Two vs three column blogs

[archer]

I've notice a lot of new blogs have moved to a three column layout... the latest flavour having both of those columns on the right.

what are the advantages/disadvantages of this? /me is not sure.

i still like the 'old fashioned' two column layout.

[Gaystoryman]

I've notice a lot of new blogs have moved to a three column layout... the latest flavour having both of those columns on the right.

what are the advantages/disadvantages of this? /me is not sure.

i still like the 'old fashioned' two column layout.

Three columns give you two columns for advertising. It simply improves your selling arena.

why to the right? some believe that when the blogs are crawled, they want the text of the blog read first, meaning that the spiders will read column one then two then three etc.

I find a three column gives me a cleaner layout as well, specially when using custom graphics for the ads.

hth

[NaughtyStud]

I've notice a lot of new blogs have moved to a three column layout... the latest flavour having both of those columns on the right.

what are the advantages/disadvantages of this? /me is not sure.

i still like the 'old fashioned' two column layout.

I am just making a guess here,but maybe some like the three columns because it has more of a regular website feel to it.I also prefer the 2 column ones, but if it has a good color scheme/design.Then I may try them out. ;)

[abostonboy]

Three column on right is more popular by far now. It gives you more advertising space. There was also a study done that right handed people tend to prefer links on the right vs. left. Others argue that it traps the blog so that the blog author can control the content better.

http://www.ps3fanboy.com/

This is one of the biggest network of blogs that was sold to AOL for millions a while back. If it works for them, it works for me.

You will find a two column blog to be VERY limited when you start getting a lot of info there. A three column with posts in the center has been found to be VERY confusing to surfers as it is VERY hard to get any hierarchy in navigation vs. other elements.

You will do best w/ a 3 column blog with the nav on the right.

[abostonboy]

why to the right?

Also, think about how one reads. left to right. Blogs vs web pages also require scrolling. Scroll bar next to navigation. Since one scrolls a lot on a blog, it makes sense to have the nav next to the scroll bar.

I wish I could find the usability study done on blogs. DAMN Vista machine! Don't have my bookmarks. But, it was determined that blogs w/ a right nav got more page views and kept the surfer on the page longer.

[NaughtyStud]

You do make a lot of good points Abostonboy.I may have to re-visit my love of two column themes. ;)

[archer]

me too.
even though i dislike them.

maybe i'm a closet leftie;)

[gaydemon]

There is also another explenation.. Depending on the site, it might be designed using a Fibonacci sequence (which i have done on my new gaydemon layout) OR be a grid based design.

The example http://www.ps3fanboy.com/ looks ever so slightly like a Fibonacci sequence to me, ie where 2 previous numbers add up to the next:

2 4 7 12 19 30 etc

Then again it can be to do with usability in mind, lines should never really be much longer than 500px wide. While monitors gets larger and larger you simply got to do something with the space. So if the main content area is 500px, but your site is 950px wide you got a lot of space left of over just for a single column, so they just split it into two instead.

Myself, I cant stand them. I find them very confusing and very rarely well done.

I cant see any reason why anyone should convert and start using a 3 column layout if you dont have very good reasons. I doubt very much that the extra adspace will make more sales. Would be interesting to test though.

[archer]

i was sort of wondering about the 'more space for sales' argument as well.

ummm.... is that what the blog posting is for? :D

[gaydemon]

Well exactly, most posts would be for selling anyway, and cramming in even more adverts might just make things worse.

Probably worse sale ratios as well, wide spread clicks and eternal damnation ;)



i was sort of wondering about the 'more space for sales' argument as well.

ummm.... is that what the blog posting is for? :D

[Gaystoryman]

i was sort of wondering about the 'more space for sales' argument as well.

ummm.... is that what the blog posting is for? :D

Well, sidebars are for navigation, and for sign posts to departments, or sponsors. Say you put an ad for Blake Mason on the sidebar, the post would specify a particular model from Blake Mason.

While many go overboard, the key to me is to avoid whitespace around the posts, which should be reinforcing the ads on the sidebar. Why I try to use custom graphics for my sidebar. Then too, they are on all aspects of your blog, the sidebar adverts. The post ad gets pushed down with each new post.

[NaughtyStud]

Myself, I cant stand them. I find them very confusing and very rarely well done.

This is the reason I have mostly always stuck with two column themes.

[Messire Loup]

I use 3 columns, and all posts are on the right.
Can't I do ANYTHING right? :bang:

[Gaystoryman]

I use 3 columns, and all posts are on the right.
Can't I do ANYTHING right? :bang:

Obviously you are, after all it is the surfer that we cater to, and they seem to like your stuff, so why worry? Enjoy instead. :cool:

[AnthonyDeAngelo]

god - we're really old fashioned - we only use ONE BIG COLUMN with a little narrow side bar for navigation... but then again, we don't use a blog program and all we sell are ourselves

[Messire Loup]

What do you call a "blog program" exactly, a certain blog platform like WP or Movable Type?
Sorry for the stupid question: I'm just not sure :confused:

[Gaystoryman]

What do you call a "blog program" exactly, a certain blog platform like WP or Movable Type?
Sorry for the stupid question: I'm just not sure :confused:

Basically yes a blog program would be WP, Movable Type, or even a blog type site using something like Blog Organizer.

[Mickey]

There is also another explenation.. Depending on the site, it might be designed using a Fibonacci sequence (which i have done on my new gaydemon layout) OR be a grid based design.

The example http://www.ps3fanboy.com/ looks ever so slightly like a Fibonacci sequence to me, ie where 2 previous numbers add up to the next:

2 4 7 12 19 30 etc


first off, isnt your math wrong in the example above ?

2+4= 6 and 12 + 19 = 31 ?

and on a more serious note could you explain a bit more about using Fibonacci for websites - as it sounds very interesting but i dont quite get how its done or what is ment by it ?