Top 10 Things on My Blog Theme Wishlist
Posted by Ileane Smith in Blogging, Blogging Tips, Guests Posts, WordpressI started blogging a little over a year ago and those of you who have been following me, you’ll be pleased to learn that I graduated from free hosted blogs on WordPress.com and Blogger to a full- fledged blog on self-hosted WordPress and my own domain. My new blog Basic Blog Tips was officially launched a few weeks ago and I’ve been adding new posts regularly in addition to importing a few gems from the archive of Ms. Ileane Speaks and 2 BuddyPress blogs at the Blogging Wire.
During my stint at Blogging Wire I was able to dabble with plugins to some degree, but it was a major struggle to get themes and blogs working together as one cohesive unit on BuddyPress. I must admit, I continue to fuss with coordinating plugins, themes and widgets even with WordPress 3.0.1 code name Thelonious! I’m sure some of you experienced headaches when themes and plugins collide on your WordPress blogs too. Here’s my wish list for true Theme/Plugin/Thelonious harmony.
- Built in Social widgets – nice looking, bold social icons in a sidebar widget that includes Google Buzz and Blip.fm
- H1 tags that are smaller than the font for the post title – is it just me or do people always mistake your H1 tag for your post title?
- Custom header area – many themes have this feature and rightfully so
- Subscribe to Comments – It took almost 2 full weeks before I noticed I need to download a plugin for this (honestly I think this should be part of the core in Thelonious).
- Comment counts – comment counts should follow the authors name and date! I’m using the Digg Digg plugin as a temporary solution
- Webmaster Authentication code fields for every search engine – there’s plenty of plugins to help manage SEO for WordPress in fact there’s WAY TOO MANY! It’s going to take me another 6 months just to pick the one I like.
- Google Analytics insertion field – DOH! What blog owner doesn’t want to play around in GA!
- Favicon insert option – this is another no-brainer. Besides Blue Host doesn’t have the cutest little favicon so it’s gotta go!
- Multiple Sidebar options – sometimes one sidebar is not enough; this is another feature that most themes probably include already.
- Free – yes I said it! I want all of this is a free theme.
It’s very likely that I’ll never find all the features from my wish list in a free theme but maybe this post will inspire one talented theme developer to start working on one. Plugins and toolbars are great but we all know how they can slow down page load times especially if you have an abundance of them.
Now that you’ve seen my wish list, what’s on yours?
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Twitter: my_frugal_ways
says:
Definitely agree with #10 =)
Twitter: BasicBlogTips
says:
plin, I hear you!
Twitter: z3olyte
says:
theres a way to resize the font size of the heading tags… you’ll need to code them manually using span style in the post editor.
I would like built in social widgets as well in my sidebar.. anything with lesser coding
Cindy recently posted..Scott Pilgrim Now on iPhone and iPad
Twitter: BasicBlogTips
says:
Cindy, when I grow up I’m going to learn how to code like you! In the meantime I still need help…LOL!
Ileane recently posted..Basics Of Theme Selection For A Blog
Twitter: dragonblogger
says:
These are all very nice items for a free theme, I would add the ability to put custom banner URL in the theme options, and maybe even have a sidebar ad widget in the theme. But I found I had to just make about 100 modifications to my own CSS to achieve what I wanted. Particularly regarding images and alignments, margins, padding….etc
I agree that subscribe to comments should be a default.
Justin Germino recently posted..Dragon Blogger Review of Up in the Air
Twitter: Ileane
says:
Justin, your blog has such a custom feel that it’s pretty obvious that you put a lot of work into it, and it really looks great. Do you ever post any CSS tutorials? I’d love to check them out. Let me know when you get a chance.
Thanks!
Ileane recently posted..Ileane posted an update- The BloggerLuv daily is available http-paperli-ileane-bloggerluv This Trailblazers daily is smoking too! http-paperli-basicblogtips-trailblazers &60&60Good Stuff
Twitter: WaynesBNP
says:
Yea, there are some good free themes out there, but I took the plunge and slapped a premium theme on my blog. Reason being? If there is a good free theme with all those features, everyone would begin to use it and everyone’s blog would look alike! At least with a premium theme, that seperates an entire segment who don’t want to pay for them.
Wayne Howard recently posted..Response cached until Mon 16 @ 0:52 GMT (Refreshes in 56 Minutes)
Twitter: Ileane
says:
Hey Wayne, which theme did you end up getting? btw – love the new avatar!
Ileane recently posted..Basic Blog Tips for New Bloggers
Twitter: DennisEdell
says:
Why do you want two H-1 tags in one article?
