We interrupt our regular programming for a quick site update: we refreshed the sidebar. It’s not a dramatic redesign, but several readers asked about the changes we made over Memorial Day weekend, so here’s a brief explanation (and an apology to anyone who saw some odd behavior while we tinkered on Monday). Now that I’m a full-time blogger and parent, one of my goals has been to improve site functionality and tidy the design where I can. It was actually one of my resolutions this year, so here are the sidebar updates you might notice (unless you read us in a feed reader and never see the sidebar):
Change #1: A Second Tabbed Window — We consolidated some sidebar items into a second tabbed widget similar to the search box in the top right. You may already be familiar with that interface; the new box sits a bit lower and includes items such as our smiling mugs and other quick-access features.
Functionally, the new tabbed area replaces the old Contact button. Behind the tabs you’ll find a new “Shortcuts” panel with fast links to frequently asked questions (for example, “where did you get that _______?”) and our most referenced how-to posts.
We also moved the Link Love section (our blogroll) into this widget so it’s easier to reach without scrolling as far. On the end of that tabbed area we added a small appreciation tab labeled “Smooch” — because we really do love our readers.
Change #2: New Buttons — Directly beneath the new tabs you’ll find three updated buttons. Two are refreshed designs for existing links and one is entirely new. You still have quick access to Burger’s blog and a page with all our House Crashing posts, and there’s now a button linking to a Flickr album of Clara pictures. This gives anyone who wants a daily baby fix an easy place to visit without filling the main post stream with “isn’t she adorable” moments, though I admit there are a lot of those lately.
Change #3: Cleaner Widget Boxes — The final change is mainly visual: I learned how to add a clean white box around each sidebar widget (Twitter feed, Discount-O-Rama, We’re Digging, etc.) so everything looks more consistent. It’s a minor detail that probably won’t affect most visitors, but it felt like a satisfying little victory for me.
That’s the mini sidebar makeover. We hope these tweaks qualify as improvements, but we’d love to hear suggestions. We can’t promise every idea is possible (my coding skills are still a work in progress), but we read all feedback. If something looks off in your browser or a feature isn’t appearing correctly, please tell us so we can troubleshoot. And while you’re exploring, click the Smooch tab near the Contact tab for a little virtual appreciation from us.
UPDATE: Some readers reported trouble seeing the new buttons. The buttons use the same ad-rotation software that our sponsors’ ads use, so if you have a flash or ad blocker enabled it may prevent the Burger, Clara, or House Crashing buttons from displaying. If you disable the blocker for this site, the issue should be resolved. This wasn’t an attempt to force ad views — I used the ad tool simply to rotate several button images so readers get a variety of thumbnails for Burger, Clara, and House Crashing.