Benjamin Barlow

The enhancements I anticipate making (and are likely (I hope) implemented at this reading). Some are foreseen and others are just better ways of accomplishing a Content is King goal.

Currently there is no way to go through a history of posts. There are three ways of presenting a history that I am particularly fond of. An all-encompassing Search Bar. Chronological history. Categories. Eventually, I will have an entire page dedicated to a history of posts (which will only be effective if I continually and consistently blog) that will have these options. The page will have every title and date of every post scrolling down as long as there are posts ever written.

Under the navigation bar, will be a Search Bar. This will be implemented first due to it being easy to implement. Under the Search Bar will be categories and dates as links. Clicking one automatically filters the already complete list of titles/dates to those relevant to the item clicked. I anticipate some hefty JavaScript (jQuery) involved in those last two… With Categories, I can’t be too specific. I anticipate only 5-6 broad categories. Probably, General, Coding, Design, Sports, and Music with maybe another that I might think of later.

Why am I going the route of having these options under the navigation and not in a side bar? It would be easy, but I would lose the vertical continuity, disrupting the horizontal symmetry… and I like having the faux bezel as whitespace. A side bar would also add available real estate that I would be tempted to use for purposes that do not achieve my site’s design theme and three user goals (general interest in my musings, interest in my photography, professional consideration). So rather than allow for the possibility of temptation, I’ll stick to having those filtering options under the navigation.

If you haven’t noticed already, I like lists and I include those in my general musings but they are distinct from my posts. Therefore, they get their own page. I love reading lists and I enjoy making them for many personal reasons. The page as it is now is not efficient at the moment and needs additional tuning. First, I need to make it listed by title and date, similar to the history page. Second, searchable using all the filters the history page will have, laid out similarly (if not identically). And… Third, a page just for a single list.

With Photography… I just need to get on the ball and make that happen. I’m simply not looking forward to it, since it will take quite a bit of time and planning.

Other changes I am considering it is having Contact in the navigation. This would redirect the visitor to the footer of the page he/she is already on where my contact form is. There are many reasons why I choose the footer as the location for my contact form and not its own distinct page that I might go in depth about later, but I’m struggling with the justification of adding this to the navigation… It provides a certain “go to” for those specifically looking for a way to contact me, but it clutters the user experience. I am currently leaning towards not including it in the nav, but it is still under consideration at this moment.

Post Comments! Very few (if any) will comment on posts as I don’t expect many visitors to begin with. Post after Post will have this little box at the bottom and empty comment area that just is simply ugly. Since it will take a significant amount of time to implement, the return on investment is just not there. And, it simply doesn’t accomplish the three user goals. Still… the depth and interactive-ness they would add are attractive… Probably a no go in the end though.

As of now, those are the things to-do for my site. I hope to get those in soon!

ps. Even though it is now grammatically acceptable, the “hopefully” at the beginning of a sentence still severely irks me. Starting the last sentence with “I hope” just brought it that up…