Wanted: The Perfect Blog Theme
Finding the perfect blog theme is like finding a good mate, a needle in a haystack, a perfect pair of pants that actually fit. When it comes to my blog, I like to keep it simple, nothing too stylized, no flashing lights or soundtrack that sneak up on you, no hard to find links or pages that make me squint like I’m reading in the dark. I prefer soft colors, calm and serene, and green in particular. I think of a blog theme like an empty page waiting to be filled or a frame for the written word or the latest photograph, something functional and pleasing that doesn’t distract from the main feature. Since moving to WordPress I’ve looked at thousands but like hardly any. It seems that every trade for one good feature results in the loss of another.
I like the look of my new blog theme but, as it turns out, it was designed by a Turk and the word “yazims” in the comment section (which may mean “comment” in Turkish) is, as far as I can tell, here to stay. I can’t make comments capitalize, make spaces in between post paragraphs, or fix the time (it must be in Turkey time). I suspect that no blog theme is perfect and it’s unlikely that someone like me, who gets lost in dashboards and templates like I get lost in cities, is going to be able to customize myself into perfection. Sadly, I don’t know a widget from a midget, a plug-in from a taxi, or an app from a map.
Note: Read “Born to Blog,” an essay I read on WVTF radio a couple of years ago HERE.
April 6th, 2010 3:56 am
I have the same problem finding a perfect blog theme. I can get lost looking at them for days. I think yours is beautiful even if the time is funky and the there are words in other languages. The green is beautiful and pleasing to my eyes, your writing is easy to read….that makes it a winner to me!
April 6th, 2010 5:56 am
Colleen:
Most WordPress themes are freebies — like the one you are using — and subject to the whims of the theme creator. But they can be modified by someone who knows the program and understands Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).
I have edited the templates and css files to eliminate the Turkish words, fix the time display and eliminate the “lowercase only” type style on comments.
If you want to change the structure of your post font displays, we will need to change the css file to alter line spacing and paragraph structure. I’d recommend reducing the the line height and allowing for a blank line between paragraphs.
Let me know.
April 6th, 2010 7:53 am
I still use the very limited blogger features. I don’t know if I would have the patience to learn WordPress and I am afraid that I would lose important stuff like allowing people to comment once I tweaked it to my satisfaction. Your words far outshine the style you select, so no need to worry.
April 6th, 2010 8:05 am
Thank you Tracie and Tabor and thank you Doug for tweaking those things. I thought it could be done because you were able to give me a larger font but it was beyond me to know how. I would like to bring the lines more together in the post font and add a blank space between paragraphs next time your in the css. The lower case in comment seems to still be in place but that doesn’t bother me much.
April 6th, 2010 4:58 pm
I went back to blogger because i just couldn’t bring myself to learn the code stuff, but i gave up other things when i did. i still have my wp blog and will switch back to it again I’m sure. Green is my favorite color too.
April 7th, 2010 9:08 am
Ah, such a world economy.
We wriggle to make the templates better until as Alabama sings, it’s Close enough to perfect for me.
April 7th, 2010 11:01 am
I tried WordPress awhile back. Mostly I dumped it because it decided it wouldn’t recognize my password and I couldn’t get back into it. Blogger has its limitations but I like the ease of its use.
I love your words, Colleen, regardless of what color your blog is. You write beautifully and with a wonderful depth of feeling that I admire.
April 9th, 2010 6:45 pm
Hi Colleen! here is a link of blog that made a list of themes based on green and nature: http://www.artfans.info/?p=873