I think for usability's sake it might be better to have the login block, recent comments block, blogroll, categories, etc. in the right column. Also, it's nice to be able to see the post on the main page and know how many comments are under it.


CultureCat

I don't know what is going on with the comments. For some reason, the counter is not showing up. I'll have to mess with it later.

And I'm not sure about the "usability sake.' I've read a study which suggests that there is no discernable difference in a user's ability to navigate a site whether the sidebar is left or right. However, aesthetically, there is a slight difference in leaving it this way.

I was thinking more about continuity. It's not that big of a deal to me, just a little disorienting at first.

CultureCat

There will probably be more disorientation than that as the navigation menu on the left now contains all of the main links (well, I still have a few things to add in) instead of using a separate navigation area.

I like the clean look (never cared for the brown background), and the css seems to hold up under a variety of text sizes, screen resolutions, & browsers.

Plus / minus: the recent date info under the category listings is a little helpful, but it does make it more difficult to see the categories at a glance. It might be better to organize the categories alphabetically rather than by most-to-least recent.

Bug?: Some of the recent entries don't have comments that were there earlier.

Generally, the more I use the new version, the more I appreciate its subtle changes and added organization features (e.g. the separate trackback tab for an entry). The outline tab (making it easy for users to add posts to the Book) means that you may want to rethink the content and structure of the Book.

The comments are still there. The numerical display function for the teaser listing mode is not correct; a problem with the upgrade script that I hope can be corrected.

As for the categories, good idea. I prefer the categories in alphabetical order. Unfortunately, it's hard coded to display the way that it is.

With the collaborative book, we have a larger problem due to a bug. While users can edit book pages if they know the url for editing (which is add "/edit" after any book page), there is no visible edit tab. Hopefully, it will get fixed.

cel4145

My eyes tend to drift right anyway, which I'm sure is because we normally read left-to-right, so I like the idea of logins and my info being on the right also. Actually, I like the 3-column format as a general rule. Just my $.02 :)

'course in a 3 column layout, we'd have both on left and right ;)

i'm wondering, though, would everyone prefer a variable width site with 3 columns? perhaps i'll give that a try a little later this evening and we'll see what the reaction is.

hmmm...wasn't working so well in that with all the text on the left and right, was seeming too busy. but see how the left/right change works.