There was a time in the history of this site when I would debut a new design every year or two. I was a web designer in those days, and often used the site as a kind of laboratory for new ideas and new methods of programming. But as the site grew and I worked my way out of web design, I gave that up and focused more on the content.
But, many years later, I’ve finally moved to a new design. This is easily the most significant update in the history of the site. From the moment I first began considering an overhaul, I wanted this to be a design that would help you, the reader. I wanted to emphasize simplicity and reduce clutter. And I think I have a much better idea of the site’s identity and the way you like to use it than I did when I last created a design. As much as anything, we have seen the rise of mobile devices and the old site simply did not function well on iPhones, iPads and all those other small devices.
Here are a few of the most significant changes:
Book Reviews. I know that book reviews are one of the primary reasons people visit this site. I put a fair bit of effort into designing a new book review section and formatting book reviews in a more helpful way.
Book Recommendations. I built an entirely new section of the site that offers book recommendations on a wide variety of topics. This is a section that I will be continually adding to.
Topics. There is now a page you can visit to see what I have written in the past on various topics. This, too, is an area that will continue to grow and, hopefully, continue to guide you to helpful content.
Mobile. The site is now “responsive” meaning that it automagically adapts to the device you are using to (hopefully) show you the site in the best format for your device.
Advertising. Where I used to have a long list of ads, I am hoping to be able to stick with just one ad. For the time being I have begun a partnership with my friends at Church Plant Media, so you will be seeing their ads and getting to know them better.
All-in-all, I believe these changes will make your experience at this site cleaner, easier and better.
This redesign was an international effort: a Romanian designer teamed with programmers in Brazil and the United States to create a new site for a Canadian.
Now, I am glad to receive feedback on the design, and especially if you see something that is not working or something that is obviously amiss. If the site is clearly malfunctioning on your device, it would be helpful if you left a comment telling me what you are using and how it looks.
However, before you leave comments, do know that a lot of time, effort and cost has gone into this new design, so be nice with those things that you don’t like just because they are different!
