Tools of the Trade

Whether you are new to the blogging game or an old pro at it, there is one thing that we all encounter: The designing of our blog.
Once you decide that you want to be committed to keeping one up, take a moment and think about what it is that you want to accomplish.
For me it was simple; I wanted a magazine format that would enable me to cover different posts and different genres, or topics.
When you go to look for your template, many times it will tell you what format that it works best for. It may also give you a hint, in the name of the template.
Both my WordPress and my Blogspot specified that they were meant for a magazine style layout. of, I call my blogs an ‘Author’s E-Zine Magazine.’
They also have layouts, or templates, for photography based blogs.
I myself enjoyed the magazine layout because it supports writing articles and posting photography and I enjoy the conglomeration of both worlds. It truly is a magazine layout complete with feature posts functions.
Do you want a professional, clean blog? Then stick with white and black. Maybe you want something more fun, you can opt for bright colors. I have my professional self help books on a clean blog with a header that works with the self help books that I write. My Suspense/Thriller novels are on my edgier blog that is done with a black edgier heading but still using the magazine format that I prefer.
Just take a moment to think about what it is that you want to relay in your blog when it is time to choose your format.
Think about what is going to be easy for your readers to navigate. A blog should be easy to navigate and an enjoyable experience for your followers.
Last but not least, don’t be afraid to experiment and change your format. I played with my blogs for a year before I came up with formats that I was finally happy with. The bottom line is that you want to be happy with it, because if you love your design; then you will be more likely to be committed to your readers and to keep up with your blogging.
Happy Blogging and I hope that this helped because this is just another one of my ‘Tools of the Trade.’
My blogs are listed here and http://jackheitmansblog.wordpress.com/