Yeah, you read it right. THREE-POINT-OHHHHH! Lols. So Impz (despite numerous threats about me disappearing in 2 months due to laziness or alien kidnappings) has allowed me to run rampant all over the site. That’s half the reason I wanted to write here (the other half being our fantastic readers…duh!). To make things short, part of that rampant running has lead to the development of…
A NEW THEME!!!
Honestly, there couldn’t be a more perfect time for it. Spring is here and Shinigami-sama is busy hauling away all manner of dead things, while fresh ideas and innovation are rolling around the brains of bloggers and readers alike. With no further ado, here’s a preview of the theme along with a couple of pics to stir up a bit of excitement and maybe create some new ideas.
NOTE: I’m writing this both for the bloggers AND the readers. Everything may not apply to you, but it applies to THAT, so I guess in the end, it still matters. What I want to ask you, the reader, as you dive into this new theme is: what do you want out of THAT? What features do you always wish we would get, and which ones do you never even bother with?
I’m going to try to be super concise with all this.
The Basics
- I know it says 2.0 right now. Corrections will guarantee you a nice big *MEGA-ANRGY DRILL!!* to the face.
- The goal: Keep a similar layout to the current THAT theme in order to decrease confusion for…well, everyone. General housekeeping (getting rid of things we no longer want/need), implementation of new features, and going for a more “2008/Web 2.0″ look while still maintaining legibility and remembering that we are, at the heart, a text-driven website.
- After some descusion, we decided to stick with a lighter theme (*cough* Calawain). If I can get a proper theme switcher going without to much trouble, you may see some darker options available in the future.
- POSTS ARE WIDER. While the bulky side bar has been slimed down a bit. The site’s total width remains unchanged. (for bloggers, new post width is 690px)
The Footer
- More distinguished footer.
- Footer now contains all “meta” data (Login, RSS Feeds, etc). This frees up space on the sidebar, and we figure you’re all smart enough to keep up with it. I’ll more than likely add an additional Login link near the top of the page for convenience.
Between Posts
- Just gives you an idea of the space between posts, as well as a better look at the sidebar.
- Fonts are along the same lines as those currently used in THAT (web standard default fonts that should be viewable on any computer).
Single Post
- NOTE: the post content moves up, while the post title, info, and etc move into the sidebar.
- Along with the generic post info, all your RSS options, pings, trackbacks, andetc are also right there with the post title.
- Another added feature is the option to view all post by the current author (aside from the usual implemented option on the normal sidebar).
Comments and Post Navigation
- There are commenting/trackback/rss options at the bottom of the post.
- “Browse Timeline” lets you navigate to the next and previous posts, as indicated by the arrows.
- Comments are effective, but nothing too crazy.
Entries Archive
- Just a quick glimpse of what it looks like when you click to read all entries by a certain author.
I just woke up, and I’ve got a whole days worth of continued work with this theme ahead of me, so my apologies if this doesn’t come across as the most amazing post ever. Just wanted to throw it out there a see what kind of feedback I can get before the theme goes live. When the theme does go live, there will be some site downtime, and as with new technological upgrade, there are bound to be bugs and etc that need to be worked out for a week or two. I’m counting on you guys for help/support.
So post away…rip it apart, praise it, scoff at it, love it, whatever…just comment. You can view a demo of the live version at residualmadness.com!
I’m off to go take a walk before I parasitically attach myself to my computer again. (btw…there may not be a ONE-Shot War this week…I know, I know…don’t cry too hard.)
Browse Timeline
- « Choose Your Own Adventure Starring Impz 02 - A Wild Rake Appears!
- » We have fully converted to THAT Anime Blog 3.0!
Comments (27)
[…] finally completed our move from the old template to our current new one as proposed by Rieuzedx earlier in the day. With a new revolution comes a new responsibility. We need your […]
» We have fully converted to THAT Anime Blog 3.0! added these pithy words on Mar 27 08 at 12:44 am…You are a workaholic. Can we clone you?
GARLolicon Extrange added these pithy words on Mar 26 08 at 3:03 amHohohoo nice, I can’t wait to see it in action here. I’m fully for all blogs getting a fresh look. NEW SEASON, NEW YEAR, NEW YOU!