Dennis Edell recently posted..Welcome To The All New DennisEdellcom!
Twitter: BasicBlogTips
says:
Hi Dennis, I’ve been seeing you on the net a lot today! I want the font for the H1 tag to be smaller than the font for the post title, that’s all.
Ileane recently posted..My Favorite Chrome Extensions
Twitter: marketifyblog
says:
Nice wishlist Ileane. Oh, about the two h1 tags, Dennis, Google actually allows us to have two h1 tags in the post. You can use two h1 to mark something important, says your blog title and comment section, etc
Mike recently posted..All in one guide to increase your blog backlinks with CommentLuv
Twitter: BasicBlogTips
says:
Hi Mike, thanks for sharing the info about Google and the H1!
Ileane recently posted..Establish Branding For Your Blog With A Gravatar
Twitter: DennisEdell
says:
That’s the first I’ve heard of that, I’ll have to bring it up to my SEO. I’ve recently started outsourcing it and she (a whiz at SEO) kinda balked at me for having two.
Perhaps I misunderstood. Can you point to something in writing from Google?
Dennis Edell recently posted..Update 1 – What DEDC is About
Twitter: creative_ace
says:
That’s a lot for a free theme. I think you’re biggest issue is going to be #6. If you find one that works for all search engines, ring me.
I’m with Dennis on the H1. What do you want the Post title (i.e. H1) to be smaller than. To change it, it’s simply a matter of going into your CSS and changing the size from the default to something smaller (e.g. H1 = 22px to H1 = 16px).
Scratching my head on H1, but ya got me thinkin’…hmmmm
CJ recently posted..Poll STILL OPEN!!
Twitter: BasicBlogTips
says:
Hi CJ, about changing the CSS – sooner or later I’m going to start coding because if I end up getting a paid theme, most likely I’ll come up with a whole new wish list
Ileane recently posted..Google Buzz Extension & Wibar Widget
Twitter: creative_ace
says:
That’s how it all starts, just a little tinkering here and there and the next thing you know, BAM! You’re coding a whole theme.
CJ recently posted..Poll STILL OPEN!!
Twitter: DennisLarine
says:
A nice list. If I ever decide to make my own theme (I’ve been thinking about it for a while), I’ll definitely include most of these features in it.
Dennis recently posted..Application Icons Need To Be Realistic
Twitter: BasicBlogTips
says:
YEAH!! Thanks Dennis. Keep me posted on Twitter ok?
Ileane recently posted..Hosted Blogs vs Free Ones- Is there Really a Difference and Which One Should You Opt For
Twitter: colleenlane
says:
Along the lines of the custom header area, I would like to see easier image management for the header. In our theme, it’s a bit of a chore to change header images.
Colleen recently posted..City of Pasco WA Parks and Recreation Sports Clinics and Classes
Twitter: Ileane
says:
Hi Colleen, that’s a great one to add to the list. Inserting the image in the header should be much more user friendly. Thanks!
Ileane recently posted..My Favorite Chrome Extensions
Twitter: AnneOnline
says:
It’s so hard to find a theme with everything one wants. I gave in and bought Headway and it’s highly customizable, but almost too customizable. Is there really such a thing? lol But, on one of my other blogs I have the plug-in Favicon in place. http://emyl.fr/ongame/poker/plugin-favicons/ I found it through WordPress’ plug-in page, but the site shows you a nice snapshot of how it works.
I would love a custom header option that allows rotation of image and/or different headers for different pages. I have ideas and no idea how to implement them.
Anne Bender recently posted..The Wedding- 10 Years in the Making
Twitter: DennisEdell
says:
It’s funny you mention that Anne. I recently purchased FlexSqueeze for future blogs (the developer version for future clients).
While all the features are child-simple to customize, there area LOT of them.
Some cool header options you mention there, I’ll have to browse FS to see if it does it.
Dennis Edell recently posted..A Personal Post – Do Not Skim
Twitter: Bikergal78
says:
Your my hero!! Wish I used WordPress though. I’m on Blogger. Although there are some really cool items I’ve been able to get for free also.
Keep up the good work!
Amanda Lakso recently posted..Newly Diagnosed Part 2
Twitter: jronaldlee
says:
I don’t think the “free” part is reasonable. I’ve paid for a couple of premium themes, and may do it again.
I just want control. I want to control every aspect of my design, and don’t want to have to use plug-ins to do it. That’s not been my experience, though, so I’m looking at learning how to do some of what I want myself.
James recently posted..Fortune Cookie
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