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The new blog teamTM is nearing completion of an off-site replacement for the soon to be ex-blog on blogoverflow. As suggested, we'd like to talk about the design of the blog.

Currently, StackExchange has the SF/F blog themed to look like the rest of the site - same color palette, same images, etc. We could attempt to mimic this look as closely as possible (we might be able to get the entire theme, this is still an open question) and the new blog will look basically the same as our current one.

Alternatively, we could attempt to use a more standard WordPress theme that also fits the main site's overall "feel" but with a different layout or structure. Or the blog could go a completely different direction. (Wordpress has zillions of themes to pick from plus we can tweak the CSS at will.)

Any opinions, please speak up!

(For reference, the "prototype" for an off-site blog is World Building. Their original blog design appears to be distinct from their site design, but word is they are attempting to incorporate more of the main-site elements into their blog. Take that for what it's worth.)

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  • 2
    Is there a "Buffy" theme available?
    – Valorum
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 18:28
  • 3
    Probably. Wordpress themes are like porn: if you can think of it, someone's made it.
    – KutuluMike
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 18:45
  • Fair enough. My money is on a Buffy themed blog; fandom.candaceduffyjones.com/files/2012/04/…
    – Valorum
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 18:52
  • 6
    My money is NOT on a Buffy-themed blog. Let's keep it simple and effective so we can focus on writing great content.
    – Thaddeus Howze Mod
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 18:57
  • 2
    @Valorum And what about all the SFF.SE users who aren't interested in Buffy?
    – Rand al'Thor Mod
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 19:15
  • 1
    @Valorum Anything can be done, for the right price.
    – Jack B Nimble
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 19:23
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    @Randal'Thor you're right. Definitely a Star Wars theme, then.
    – KutuluMike
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 19:43
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    @JackBNimble - I can pay you in badges.
    – Valorum
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 19:43
  • 1
    @Randal'Thor - Their views are clearly unworthy of consideration.
    – Valorum
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 20:15
  • Worldbuilding has permission to use the site design on our blog; our graphics person is a little busy right now and so it's still pending.
    – Monica Cellio
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 21:57

3 Answers 3

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We should stick with what works; keep the blog as close as possible to the current layout. If possible, clone the theme exactly.

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  • +1. If we want to make design changes, we can discuss that at a different time. There's no point in making this transfer any more complicated than it has to be.
    – Rand al'Thor Mod
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 18:21
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    @Randal'Thor the only counterpoint here is that getting the existing theme to us and loading it on the new blog is work on both sides; if we're going to change the theme, now would be the time to do it...
    – KutuluMike
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 18:40
  • (for the record, I like our existing theme and think we should keep it, even if it means some extra work to do so)
    – KutuluMike
    Commented Oct 20, 2016 at 19:13
  • So, this was almost what happened. We were given the exact theme... but, that theme was very outdated and included a lot of PHP code and other stuff meant to interact with StackExchange, which simply doesn't exist off-site. Adapting a different theme was much easier, had less "junk" code and overhead, and also allows for better mobile browsing. Fonts, colors, images, etc. etc. were copied as much as possible.
    – user31178
    Commented Mar 7, 2017 at 1:22
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This is related, on the expectation that a designer/developer is assigned to help us, but I'd like scifi.blogoverflow.com to redirect to the new one when the time comes.

This is operating under the assumption that the blogoverflow.com site will continue to operate as it currently does (for the podcast, announcements, etc).

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The site should maintain as much of the look as possible, but some improvements should be made where they can.

For instance, the existing blog is not mobile friendly, and that should change.

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    No part of SE is mobile-friendly. Why break with tradition?
    – Valorum
    Commented Oct 21, 2016 at 8:19
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    Dunno what mobile you're using! Mobile site and app work great for me. I do almost all my reading on my phone.
    – user31178
    Commented Oct 21, 2016 at 8:27
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    The mobile app is ok for reading, unusable for posting. If I need to post an actual answer, I tend to switch to desktop mode and just put up with the ᵗᶦᶰʸ ʷʳᶦᵗᶦᶰᵍ
    – Valorum
    Commented Oct 21, 2016 at 9:14

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