blog, is there?
let me know what you think of the design now.