Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Thinking, writing, business ideas … You’re only a stranger once.

December 1, 2006

Blog Design Types: How Do They Affect Reader Comments?

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 9:56 am

I've been thinking . . .
Yesterday, I had breakfast with Steve Farber. Our discussion included comments and conversation on blogs. I mentioned what I’ve been noticing as I begin working with a designer on a facelift for Successful Blog.

The key point is that the longer I study designs I might like the more I realize that design affects how and whether I comment.

It makes sense really. We recognize a restaurant we want to try by its decor. We decorate our houses to reflect what is important to us. Why wouldn’t blog design reflect the blog owner and the audience? It seems a natural next step to think that blog design affects whether I comment.

Not all readers respond as I do, but decades working with readers online and off has taught me that many do. So, I’ve collected these thoughts:

  1. Some designs are all rules or all whimsy. They might be mature and thoughtful, but they have no emotion. They might be fun and friendly, but they have no sophistication. It’s hard for me to find a fit in either. If I don’t fit, I worry that my comments will be misinterpreted. Designers should know I comment on these blogs despite design not because of it.


  2. Some designs are highly structured — all things are outlined and in boxes. I know from print, that some folks find high-structure a comfort and others find it limiting. High-structure design makes me feel there is only one right answer. I’m careful when I comment on blogs with high-structure designs. I think that information bloggers and corporate blog designers should know this about me.


  3. Some designs are wide open — the extreme example is the white page with no lines or boxes. The overall feeling could translate to standing on an open prairie where horizon is visible in all directions. I so like reading these blogs that I thought this was an option I might try, but when I went to comment on one my comment seemed so public. It didn’t mind sharing my thoughts in this venue, but I knew I’d never get in deep discussion. Someone who wants me to get to the point and keep moving should be aware of this response.


  4. Some designs have a sense of openness and intimacy about them. They offer a defined space with atmosphere that offers room to breathe and think, and a boundary from the rest of the world. These designs feel fresh and familiar at the same time. I seem to know I’ll like people I’ll find there before I start to read. Designers looking to build a community blog should understand the attraction of these intangibles.

We know Successful-Blog is about relationships and conversation. Our kind of dialogue takes place in comfortable spaces, in places intimate and nonjudgmental. High-trust environments don’t happen when there’s only one right answer, when the whole world is watching, or when we have no sense of where we are or who we’re talking to.

Great design weds emotion and structure. Great designers weave and craft the subtle and intangible values of a brand into a design. Great design underpins and underscores who you and your readers are. It is the visual expression of the story your blog is telling in the words.

My comments might begin with a thought, but the execution, the actual writing involves a personal, emotional investment — a putting myself out there. A blog’s design helps me understand whether I’ll be supported in that effort. I guess it tells whether my comment is welcome.

How does the design of your blog reinforce the story of who you are? What else have you noticed about how design makes you feel while you are reading a blog?

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32 Comments to “Blog Design Types: How Do They Affect Reader Comments?”

  1. December 1st, 2006 at 1:28 pm
    HART (1-800-HART) said

    ? Steve Farber is working on a new design for Successful-Blog ?

    :p

    Actually, it’s about time for a facelift here .. it really sucks in Internet Explorer (left sidebar below the footer and invisible) …

    But - as for commenting, you might get more comments. Currently, it pretty much unpleasant to comment on this blog on open mic nights - don’t get me wrong - we still do it anyway and will continue - but …unless you have a duplicate page open and you constantly refresh the page, the best way to keep current is to wait and watch and read the comments from the subscribed email replies. This is mostly because of the page-comments plugin defaults back to page 1 (that can be fixed though).

    A preview of the comments would be nice. The current font inside the comment box while commenting is nice .. I notice it’s too small on the new templates for other ‘business’ channel sites.

    Okay. I’m done - back to work :) l8r

  2. December 1st, 2006 at 1:32 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi HART,
    No Steve and I were just talking design and that got me thinking. . .

    Yeah, I know it’s time for a facelift, we’re working on it. Thanks for the frank and helpful feedback. Gosh it’s great to get the feedback — what’s a problem and what’s not one at this time while we’re working toward a new design. :)

    Really, thanks!

