10 defining factors: Nice2All
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New to Top Ten Blog Tips, 10 defining factors signals the return of my blog reviews (you may remember some of the blogs I reviewed at benbarden.com). The concept is simple: I will highlight 10 things that I consider to be the defining factors of the blogs I review. Some may be good, some may be bad. Some of them might need to be changed. Anything's possible really. This first review reviews a blog that has reviewed many other blogs: Nice2All.
What are the 10 defining factors of Nice2All?
1. WordPress tips.
Nice2All started out as a blog about web accessibility, but now focuses on WordPress tips. To be honest, I was disappointed when I first heard that the site was going this route. But as I now have some sites on WordPress and some on Injader (so I can broaden my horizons and boost my experience of other systems), the site is of greater use to me.The site is well-focused, it does not try to appeal to everyone and you really know what you're getting here. I see far too many blogs that try to be everything to everyone. It doesn't work. I think Lyndi has done a great job of establishing Nice2All as a highly informative and useful blog.
2. Minimalist design.
The theme is very simple - basically, it cuts the crap. I think it looks quite plain, but I do like blogs with a white background. If I owned this blog, one thing I would change is the logo. I don't think the heavy drop shadow and the chosen font are consistent with the rest of the design. I do prefer the use of a logo rather than just text, but I think it could be improved.3. Comments are discussions.
One of the nicest things at Nice2All is the way the author deals with comments. Many of the posts attract plenty of good comments, and Lyndi often replies with additional insights. This is one blog where you're missing out if you only read the post.4. A meaningful tagline.
How many blogs have a tagline? How many of those can say their tagline is both memorable and meaningful?Nice2All keeps it simple: "Let's talk WordPress". That works for me!
5. An eye-catching sidebar.
I've already said the theme is simple, but the sidebar is one of the best I've seen. Each item has a small image to identify it at a glance, and a short description to set the scene. This is a very nice touch.6. Very short excerpts.
The home page has 10 posts, each of which displays only a very small excerpt. I am very keen on using the "More" tag, but I can't help thinking that a slightly longer excerpt might be worth considering. The short intro paragraph does seem to work though, so maybe it's not a big issue.7. Original, useful content.
Nice2All is not a place where you'll find regurgitated content. The posts are interesting and they provide plenty of opportunities for you to learn the finer details of WordPress. It's not just another blog that announces new releases and tells you to upgrade to the latest version. There's much, more more than that.8. Example code.
This is a tricky one. Including code examples is extremely important for a blog like this, but there's a problem: they don't show up in the feed. This means that any post with a code example - of which there are many - can somewhat negate the benefits of subscribing.Honestly, I'm not even a huge fan of how the code displays on the site, because you almost always have to scroll horizontally to see the code in full. The code box has a line number that seems a bit silly when there's only one line of code.
Isn't it possible to include code examples that show up in the feed
9. Very few ads.
Aside from the two CMF ads (well chosen!), there are no ads on this blog. This is not something you see every day. I don't mind one or two ads, but I'd much rather have no ads than lots of ads!It does make me wonder if Lyndi plans to add any ads at all - but if she did, I'm sure she'd make them small and unobtrusive. You don't have to use ads from day 1, and you don't have to use them at all if you don't want.
10. Till next time.
Every post is signed off with the same closing line: "Till next time". I quite like this, but because it's always the last thing in the post, it is easier to miss the questions that may be asked towards the end of the post. Perhaps the questions could be displayed in bold or otherwise separated from the rest of the post. I don't think it would be logical to put "Till next time" and then put questions afterwards - but you never know, it might work.What do you think of Nice2All? What do you think of this new blog review series?
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Comments on 10 defining factors: Nice2All
Hey Ben, interesting post. I love reading blog reviews because there's always something I can compare with my own blog. Yay :)
I made some changes to the header on my blog. As mentioned last time, I am not artistic so I made the necessary changes in CSS only. I tried to stick to the plain look of the blog and stuck to the official WordPress colors. I am not sure if I have managed to improve things but my regular readers are sure to let me know if I have messed up. Anyway, the changes gave me some more space in the menu bar which I will need for changes that are coming soon.
Now if I could just sort out the problem with showing code in the feed. Still thinking hard on this one.
Leo - thanks. :)
Lyndi, happy to oblige. :D I prefer the new header, but the colour you've used for the "2" does not work too well with the blue. Perhaps choose a different colour for the "2"?
Ben,
I see that you would prefer not to see any ads. Isn't that like wishing for television without any commercials? How would you have us make money for what we do?
Good post though and I will continue to follow your post for sure.
Millard - I think you took my comment the wrong way.
If a site wants to use ads, it wouldn't stop me from checking it out, but I don't like sites that go overboard with too many ads.
Given the choice, I'd rather visit sites with no ads than visit sites with lots of ads, but that doesn't mean I expect to see no ads across the whole web.
I have read a lot of blogs where the author has loads of ads but doesn't make much money. Having too many ads can be counter-productive.
My blog won't teach you how to make money, but I do know that ads are not the only way to make money online. ;)
Ben,
It isn't that I took it the wrong way. You are not the first person I have read that said they hate ads. We all hate sites that have too many ads but we have to make a living and/or support our habit.
The only other "direct" way I know to make $$ blogging is build the site, build the traffic, and then sell the site. Indirectly of course you might get work. Since I write a photography blog, someone may ask me to teach a photography class or give me a photography assignment, but I am definitely looking to sustain myself in my later years with blog advertising revenue. I am 62 on Monday.
Very good points on nice2all blog. I am a regular visitor and a big fan of nice2all blog
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Wow, what a nice surprise. You have made my Christmas, thanks for the wonderful review. I have had a look at that logo but not being very artistic myself, I have to wait till some kind person takes pity on me and designs something decent for me to use. (hint, hint).
I am particularly glad you like my blog's sidebar. This took a lot of thought but I think it is working. Sometimes one just has to dare to be different. I still want to change the sidebar so that it is different on different pages, still thinking on exactly what to do here.
Thanks again Ben.
Till next time. ;-)