Oct 9, 2008
A Virtual Housewarming Party.
Question: how many bloggers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Answer: three. Especially if that light bulb is a blog.
Hello! And welcome to Bossy’s new redesign, brought to you by Bossy and her new best friends bodacious girl and urbanana. You can read more about Bossy’s talented design team here
When Bossy decided it was time for a change, blog functionality was her primary concern—for instance, being able to offer a set of distractions daily features that can be properly archived—while reducing the clutter and loading time that has plagued Bossy since the beginning of time. Or maybe that was 2006.
Let’s begin with a tour. Above, on the banner, you will find link buttons that make it easy to access things such as What Does Bossy Have In Common With Nora Ephron, or the new Dog Bite Chronicles contained within the archives.
But the most controversial part of Bossy’s redesign is this. That’s right, the “keep reading post” link. Before you get all rashy, let Bossy explain the history of her relationship with read more.
At first Bossy didn’t know what read more was, and just thought various bloggers wrote very short, very unfinished blog posts.
Next Bossy decided to hate read more because oh my gah it requires the clicking of one entire link and who do they think they are? But then Bossy splashed cold water on her face and realized that her own long and photo-heavy posts require a lot of scrolling and very long load time, making her front page unreadable on things like Blackberry or blueberry or whatever in heck you are all talking about that Bossy doesn’t own.
Then one day Bossy was talking with her friend who shall remain anonymous but he goes by the name Andy—and Bossy was complaining about the read more feature on blogs, and sage Andy said, “Your opinion flies in the face of over three-hundred years of newspapers and magazines!”
And that’s when Bossy realized that if she embraced read more and set up her blog like a magazine’s table-of-contents page, it would be simpler for her readers reader to find things of interest, and would be easier to navigate.
Bossy offers the following tip for those of you still annoyed by read more and the way it shoots you to a new page where it’s not always easy to immediately find your place: push the read more link right away, before reading any of it on the front page! That way you can start from the beginning on the page that contains the entire post! Bossy began doing this and it changed her life! Her life that is so important that she doesn’t have time to read more, but she does have time to write 318 words about read more!
Moving on. In the left column you’ll find many of the features you are familiar with, and a new one: The Daily Poverty Party. Every day nearly every day, Bossy will use that space to post about her efforts to climb out of debt. She’ll show you her receipts and write about goals—as well as research money-saving tips, recipes, and common missteps. But Bossy needs you! Other bloggers have already signed up to participate in one giant poor-ass support group who will share information and keep each other honest. Sign up today!
Now, if you’ll turn your attention to the bottom of the page, you’ll find a section called, “Check Out The Latest Posts“, which is a happy coincidence considering it’s a list of Bossy’s three latest posts.
Next, in the right column, you’ll find a little thing Bossy and her talented design team like to call Project Nightmare, otherwise known as Bossy’s Reader Collage & Blogroll. Just imagine hundreds of little bitty photos that need to link with reader names and/or blogs, and then imagine that world stretched over weeks and months. If you haven’t taken a look at this thing, please get over there. It’s really fun, where fun equals aren’t you glad you didn’t have to link this shite yourself? It remains unfinished, but more links are being added every day—if you haven’t yet done so, please email Bossy your photo right away.
How, you ask? Why, just look up at the banner and push that little button that says contact!
And finally, Bossy will be announcing yet another new feature within the next few days, and she’ll be celebrating the launch of the new design with a giveaway!
OK, that’s it, thanks for coming—don’t let the door hit you in the arse on the way out: it’s still wet.
Well, as predicted, I do love the redo. It’s very reader-friendly and pretty and shiny…
Oh, I do like the new look! Very sharp. Nice work, team redesign Bossy.
Thank you Bossy for idea to click ‘read more’ FIRST…
I hope it will change my mind about the ‘read more’ inconvenience and also then my life too!
Your website looks really good! Go Bossy design team!!
Oooooh! Ahhhhh!!
Design, terrific. The tip about hitting “read more” first? Priceless!!
Congrats on the launch, Bossy! I love the new look!
I love that you kept your “Keeping it real. Real Silly” motto. And the site looks great, fresh, clean & functionable!
It looks nice.
