BradBlogging’s 2nd Anniversary Makeover With A New Design and Mindset

cutting-ribbon-on-new-blog-design

Wow… 2 years ago I bought the domain and invested $200 for a 3 year hosting contract thinking that this would just be for fun. A blog branded as my name couldn’t of been very popular, yet here this blog has grown exponentially each month. I’m truly amazed.

I’d like to thank anyone that has ever left a comment, subscribed to the RSS Feed, sent me an email or even loaded the URL in their browser bar. Without your support, I doubt I would be still here writing content for this blog.

The New Design

As you can see this blog has gotten a very clean makeover, featuring a dark blue header with the large BradBlogging Logo. There are four icons beside the header…

  1. RSS Subscribe
  2. RSS Subscribe Via Email
  3. Contact Brad
  4. Add Me On Skype (The option of real-time chat.. a nice touch I think.)

There is also a new slogan to the blog, “Building the Internet… One Step At a Time” which reflects the change in mindset I’ve had for this blog. Before now, this blog has been focused on blogging tips to improve your own blog, but I’ve learned that you can only read so much before it gets redundant. So here is the ultimate blogging tip: Blog. Like anything that requires skill, you only get better by doing.


The New Mindset On The Content:

I’m going to be focusing more on startup websites (reviewing them and giving an opinion on it), XHTML coding tips, Cool CSS tricks and Wordpress tweaks that you can do to your own blog and website. I think that this will benefit people more through the content than before.

The Rest of The Design:

Fixed Width, Minor Gradients behind the content and sidebar boxes. Custom code on the sidebar to pull the subscriber count from Feedburner. Overall, a much cleaner design than before.

I look forward to writing more content that will help people in practical blog situations. Stay tuned up to this blog for some awesome articles!

Old-Vs-New

Your Say:

What do you think of the new design? Is it better than the old one?

Related posts:

  1. Working Out The Final Kinks – New BradBlogging.com Design
  2. New Design – Liquid Width For Better Reading
  3. Changing Your Title To Reflect Your Blog Title
  4. Bradblogging Custom Theme – Anyone Interested?
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24 Comments

  1. Posted October 12, 2009 at 10:13 am | Permalink

    I like the new design! It looks a lot cleaner! May I suggest maybe you have a black border with the blue? Cheers!

    • Posted October 12, 2009 at 10:41 am | Permalink

      Thanks for the kind words, Brock. Do you mean a black border around the blue header?

  2. Posted October 12, 2009 at 6:52 pm | Permalink

    D00d ur so g00d

  3. Posted October 13, 2009 at 1:23 am | Permalink

    Brad you deserve it.

    The new layout looks cool. I like the banner and the background. A professional and simple design indeed.

    No I dont see any major change here. Text is also clear and readable.

    As you said you are going to be focusing more on startup websites (reviewing them and giving an opinion on it)… I would like you to go through my blog and provide some suggestions.

    I am a starter and I would appreciate your suggestions for my blog.
    http://abhilifelapazzo.blogspot.com

    I will try to incorporate your suggestions as I think you are the perfect person who can suggest me the changes.

    • Posted October 13, 2009 at 4:35 pm | Permalink

      Thanks for the kind words Abhilash.

      As far as abhilifelapazzo is concerned:

      1 – Get rid of the music . I cannot understand the lyrics which discourage english users from visiting the site. (I couldn’t even find a way to turn it off!)
      2 – If you want people to be able to type in your blog into their web browser, I’d suggest buying a domain name and web hosting.
      3 – Leave comments on blogs. Many people like to click through insightful comments and read more about the comment author’s opinion.

      Thanks for visiting!

      • Posted October 14, 2009 at 12:13 am | Permalink

        Thank you very much for your suggestions Brad.
        I will follow them and tell you the output.

  4. Posted October 13, 2009 at 3:11 am | Permalink

    Wow! Congratulations Brad. And what a way to celebrate your 2nd anniversary than having a new theme and design.

    Your blog looks great! I think it looks better than the old one.