Maybe this will inspire some fresh changes around the place no?
mellow_bunny added these pithy words on Mar 26 08 at 3:11 amRieuz: That looks great. I love the banners too, particularly that one that has the two girls in it.
Mellow: change? But change is scary! NO NOT CHANGE!!!!!1
Lupus added these pithy words on Mar 26 08 at 3:32 amOMG! sxc stuff! I love it! Especially the banners - they’re hot. Man, I wish I got my photoshop program back … and then I could happily make some lovely banners … but no my comp had to get reformatted >_>
Anyway, Vampire Knight Banner = PURE AWESOMENESS! Keep up the good work. Plus, I like change …nothing’s wrong with it.
Blissmo added these pithy words on Mar 26 08 at 4:10 am@Blissmo: Fangirls and Vampire Knight -.-Y
You like Deadman Wonderland? My next Manga Bites is about that manga, hope you enjoy it.
GARLolicon Extrange added these pithy words on Mar 26 08 at 4:14 amSo the RSS feed won’t suck balls with this anymore, I hope? Wonderful.
Owen S added these pithy words on Mar 26 08 at 4:29 am- borrowing extrange’s post…
-
…You are a workaholic. Can we clone you?
we need people like you where i work.
Great job on the new theme. I love the banners, especially the one with traps all in a row! They are so cute.
you mentioned about theme switchers… which theme switcher is it you’re looking for (or I may have just misread that you are still looking for one)? i think i still have the one that allows the public to switch themes and the other one that makes theme switching seamless from the admin side. things i got some place else. I could get really lazy sometimes and use what’s available instead of me writing my own. I would have to look through my files, though. 
send me an email through the address i provided posting here if you still do, i’ll send it over. 
the archive dropdown containing the months and the number of entries each month has is a good idea and i see that there are more entries placed at the front page… it allows the readers to see the latest posts. only that… scrolling down to the last post feels like it is taking so long. you might want to consider a “back to top” link after each summary, or consider a link of the last few posts at the sidebar along with the archive dropdown or as a separate field.
the wider post area is pleasing to the eyes and the links to the recent comments posted separated by a line is just superb! can’t wait for this to be implemented. Congratulations!
I like it! Looks a lot cleaner now, and things seem easier to find. I also liked the Trap banner =D. Thanks for posting up what changed and why you decided to make those changes.
Kabitzin added these pithy words on Mar 26 08 at 7:10 amAw, get rid of the Firefox ad. If your theme is as good as it should be, it would support all major browsers, regardless of what the visitor is using, whether that be IE7, FF2, FF3, Opera, Safari, Flock, or something we never heard of.
Otherwise, it looks pretty nice. I’m glad the Spam Karma 2 thing at the footer has been removed; who really cares about how much spam it has caught?
I see there still are some issues; hope you fix them all and it works out well.
By the way, is this an original theme or a modified theme? If it is the latter, you’ll still want to put credit to the original designer.
IcyStorm added these pithy words on Mar 26 08 at 7:22 am@Extrange
I just like design…annnd the OCD won’t let me stop!.
@ mellow
I’m hoping that the theme just is just the start of THAT becoming more user friendly and blogger friendly. I’m gonna need several days rest on the new Wii I should be getting tomorrow after all this though.
@Lupus
Thanks man…glad I got some banner input. Two girls banner stays now. Hehe.
@Blissmo
Lols. Thanks for the OMGs and the !!!! xD Maybe user made banners could be a possibility one day…
@Owen S
I don’t really use RSS for anything, so you and I should have a conversation about the RSS feeds. I need someone who uses them to let me me know what would make them better.
@KaeBoo
I’m looking for one that let’s the users switch themes. That way we could have 2-3 version of 3.0 that you could choose from. ie: there’s a sexy dark version of this theme that’s just gonna go to waste unless we can grab a theme switcher. Also, the post count on the front page will be back down to 5 when it’s one the actual site.
@Kabitzin
Thanks. Trap banner ftw!
@IcyStorm
As far as I know, the theme work fine in all browsers…I just like to promote firefox ’cause it rocks. Annnd…it’s a modded theme, as you would know if you read the credits right below that firefox ad. (may still get rid of firefox ad).
@all
Updating post with resolved issues.
