Beyond the content, there are a lot of things I like about Jason Falls’s Social Media Explorer. First, I like his very thin header bar. It gives me lots more “top of the fold” for his site. I like his choice of navigation at the top. (That’s number one.)
The Top Right
I like the top right area where Jason makes it clear that he’d love to further connect and extend the relationship. The entire sidebar is full of awesome like this, but right at the very top, Jason does a great job of showing us that he wants to get in touch.
I really like the custom graphics and the layout he chose, too. It does a lot to tie together the look and feel of the site.
The Category Thing
I really like a recent design choice of Jason’s to put categories front and center on his blog:
Watch for me to incorporate something like this into my next blog design, because I’m so enamored of how Jason did it. It’s so much smarter than just linear blog content. That’s the kind of thinking that he puts behind giving us consistent effort, and because it’s displayed like this, it’s even easier to find the good stuff.
The Video Thing
Jason has cleverly put a video box right on the front page. It draws you in faster. It tells you that he’s available to speak and ready to go. I think it’s another smart move.
Good Ad Placement
Jason is an affiliate for some good products and he promotes these on his primary page. I like his “front and center but below the fold” placement, as it says, “I like these products and think they’re helpful, but my content comes first.” It’s a nice statement.
Content Obviously Matters
Jason’s content is spot on. I’m not working around that. Instead, I’m pointing out how his design elements really do a lot to support the environment around his content. Jason’s been around for a bit, and he’s doing lots of interesting stuff. His blog shows the results of that.
The Exercise Overall
What you might do (besides get into Jason’s blog) is do what I did by visiting and thinking through how some of the blogs you like do what they do. Get in there, look everything over, and see what is useful to you. Determine what might work for you, and what you could do differently for your audience.
It’s a good one to practice.
Related posts:
- How Freelancers are Using Social Media for Real Results
- What Do Social Media Observers, Authors And Bloggers Say About Facebook?
- 8 Tips for a Successful Social Media Cause Campaign
- Social Media Metrics
- 4 Simple Things I’m Sick of Seeing on Twitter
 | Hi, this is Néstor Pabón I'm just a regular "Joe" who discovered internet marketing back in 2004, and by 2005 had replaced my day time job pay check, and doubled it by mid 2006. If you liked this article and would like me to share with you how I make my living online subscribe to my Newsletter for more tips and "insider" strategies. |