  3. December 1st, 2006 at 2:10 pm
    Rick Cockrum said

    Happy Friday!

    Actually, the sidebar drops down in Firefox on individual post pages, too.

    I’ve looking at my blog. It makes me feel like a banker. :-( I’ve been looking at a couple of designs something like your point #3 - a fairly open design, but if it cuts down on comments, I don’t want to do that. Interaction is hard enough to come by as it is.

    (Did you install some kind of spell checker? Words were being underlined when I spelled them wrong. I never noticed that before.)

  4. December 1st, 2006 at 2:12 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Rick,
    That’s interesting. No there’s no spell check on this end . . . The sidebar issue is one that I know about. It’s a piece of code I broke. Ouch!!

    My bad.

  5. December 1st, 2006 at 2:21 pm
    Big Roy said

    Since we are being honest here.

    It is time for a facelift. While I’m far from any kind of expert on blogging. Some things that bother me. The brown color just looks sad, unhappy. Some bright happy colors would be nice. The overall look of the blog looks like a cookie cutter blog someone just threw up one day. I don’t think people who didn’t know would realize the amount of excellent information here.

    My feelings on blogging are that we need to think about “regular” people coming to the blog. Not just other bloggers and tech geeks. Your blog is an incredible resource for people new to the concept of blogging to find great new blogs. But it just doesn’t have that inviting sense about it that I find in other blogs with much less information. In the next few years there is going to be an explosion in regular people looking for information on blogs and about blogs. We haven’t touched the surface yet.

    I’ll give you an example. I put a link to what I thought was a funny original blog the other day in a post. I got several emails saying there is nothing to that site they only have 1 video up. I went and looked and saw that for a not tech blogger type it was difficult to find more information. You had to click a very small archive link in the footer to find other video. We need to think about the regular people.

  6. December 1st, 2006 at 2:24 pm
    ME Strauss said

    I understand and agree completely, Roy.
    I had to find the right designer and time the edeavor to fit the business plan.

    I’ve been yearning to do this for longer than you might think. :)

  7. December 1st, 2006 at 2:35 pm
    Amrit Hallan said

    Hi Liz.

    When I comment (or say, participate in a conversation) it’s primary because the post moves me to do so. I’m not very much worried about the design. As long as I can read the post easily and I can type in the comment box without feeling I’m throwing all my words into a square hole, I leave the comment.

    But then perhaps this is because I’m from web designing background myself and hence I’m more open to and also eager to experiment with different designs and layouts.

  8. December 1st, 2006 at 2:41 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Amrit,
    That could be your web design background that leads you to respond that way. I wonder. I hope other folks who have the same response will say so and we’ll see if they’re of a similar background.

    I wouldn’t expect everyone to respond as I do. Atmosphere and ambiance are such a personal thing. :)

  9. December 1st, 2006 at 2:44 pm
    Mike said

    Liz,

    My mother told me at a young age that all my taste was in my mouth. Can you tell by looking at my blog?

    I agree with Amrit about what moves me to post, but your smiling face made me feel welcome when I first visited here.

    Rick, I think the spell checker is a feature of Firefox 2.0.

    Hope everyone up north is staying cozy!

    Mike

  10. December 1st, 2006 at 2:46 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Thanks, Mike, for chiming in with your response. Like I said, it could be just folks like me who get swayed by such things.

    The wet weather’s outside and I’m inside your computer . . . so I’m cozy. :)

  11. December 1st, 2006 at 2:48 pm
    Rick Cockrum said

    I hate it when I break something.

    You’re probably right about the spell checker, Mike. Usually I’m on IE. Today I’m using Firefox.

  12. December 1st, 2006 at 2:55 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Me too, Rick, I hate it when I break things. I feel like when I spilled purple kool aid on my mom’s carpet right before she got a new one. . . . Only that was coming more quickly than a new design can. :)

  13. December 1st, 2006 at 3:07 pm
    Mike said

    Liz,

    If you’re inside my computer, my sincerest apologies for the clutter! :-0

    Mike

  14. December 1st, 2006 at 3:08 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hey Mike,
    Your computer is organized computer to the inside of my brain. . . . :)

  15. December 1st, 2006 at 3:13 pm
    Big Roy said

    Liz,

    If you’re inside my computer, my sincerest apologies for the porn. I have no idea how it got there.