    • Posted October 13, 2009 at 4:36 pm | Permalink

      Thanks a ton elmot! Really glad I’m getting positive feedback on the design. :)

  5. Posted October 13, 2009 at 4:56 am | Permalink

    hey Brad, cool stuff with the redesign. I like the Skype button alot, wanting to integrate something like that on my site too. The logo is bigger and i feel it leaves more impact to visitors. Keep it up! :)

    • Posted October 13, 2009 at 4:37 pm | Permalink

      Hey Davies,

      Yea I’m really hoping that I’ll meet some of my visitors on a personal level by including that in there. I think it would be pretty cool to talk to some people!

      Thanks for the kind words.

  6. Posted October 13, 2009 at 8:40 am | Permalink

    I really like the new design. Much more readable, nice colors, and I really like the large icons on the right.

    • Posted October 13, 2009 at 4:38 pm | Permalink

      Thanks Kyle! I really wanted to make them stand out to increase user interaction. :)

  7. Posted October 13, 2009 at 8:15 pm | Permalink

    Congrats on the milestone Brad! Your site has grown and you deserve every ounce of the success you have obtained thus far! The site is looking great and I look forward to the new posts and topics you touch…again, great work!!

    • Posted October 14, 2009 at 11:11 am | Permalink

      Thanks Aman! It’s great to see you again.

      I’m very optimistic about the future and the potential that it holds. :D

  8. Posted October 14, 2009 at 3:25 pm | Permalink

    WOW. I’m digging the sight design. This is my first time visiting, and this place has a very professional and awesome appearance. Did you do all your own graphics?

    I’m also into checking out new sites and giving feedback. Granted, you have a big head start on me in both knowledge and experience. I look forward to being a part of your community!

    • Posted October 14, 2009 at 4:46 pm | Permalink

      Hey there Blake,

      I’d like to personally welcome you to BradBlogging.com – Hopefully you can find some useful articles here about Wordpress, Blogging, etc.

      I did do all my own graphics :)

      Look forward to hearing your opinion on future articles.

  9. Posted October 14, 2009 at 4:47 pm | Permalink

    I’m sorry to say Brad that I can’t remember the old blog, although I must admit this one looks very sleek, and loads extremely fast. I also notice their are no ads, not even adsense. Is it going to stay that way or will you be adding some later?

    • Posted October 14, 2009 at 5:50 pm | Permalink

      Haha, No problem Sire. I know you’re busy with numerous websites :)

      I think I’ll be adding some form of advertising later on… but as for “in-content” ads, I’ll most likely display them for search engine traffic only.

      Did you have anything in mind?

  10. Posted October 14, 2009 at 5:19 pm | Permalink

    Wow! So, I didn’t see the old site, but I LIKE this! I read your profile here and we might as well be twins… Wordpress lovers/manipulators unite! hehe

    Thanks for visiting my site. I hope you do try Pixie and that you enjoy it as much as I do!

    • Posted October 14, 2009 at 6:02 pm | Permalink

      Hey Erica!

      Great to see you here on BradBlogging.com – I really enjoyed reading your blog. :)

      Haha. I’m actually going to be posting the trick to speeding up your Wordpress that I use on my blog… I’ve really noticed a difference!

      Look forward to reading more of your articles.

  11. Posted November 22, 2009 at 12:06 pm | Permalink

    it looks much better and i like it now.

  12. Posted December 22, 2009 at 1:58 pm | Permalink

    I like the way your site looks. Its neat and tidy. I have seen some blogs that have huge pictures and cluttered with widgets and stuff. It takes a long time to load as well. So I find this blog pretty well laid out.

    I have only recently found your blog and visit it frequently now because of the useful information and tips. I would, however, suggest you list the topics you have in your blog somewhere on the side. It would be good to see the topics you have covered.

    Thanks for the great information and congrats on your 2nd year!

    For Bloggers Who want to Stop Writers’ Block

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About The Author

Brad Ney

I am a Wordpress enthusiast, part-time website designer, and enjoy using the latest technology via the internet for website promotion.I enjoy writing about startup websites, XHTML, CSS, Wordpress based on what I've learned in the industry.

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