Sunday, October 05, 2008

Vitrine en cours

Mes apologies while I fiddle around with a new template for Polly-Vous Francais.

I'm sticking with the envelope for a banner, but working on other graphics.

Voicing your preferences on blog presentation is heartily accepted. Vote early, vote often.

11 comments:

Art Goldhammer said...

Polly,
The envelope is nice, but when I go to your blog on my laptop, it fills the entire screen, and I have to scroll down to see the top post. Not a big deal but a minor annoyance. I prefer layouts where the banner doesn't obscure the first post on smaller screens.

Polly-Vous Francais said...

I tried to shrink it -- is that better?

Priscilla said...

I love the envelope. Yes, on my iBook it takes up the first screen. It is not a problem to scroll down. Besides, I usually read it through my Google Reader.
I have a tricked out blog using a free add-on. They have some really good looking skins. The address is shown up in the left corner. Here is my blog:
http://pwsnwjournal.blogspot.com/

On a personal note, my daughter Polly, who just finished a 5 year stint in Switzerland and has always spoken French fluently, is mad she didn't come up with the name first. Very clever of you.

Polly-Vous Francais said...

Hi Priscilla,
Bravo for all French-speaking Pollys! I didn't really dream up this title all that cleverly; I've had it in my brain since childhood. See the explanation in one of my earliest blog posts

http://pollyvousfrancais.blogspot.com/2006/05/ndlr.html

La Framéricaine said...

Polly, ma chère,

I love your envelope.

And with it in mind, would it be possible to give the green stamp color a try as the sidebar font color?

The sidebar titles make nice use of the blue stamp color but the other sidebar font is such a pale toast color that it is quite difficult to read easily. Would it be possible de rehausser cette couleur?

In any event, I, too, think that your blog title is very clever!

Anna said...

Yes, definitely make the envelope smaller and add some stuff next to it! I always loved your metro banner! I've always liked your blog appearance as the posts weren't confined to a 'middle strip' of screen. Does that make sense???

Unknown said...

I'm usually never the one to scream "put it back!" whenever something changes, but I felt that the wider format you used previously fit your style. You tend to put a lot of pictures into your posts (which I like) and I'm afraid that's going to be pretty cramped now.

I'm also a Google Reader (RSS) reader, and I've spoken to you before and I know you're not up on the whole RSS/newsfeed thing, so feel free to keep the next request waaay down on your list. While many other blogs display the whole contents of the post, your feed only displays a short blurb from your post so I have to open the page up to read it. I'm wondering if there isn't a setting somewhere to change this (display full article versus display summary only). Again, don't worry too much about, it's not a big deal, but if you happen to notice it as you're poking around in your settings it'd be great.

Polly-Vous Francais said...

Thanks so much for all your comments and suggestions.

I have to say that with the new template I feel as though I'm reading someone else's blog.

Anna and Craig, I really liked the older "wide" format, too. It made me happy; and had such a clean, simple look.


The only challege with the former, wide format is that it didn't allow any right- or left-hand column, which meant all links etc. were at the bottom of the page. It made for a purer look, but harder navigation.

And friends and family have been encouraging me to include some advertising on the blog, which I've been reluctant to do. So I may, eventually, but I'll be selective. And ads don't do well on the bottom of a page.

La Framericaine,
I tried the green in the sidebar and it took away from the main text, so I toned it down again and added the green to post titles. What think ye?

I loved my earlier metro banner, too, Anna, and owe a lot to the dear friend who designed it for me. I'll try to clean up this banner so it's easier to open & read, and am trying to figure out how to add some loose stamps to the side of the envelope.

I'll keep fiddling with it-- a Work In Progress!

Anne said...

The smaller envelope is better, although I'm with those who liked the metro banner. I think in part because the white background is easier on the eyes. But then, I'll read your blog no matter what the design.

Just curious as to why you want to have ads. Is it a good revenue stream? Personally, I don't like the blogs with a million and one little ads.

Polly-Vous Francais said...

Anne,
I don't think that the ads provide a HUGE income stream, but enough to perhaps offset some of the time spent at the keyboard. Though writing this blog is really an act of love for me.

And I find the gazillion ads busying up websites to be a distraction, too. Especially the blinking ads, ugh.

But I thought a few attractive ads from companies I believe in, which fuel my life in Paris (Air France, skype, etc.) might be fitting and I'd have no 'advertorial' issues.

To be continued.

Meanwhile, I find the envelope in the new banner, while smaller, to be fuzzy and boring. Waah.

ern said...

gotta say i like the old format better, but that's just me.

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