First impressions of my blog? (Is it too black and blue?)

[LuminousTyto]

What do you think?

http://conorjcaldwell.blogspot.com/

 

[veinglory]

I think the banner is too large so your first post does not even appear above the fold. You are also apparently using it despite not having permission from the artist?

 

[Pearl]

The banner is very large and there's no hint of a blog entry to draw the viewer in and read anything. If you have permission to use that image, consider reducing it's size to make viewers see you write blog posts.

 

[magicmint]

I agree the banner is one big poster that isn't necessary. Though I'll admit I like it...
Black back-ground is too much. Like a white background it is too bold.

In terms of content, so far so good. I hope you don't rely to heavily on the "educational" aspect because just about every writers blog I stumble into likes to provide writerly advice that is generally a part of the collective consciousness of the community.

Good luck! Make sure to post updates to your blog and check out other bloggers in the Blog Update sticky!

 

[xcomplex]

It is a bit black and blue and I agree with the others.

Would you be interested to do a guest post by any chance? Check out my blog!

 

[Torgo]

Your banner image is apparently by a guy called Dylan Cole, a matte painter, and I can't find a credit for that image on your site; actually, what I find is a message saying 'I stole this wallpaper from the internet', which feels like fairly poor form to be honest.

 

[Old Hack]

It's not just poor form, Torgo: it's illegal, and people who do this often find themselves in deep trouble, legally and financially. I am not impressed.

 

[paulcosca]

Not to dog-pile on here, but I should also point out that the formatting of the quote you use at the top of the page is incorrect.

If you're going to use quotation marks, then it should look like:
“'A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies,' said Jojen. 'The man who never reads lives only one.'”

Which is pretty inelegant. You might want to consider italicizing instead of using quotes, to cut down on the double quotation marks.

 

[Linda Adams]

The contrast of the light blue text on the background will be very hard for a person with low-vision or a bad computer monitor.

 

[JulianneQJohnson]

The blue text on black background is pretty but makes my old eyes hurt. Too hard to read. Black backgrounds are so last millennium. The art is a problem, both in size and in thievery. Folks have been getting into trouble for taking other people's pics and art and putting it on their blogs. That's why I went for only photos I've taken my own self. Something less tall, that is your own, or royalty-free, would be a better choice.

 

[pyrosama]

I like the banner, it's catching my eye and it's a pleasing display. Two problems for me:

1. The blue text is too dark and the italics isn't working for me.
2. I think you should create a contact page and move your form off the main page. A contact form is usually on the same level as "Home" and "About".

Other than these two things, your page feels like a writing page, it's immersive and intriguing. Great color overall (except the page text font).