I just want to comment on the “history of newspapers” or whatever that you mentioned: When reading the newspaper, I never read an article past the “jump.” If I have to open that huge folding thing that’s too big to hold, and flip the unwieldy pages to find the right page, it’s not worth it. I just get whatever gist I can from the part on the front page, and then I’m done.
Also, I hate magazine articles where you have to go to a page in the back to finish the article. The pages are never all numbered and it’s impossible to find the page you’re looking for. Forget it. If the magazine thinks it’s so unimportant that it goes in the back, then so do I.
I read Newsweek for my news. Because they don’t do that! An article starts, ends, then a new one starts!
I love you enough to click the “more…” link, but when PW changed her site, after a while I no longer visited her site but just read it on Google Reader because the whole article is there. I don’t know when I last went to her site. That means I haven’t commented there in forever.
Love you, love the hard work you’ve put in, but just had to vent about the newspapers and magazines!
LOVE all the changes, even the read more function. Glad you’re still keeping it silly too.
I immediately didn’t like the read more part, then I clicked on the read more part and found out how to use it appropriately. It makes way more sense now. Thanks Bossy!
Great job design team!
I was over at your new house in the middle of the night last night looking around. I really think the new color looks great on you! Blondes can always wear peach, you know.
Thanks for being such an awesome blogger..you really do lift me up–and Im kinda heavy!
-from the beach
Lisa
coastal nest
You know what I like best about the redesign? It’s new, but it’s still very familiar at the same time. I was afraid after it was launched I’d come here and it would look TOTALLY different and I’d be all lost and disoriented and sad. NOPE!
To be honest, I cringed when I got to the read more. (Having not noticed until I got there and it suddenly broke my rhythm.) But your argument makes sense and your tip about clicking it right away BEFORE reading is exactly what I’ll do.
(The formatting of the comments look groovy too!)
Congrats!
It is very pretty in here! Calm, clean and fresh! Looks quite cozy…do you mind if I bring a pillow and nap in the corner for a bit?
Very nice! I like it! Y’all done good.
Except … I’m cold and getting hungry because FeedBurner apparently isn’t burning and/or feeding me any more.
Aren’t you all fancy schmancy! Very nice Bossy!
I will definitely have to check out your poor ass club. We’ve got a freshman in college… nuff said?
Ah and here it is, nice and shiny! Looks so great that I am now seeping with envy. IIIIII want a design team toooooo!!!!
Bossy, not even you, in what may be your most persuadable moment, can make me like “Read More.” Alas.
I suppose I shall deal.
Whoa, I am READER today. Thank you very much, Miss Bossy — that totally explains why I had visitors this morning. It was even hard to hear the crickets, for once.
LOVE the familiar-but-fresh new look, like a coat of paint and new hardware. It was hard to improve upon, but you and your design team NAILED it. In my favorite color, too: ORANGE.
– Laurie @ Foolery
Beautiful re-do!! I’m even inspired to make the “read more” sacrifice, if it’s for the greater good.
Thanks for all your hard work! It’s great!
Looks good!
The site looks great! Glad you kept your old tag line!
This new post doesn’t show up in my Google Reader. I’ll re-do my subscription to your site and see if it comes up then.
Love the redesign.
And thanks for adding “read more!” I tried adding it to my blog recently and everyone whined so much I stopped using it. But I WANT it! I write really long boring posts and I want my front page to look more like I actually know when to shut up.
I think the twelve people who visit me are all big fans of Bossy so perhaps this will help in my efforts to use read more too.
Novel Woman loves Bossy’s new design but she is confused.
Why is Bossy’s arse wet?
I am also not getting your latest post on my reader. I also noticed that you didn’t update on my blog that should shows that you have posted more recently than others. The link I have always used is http://www.iambossy.com/i_am_bossy/
I just need to weigh in, I don’t like read more either. I like your idea, but still…
Bossy, I think your redesign is just READ MORE….
so lovely!
NOOOOO! Not “read more”! You and I specifically talked about this! Ah…poo. I’d do anything to read your posts, so I guess one little click won’t hurt. Much.
*sniff* *sniff* I’m sure I will love Bossy’s re-do, but none of the links seem to work. none of the pictures from any of the archived posts show up:( I can’t read your past 3 posts (which I misssed) I need my Bossy fix!
