Sunday, June 28, 2015

Review of the Fundamentel Home

This week's blog review form the Bloggers Helping Blogger's Link Party was The Fundamental Home





Header:

I don't like how the header is longer than the blog. I think they should be the same size and line up evenly.

I like the changing pictures on your home page. I feel like I got to know you a bit in looking at your family.  That was fun.

The header is large and caught my attention immediately...always a good thing.  There may be a little too much green and I think it might look better if you made the middle stripe white.  This could just be my personal preference though.



I don't like that the header runs off the right side of the page. The fonts and colors look a little outdated, but with the niche of the blog, I get that they're earthy and natural looking. I do like the burlap-looking background of the header.

I like the header.  It is attractive, serene, and is a good graphic representation of what the blog is about.

I love the photo slideshow that illustrates every major theme, in the same order as the index pages.  The photos themselves are very attractive, and they relate well to their embedded links.


Sidebar (Arrangement and Appearance)

I love "About Us" is right at the top, followed by the social media buttons. I do wish the sidebar started right under the header and that the menu preview didn't stretch across the page. I don't see a search button, which is a huge deal, and I'm not sure why there are social media buttons AND widgets for all the social media platforms, too. That seems like overkill.

I like how you have the about us right at the top of your sidebar. But I think it looks a little busy with the twitter feed, and I think you should make your popular posts more prominent - larger or darker font and larger images.

I might recommend putting the "Top Posts and Pages" section higher up and more prominent.

 loved the about me section with the picture of your family and also loved the location at the top of the sidebar.  You may want to choose a darker shade of green for your post links to make them easier to read.


How easy it is to follow on social media

It's very easy to follow you on social media.  Your social media buttons are easy to find and you have additional spots to make it easy to connect with you on Twitter, FB and Pinterest.

It's VERY easy to follow on social media, considering the buttons and the widgets.

Content

The most relevant to me was How I Feed My Family Of 5 For Under $100 a Month series.  You have some awesome tips and I enjoyed reading them. 

The posts are LONG. I suggest either teasing a few paragraphs with a "read more" link, or at the very least adding more photos, using more bullet points or lists, something. There are just a lot of words broken up by... nothing. I read the first story, Preparing for a Medical Emergency, and found it to be mostly the story of the hospital visit. There were a few tips at the end (this would be an ideal place for bullets or a numbered list) but they wouldn't apply to a lot of people (most people have cell phones, don't have college-age kids without licenses, etc.

I read the second post, about groceries, and really wished the numbered list was more obvious (it just looked like more rows of text). This would also be an easy place to insert photos because it's just so text heavy.

Great advice on Summer School for Homeschool.  However, it was really long.  I stopped reading about a third of the way down.  Try adding some headings to break up the content to allow for skimming.  Also, try shortening your pieces.  There’s great content in there just lost amid the text.

I am amazingly impressed with you feeding a family of 5 for under $100 a month.  That’s mind blowing.



Being from the city (DC metro area like you!) and am now the dweller of one of the largest cities in the world (and the largest on the continent of Africa) homesteading is a mystery to me.  I appreciated learning a bit about your adventures and look forward to applying a few tips as we head to the States for a Stateside assignment.  

I have spoken in a number of churches in Appalachia and always love it.  It’s so beautiful and peaceful there.  

Next I clicked around on the index pages and dove into the "How I Feed My Family of Five for Under $100 Every Month" series.  Wow!  Honesty.  Personal Responsibility.  Discipline.  Sacrifice.  Conviction.  I will read every word.

How easy it is to read (fonts, etc.)

I think the green font in the sidebar is a little harder to read because it's too light.

The fonts are easy to read, though you may want to break up the posts with more pictures if possible. 

The font could be a size larger. The color is nice, and it's easy to spot hyperlinks. Again, though, the lack of something to break up the long posts makes it difficult to read.


How easy it is to navigate, and find what you are looking for.

Your navigation is great.  I love the categories and subcategories...they are precise and make it very easy to find what you're looking for.

There's no search bar! I LOVE the scroll to top button (going to have to get one of those) and the menu at the top seems to cover everything.

Overall appearance

My very first impression of the blog is extremely favorable.  Why?  It has a clean, uncluttered, orderly appearance.  It has just what you need above the fold:  an attractive header, a statement that tells you what this blog is about, index pages, and nice looking photos.  



Yes, this blog has ads, but I had to "work" to find them.  Clearly this blogger cares more about sharing content than monetizing her blog.


I would suggest using a “Read More” link for your home page.  That way I can see several of your most recent posts quickly

Since your header is such a big part of your home page, I think you might want to add a second color to liven it up a little.  Perhaps if you made the stripe in the middle white or off white, you could have your name in a different color.

Overall, it looks pretty clean but also dated. I suggest updating the header, even with something basic from PicMonkey. There are plenty of scripty fonts that look a little more updated, a little less DIY church bulletin.


Other comments or suggestions

You post a lot which is fantastic.  I don’t know how you post as often as you do, homeschool your kids, and take care of your house.  You are super woman.

Your scroll-to-top button- and the fact that it works- is genius. Add a search box. Overall, you have a lot of great content to offer.

How can you make a blog look homey and tech savvy all at the same time?  I am jealous.  :)

This is a great blog.  Nice job, Amanda!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...