Sunday, January 23, 2011

Elements common to every page

Different pages display different content, but the design of your blog is constant throughout.

So it is that your readers, as they click through your blog, get many visual cues that they have not left your blog even as the content changes. Header, sidebar, gadgets, footer, color scheme, and typeface do not change.

This is valuable to you and your readers, and something that Blogger ensures without any work required on your part.

If you are familiar with javascript, it is possible to hide or show some gadgets conditionally based on page, and in this way change the sidebar elements from page to page.

Clever bloggers can make other page-design elements conditional, including color scheme, column width, font size and typeface, and even the presence of the header itself.

Alas, this trick is too clever even for Too Clever. I will just say, if you think this is a good idea, to be careful what you wish for.

Tinkering with the common page design risks confusing your readers and muddying the identity of your blog. Proceed judiciously and with caution, if at all.

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