Redesign Status Update

I’ve made good progress on the latest to-do list:

  • Review plugin use and confirm all are setup
  • Make notes of configuration changes that need to be done inside WordPress admin tool after installation of the template
  • Setup tabs with rounded borders using graphics
  • Check pages for IE support code & GIF graphics for rounded corners
  • Add Latest Posts to sidebar
  • Widen sidebar
  • Finalize color choice in post metadata
  • Consider post date ‘calendar’ format graphic or color change
  • Expand About page content
  • Posts by Category page needs format still
  • Posts by Date page needs format
  • Custom Category Templates for each of standard categories (Tools & Techniques) with header lead-in to content
  • Update blogroll and breakdown by category, perhaps using built-in link management system?
  • Add RSS Feed icon & links near top & remove from footer
  • Confirm RSS auto-discovery code is in header
  • About section in sidebar, with photo?
  • Ranking links (Alexa & Technorati)
  • Blogflux links (uptime, directory, mapstats)
  • Feedburner chiclet
  • Stats link codes
  • SEO code
  • Review online version for customizations to back-port to new design
  • Affiliate links (Sedo) others? HitsLink?
  • Last 50 entries on Archive page
  • Mullet Home page?
  • Review for standards compliance

I’ve made good progress, so I should be able to launch the new design tomorrow night. Funny, we are also launching a new site at the university tomorrow night–luckily I’ve scripted that so it should only take a few seconds to cut-over to the new design. We are just planning on doing it Sunday night so it will be up Monday morning when people come in as was announced. I guess you can consider this blog the same way! Weekends are normally a slower time for views of the blog, especially on Saturday, though this weeks stats are looking pretty good! Hopefully my visitors on Monday will have time to leave comments on the new design. I’ll do a launch post when it goes live tomorrow to celebrate the launch, then Monday I’ll post a specific request for feedback. I’ll really be glad to be able to get back to thinking about content, than about the design and structure of  the blog, though that’s some of what I will be doing! Keep watching…