Mmmm I use Google Reader to do our RSS feed for entries and comments and I have no problems with it…
Calawain added these pithy words on Mar 26 08 at 10:56 amrieuzedx: Well, it’s got to do with how your blog displays your RSS feed, really. I’d recommend the Full Text Feed plugin for that purpose, since as it stands right now I’m unable to read any posts on THAT without having to visit the blog itself, and I’m sure I wouldn’t be alone in my appreciation on this one if you got it installed.
Owen S added these pithy words on Mar 26 08 at 11:26 amWould be willing to slightly protest against the unbelievably bright pink link hover color - since the background’s white I’d probably go with my usual green/lighter green or brown/lighter brown, etc. combo - but everything else seems just wonderful and I’m being picky.
There’s a Vampire Knight banner! *gawks*
Myu added these pithy words on Mar 26 08 at 11:58 amJust a suggestion - more for comfort than a necessity - but the current theme goes completely pipistrelle-excrement insane when you resize text ([ctrl] + [+]) to make it more readable on a big screen (using Firefox). You might want to check if this is still the case with the new theme.
IKnight added these pithy words on Mar 26 08 at 12:36 pm@ Owen S
Apparently, with Wordpress 2.5, the RSS feeds problem will no longer be an issue. Honestly, I can’t tell what’s going on with RSS feeds to know what’s what, but until we upgrade to 2.5, I don’t see anything wrong with adding the FTF plugin as long as it doesn’t cause other problems.
@ Myu
Unfortunately, I like the pink. If it’s a readability issue, then I’d take care of it…but as a matter of personal preference, you’re out of luck.
@ IKnight
I tested what you mentioned on the current theme and yes…it goes crazy. Tested on the new one and it seems to work fine until you enlarge the text to just ridiculously large proportions.
I actually like the archive drop down at the top right now and use it every time I visit the site.
I can click on it, and see if the series I am following have recently been added to the latest posts without having to navigate off the page or anything. If I see something I want, I can click on it and go there immediately - for a total of 2 clicks to reach my destination.
Derek added these pithy words on Mar 26 08 at 3:26 pm@rieuzedx
try this link for the theme switcher. I read that it’s an enhanced version of what I was using at my site. email me if you want the older version.
go knock yourself out!
@KaeBoo
I’ll check into that man, thanks!
I already knocked myself out…ugh. Couple of hours of busting my ass to get the theme on the site, followed by a 3-5 day absence during which I’ll be playing my new Wii console. And then…I’ll be crapping myself in happiness over the new season of anime.
Seriously what kind of lame, dead, obnoxious week is this.
*Reix is tired and irritable*
rieuzedx added these pithy words on Mar 26 08 at 6:11 pmwooh~ it looks nice and its gonna make THAT animeblog sexi! (if thats what your lookin for) I love the background the most! everything else is awesome!
choco added these pithy words on Mar 26 08 at 6:43 pmooooohhhh boy! this looks neat. I thought it would take some time before this gets implemented. ~~WOOT!
WTG!
KaeBoo added these pithy words on Mar 27 08 at 12:41 amYAY, we fixed it. I am so proud of Rieudezx…..except for his name. Man, i am bad at hazing newbies T_T
Impz added these pithy words on Mar 27 08 at 12:52 amYou know rieudezx now that you have revealed yourself as a hard worker, be advised that the only way to leave now is death… 
rieuzedx: Great work on the theme! Looks wonderful and fresh, and at the same time it looks just like home with the ordinary theme.
The one thing I would like to see changed is that the author of the post has another color or something that makes him/her stand out in the comment section. Other than that I really like the theme.
manga added these pithy words on Mar 27 08 at 3:19 pmHOLY CRAP, I LOVE THIS SITE!!!!!!11111
New version 3.0 IS LIKE MEGA HOT
exclamation exclamation one one one one
Grats on the design and the time put into this.
heya.. impz.. been ages for me.. hehehe i got something from brazil for you.. heheheh bracelet!!!! i bought a lot of em.. anyway, congratz on this mate..u guys are working very hard.. for me am abit busy now wif my on job training.. and yer i need to save again for my next tripp..heheh cheers!
etineski added these pithy words on Mar 28 08 at 8:11 amhi!
i know that firefox theme’s modded and all, but is it actually available for download? there aren’t that many themes out there that are apple-green.
justam added these pithy words on Apr 24 08 at 6:51 am