Sometimes, An Upgrade Is a Downgrade

Depending upon where you live, you may have noticed the blog design fluctuation in tests the past week or two. Some of you were served a new version of the blog that was more graphic intensive but easier to navigate (or would have been, once it was fully rolled out). I was fairly optimistic about the ability to make it work but, sadly, it was not meant to be.

Valid Code and Server Strain Copyright Thinkstock Once the new template had been published, the advertising earnings remained steady but the “valid” code put a strain on the server so great that it increased the resource demands by a factor of 15 (as in, a 1,500% increase in strain). Even though I pay to have the resources vastly exceed those necessary to maintain current demand, the code just wasn’t doing its job.

This resulted in the Google speedtest, which now directly influences search result rankings, falling off a cliff, dropping to a pathetic 56 out of 100. Had that been permitted to remain in place, it would have only been a matter of time before new visits began to decline.

Add in a conflict with the search engine optimization plug-ins and the cacheing program that distributes the site through Amazon’s cloud network so that it loads faster for visitors and that was the retreat warning. This morning, I rolled back to the previous design, though kept the color scheme of the upgrade.

The blog itself also replaced the landing page. Now, if you go to JoshuaKennon.com you are immediately brought to the most recent blog updates instead of having to click the “blog” link on the menu, which has been deleted. There are still some CSS changes that need to be coded but, for now, this is going to have to work. I won’t sacrifice speed and functionality for aesthetics, even though the latter are important to me.

Other changes include comments automatically closing on articles older than 14 days.

Gilvus

“Other changes include comments automatically closing on articles older than 14 days.”

Meaning we won’t be able to comment on posts older than two weeks? Readers won’t be able to stir discussion or ask for clarification on older posts. Some articles, like mental models, will always be relevant no matter what the age.

Joshua Kennon

I’m testing something; some research I’ve been reading for one of the ecommerce businesses indicates the introduction of scarcity increases overall user interactions with virtual media. It may or may not be permanent. We’ll see.

crabhooves

Interesting! Would you be so kind as to link us this research? I’d love to take a look.

KansasKate

Enjoyed last week’s 2-column layout while it lasted.

Miss the old landing page; landing directly on the most recent blog is like entering a house where, instead of being received in the foyer, one walks through the front door right smack into the living room.

Love the background color — reminds me of French blue shirting.

Strongly dislike the 14-day limit on comments. Much of what you share educates your readers. My years of teaching showed me that the more interactive –physically, verbally, and socially– a class is, the better it is: students’ attendance is better, they learn more in both breadth and depth, they retain more information for longer, and they’re better at applying their new knowledge to new and different situations. Limiting the interaction by closing the comments is sort of like returning to the I-lecture-while-you-listen methodology.

Just my dos centavos…