Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Overwhelming Response to 3 Column Minima Clone

Wow, I'm not sure where to start. Thanks everybody for all the great response to my 3 column version of the Minima template.

I understand some of you are having trouble downloading while others are having trouble installing. I wish I had more time to address all your questions on a regular basis and help each of you solve the problems you are encountering. My excuse is pretty good - I have two young children, a full-time job and a freelance business - so I apologize for not responding to so many of you and not even moderating your comments on a regular basis.

Without making promises, I will try to set up a basic community website where you can all help each other. I initially posted my modified 3 column minima template because I made it for my own use and thought other people might enjoy it too. I also have a 3 column minima template for Wordpress that I have been meaning to post when I have time. You can see it in action on my Gardening Photo Blog.

One of you commented on how the left column can affect search engine ranking compared to the classic minima where the blog posts are on the left. This is true - that it has an impact, but your blog posts will still be indexed. I have been experimenting and you can see this experiment in action on the Gardening Blog as both sidebars are on the right. I haven't noticed a huge difference (as I have transitioned several blogs from 2 column with right sidebar to 3 columns with sidebar on each side without signifigant impact). However I do recommend keeping the left sidebar short and placing less relevant keyword widgets on the right.

With respect to colour choices, you can modify the colour scheme using Blogger's built in colour editing capabilities. Click on the Layout tab and then on Fonts and Colors.

Don't be discouraged. I am still here, even if not as often :)

Thanks again to all of you!