  16. December 1st, 2006 at 3:36 pm
    Mike said

    Roy,

    Your best bet is the ol’ “spontaneous repixelization of family photos” gambit!

    Mike

  17. December 1st, 2006 at 4:34 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Roy,
    No worries, I’ve not bumped into any in here. It must be hidind — afraid of me probably. :)

  18. December 1st, 2006 at 5:45 pm
    10 Sites For Information » Blog Archive » Late breaking news said

    [...] Blog <b>Design</b> Types: How Do They Affect Reader Comments? [...]

  19. December 1st, 2006 at 6:41 pm
    Big Roy said

    Mike you could be right.

    I’m thinking my computer is infected with polonium-210, the damn KGB.

  20. December 1st, 2006 at 6:46 pm
    ME Strauss said

    No worries, Roy,
    I’ll take a look around for any random letters and numbers forming into something with meaning KGB, CIA, FBI 210, SOS, TNT B-52, 354, 36C . . .

  21. December 1st, 2006 at 6:50 pm
    Big Roy said

    You’re great Liz.

    I never met anyone with a sense of humor that wasn’t smart.

  22. December 1st, 2006 at 6:53 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Thanks Roy!
    I like you. You’re fun to be with.

  23. December 2nd, 2006 at 7:23 am
    Delaney Kirk said

    Hi Liz,
    What if you and fellow bloggers shared examples of blogs you (they) think are well-designed? I’m ready to tweak my own blog but am not sure what I want to do.

  24. December 2nd, 2006 at 7:25 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Delaney!
    I think that’s a fabulous idea! It would just be fun! Maybe we can get that going!

  25. December 2nd, 2006 at 7:44 am
    Big Roy said

    That is a good idea.

    Liz, maybe you could narrow it down to 5 choices and let the readers vote on your next blog theme.

  26. December 2nd, 2006 at 8:00 am
    HART (1-800-HART) said

    Well .. *cough,shamelessplug,cough* I’ve started a category about designs that I like over on my other site.. Maybe you should start one here too!

    Personally, I would NOT vote on such a list that only had 5 items in it. FYI … there are too many good ones out there!

  27. December 2nd, 2006 at 8:02 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Roy,
    I love the idea of gather input from everyone, but I’m not at all comfortable with having folks vote.

    It wouldn’t work in this case anyway, because the design is going to be an original.

  28. December 2nd, 2006 at 8:23 am
    Big Roy said

    We have to open up our minds.

    I know it’s going to be an original. But it’s still going to be based on an existing style.

    Voting on 5, after everyone gave their input Liz would narrow it down to 5 and then we would vote. Than if you didn’t want to vote, well that’s your choice.

  29. December 2nd, 2006 at 8:27 am
    TechZ said

    Im just waiting for my vacation to start and want to get to changing my theme or updating it completely.

  30. December 2nd, 2006 at 8:59 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi HART,
    I love you choices. There are so many. You’re right about that!

  31. December 2nd, 2006 at 9:04 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Roy,
    I understand what you’re going for. I only wish it would work. The problem is that it hardly ever does. :)

    I invite and want people to give me their input, but I don’t want people to tell me how to think. I need my designer to have the room to be creative and I need to have the room to choose for my blog using the decades of experience I’ve gathered. Now that I’ve finally got the means to put use what I know.

    I wouldn’t have people vote on the design of my home, or my garden, or my restaurant, I leave aethetic decisions to folks who are trained to make them when I can — now that I can afford to — because votes get cast for too many reasons — personal taste is one of them. I have to take responsibility for my brand.

    I’ve seen what happens when people vote on designs. That’s what you’re hearing. I understand your sincere concern and care. I thank you for it. :)

  32. December 3rd, 2006 at 8:42 am
    Successful Blog - Don’t Design for Comments: Design to Give Readers an Experience said

    [...] I talked about design and comments in a post Friday. My theory, based on my experience and continuous conversations with readers, was that design has an impact on whether we leave a comment in response to what we read. I was on the right track, but my thinking was just short of where it should have taken me. I should have gone deeper. I also should have left more room for other folks to add their experiences. Details in such conversations are the the nuggets and the takeaways. [...]

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