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Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

August 23, 2010 by MJ 6 Comments

New look for Manga Bookshelf!

Not exactly spring cleaning, but it’s time for a new look here at Manga Bookshelf! As this website has become more and more a collection of regular columns and special features, it’s also become less well-suited to a bloggish layout, and even the semi-magazine-like functionality of the old theme was no longer fitting the bill. As new columns began to pile up, the layout just got longer and longer as I attempted to make them easy to find. Meanwhile, lengthy articles, such as roundtable discussions, could only be read in a long, narrow column, confined by the omnipresent sidebar.

So, please welcome our new layout! I’m sure it won’t please everyone (I already got an earful from one reader when I asked people to tell me if the layout worked in their browers) but before anyone else feels it necessary to chime in, let me tell you what I like about the new layout and why I believe it will serve this site better.

First, the front page is divided into multiple columns to better accommodate the site’s many regular features, more like the layout of a newspaper or magazine. Special features and discussion columns populate the left two-thirds of the page, while the right-most column showcases reviews. For those who just want a quick list of the site’s most recent posts (including those imported from Manhwa Bookshelf), one can be found in the top right corner, just as in the old layout. If you’re wondering how much less scrolling it now requires to view all this, check out the difference here:

Before | After

I can now view the entire front page (save the footer) *without scrolling* on my phone. Furthermore, without the “Featured Article” box at the top (which seemed necessary when the newest items were so often buried at the bottom of a long layout), there is no more repeated information on the front page, which I think is a lot cleaner. This layout also supports WordPress’ new custom menus, which you will see in use above (note especially the new “Categories” menu item which allows you to go directly to your favorite column or feature). Site announcements (such as this one) and random entries will be available from this menu under “Blog.”

Lastly (and this is my favorite thing of all), the framework I’ve chosen to build on made it very easy for me to put into place a full-width page for single posts, which you are looking at right now! This is something I’ve missed since my LJ days, and it is quite thrilling to once again be able to design individual posts for something wider than 500 pixels or so. More space has allowed me to increase the font size, too, which should make longer posts a bit easier on the eyes.

I’ll be putting more functionality into place over the next few weeks, but for now, let me just thank all of you for continuing to read Manga Bookshelf as we evolve!

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Filed Under: DAILY CHATTER Tagged With: announcements, blog functionality, layout

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. mom says

    August 23, 2010 at 2:46 pm

    Actually it helps to have you describe what all the new layout does. Since the blog part is my personal favorite, I find the directions helpful and the full width aspect most appealing. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Melinda Beasi says

      August 23, 2010 at 6:49 pm

      Thanks, mom! It’s the layout that nobody likes but me! :D *sigh*

      Reply
  2. Jade says

    August 25, 2010 at 4:22 pm

    I like it, it feels less cramped, especially with a light background.

    Reply
    • Melinda Beasi says

      August 26, 2010 at 7:03 am

      You are currently my favorite person in the whole wide world. :D

      Thank you!

      Reply
  3. Katherine Dacey says

    August 27, 2010 at 1:20 pm

    I like the way you’ve made your regular features the heart and soul of the website design. It makes it very easy to see what’s new, and really emphasizes the diversity of books and subjects you cover on a weekly basis. Did you also tweak the typeface? It’s elegant and readable.

    Reply
    • Melinda Beasi says

      August 28, 2010 at 12:26 pm

      Thank you so much for coming by to tell me this. I’ve been feeling terribly insecure about it. And yes, I’m using a different font here.

      Reply


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