Nice work Bossy! It’s an awesome re-design
Sweet!
I love the simplicity of it, sharp look, girl!
I am not going to lie, I HATE the “read more” feature more than just about anything in the blogging world, but, for Bossy, I’m going to keep an open mind.
It’s the same…and it’s different!
But I have to ask. I clicked on your feed in my reader, and Google told me your feed no longer exists. I’m not trying to make Bossy’s head explode or anything, I just was curious.
Never ever had a problem with “read more” on anyone’s blog so I’ll live with your change. You might be able to fix the “lost your place” effect, though. I know at least one of the blogs that I read regularly turns to that last sentence ending in “read more” when you click on “read more”. I don’t know how to make that happen, but I’m sure some site guru does.
Best of luck with the new set-up!
i’m waiting for the new look…is this it. oh, my bad
kinda feels the same. i have to admit, i’m not fond of those blurry pictures of you on top. makes me feel all blurry.
I haven’t even started looking around yet – I’m like the visitor who hasn’t even taken off her coat, who’s still in the foyer – but I had to comment on the “read more,” because I, too, used to viscerally hate it, but after reading my own blog and scrolling down forever through my endless posts, I am beginning to think its a pretty good idea….
I guess the thing is to figure out where to put the “read more” prompt so it’s not too soon before the reader is engaged.
Oh, well, enough from me. Can I hang up my jacket? I think I’ll look around. Are there drinks being served?
love the comment page. very smart.
but surely bossy’s kidding about read more. after all bossy has said about read more. surely bossy is kidding.
i mean i don’t care about the read more link. but BOSSY does. i’m just saying.
Too much information! Going into overload. Need time to process!
Well, I’m the total new guy here, I guess (with the exception of some sneaking around late last night).
I actually don’t mind the ‘read more’, because maybe I won’t want to. There aren’t enough ‘read more’ choices in life in my opinion.
Of course, I could just lurk quietly from the doorway if my opinion makes me unpopular…
Good, good, but I want the ads BELOW the Bossy Xtras. Their colors muck up the design scheme, and if they were below you’d get a nice, tidy, three-sided frame of color-coordinated Bossiness.
I’m glad you’re showing up in a feedreader finally. And please install the subscribe to comments plugin – I like to be able to subscribe!
Your site isn’t updating itself on my blog favorites widget anymore. Just thought you would want to know.
Change is good. It’s clean, sleek, purty… like a new shiny car. Minus the smell.
Wow. Just look what you’ve done with the place. Please accept this very expensive bottle of red wine as our little housewarming gift. We are drinking it in your honor. And by “very expensive” we mean $11. Which is double what our actual wine budget is these days, but we figured this was a special occasion.
SK
I can deal with “read more.”
It’s the huge amount of space WASTED with gi-normous (?) orange numbers on each of the comments that’s getting to me. I don’t care how many people have comments, nor do I care what number I am. (Being on the west coast I’m always last.) There’s just so much more scrolling now! ack. Makes me gripy. As you can tell. Who knew I would have such a strong opinion about a blog design. Other than all the additional scrolling (which I must do cause I love to read the comments) the new design is dandy.
Bossy.
Who on earth convinced you to do the “read more” thing? I want to know so we can find that person and give them A THOUSAND lashes with a wet noodle!!
Is it about the bounce rate? Aren’t all your little buttons with all your little features helping enough without adding the “read more”? C’mon girl. Because, oh my gah, we HATE “read more”!
Love the redesign, and I love you Bossy, but the “read more” is “Bad Idea Jeans”.
If you love us you’ll make it go away.
Bossy:
I am in love with you and your subway boots.
Love,
Celia
I love the ginormous numbers, it means I know where to start reading when I come back to see the comments after mine.
But also, like 14, 22, 25, 32, 41, I was waiting for you to pop up in my reader…and waiting…and waiting…
I like that clicking on your feedburner link gives not just the main post but the Favorite Things and the Guess and Press. Well done, ladies!
The redesign looks nice.
I am sure the “read more” has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it creates more page views which are enticing to your advertisers.
I am loving the new look, Bossy. Very easy on the eyes, and much easier to focus on the fun extras.
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