… I’ve clearly offended Stephen Glenn which I’m truly sorry for as it was meant in a light-hearted way and I wasn’t singling him out by any means. I set up my little Facebook group (which I haven’t invited anyone to join as it was just a mini-rant really) to highlight that some blogger’s content is being obscured by obtrusive headers which get in the way of the content.
If that is what people want, then fine, but I do find it tiresome to click on a link to a potentially interesting article to be greeted by a massive header which doesn’t have anything to do with why I’m visiting the website.
I don’t accept the argument that other bloggers “do not have the size adjustment facilities” since Paintshop is available on every copy of Windows and there are plenty of free resources available such as Gimp (hat tip: Himmelgarten Cafe). Nor do I accept the argument that because you can’t adjust the size of your images your readers should just lump it. But, as a peace offering, here is Stephen’s header adjusted so that it is 200 pixels high (click for full image):
Peace offering accepted. Too be honest it was on my to do list anyway since the new blogger came online and i added the pic to adjust the size on it. Just don’t they those voting in my poll just now. 😉
I’d been too busy using paint for work purposes tranferring xl tables and charts to PPT to make the amendments myself.
We’ll see how the vote goes and I may end up using it.
Gimp’s great, but it’s a bit more than most people need most of the time.
Try Paint.Net for a nice, free windowsy alternative.
I have joined the league of curmudgeonly blog readers. Overlarge headers are one of the reasons that I syndicate everything to LJ and use style=mine to override people’s layouts. That and all the pink that some people seem to go for…
I just think that blogging is a creative thing and if people want to have big photos in their headers, then why shouldn’t they? We’re all Liberals after all.
I think the Facebook group shocked me a bit because rather than gentle feedback it just pretty much said that these images were an eyesore and should be banned.
I quite like the image of Linlithgow Palace on Stephen’s blog and I also like the Arguments Yard picture on the Real Iain Dale’s.
James, I say this from experience of being married to one for 20 years, (and intending to stay that way), but you are turning into a grumpy old man:-))
Caron, I don’t tjink anybody wants to ban anything. It’s perfectly Liberal to say that you are quite free to have a huge header, but if you DO this will put people off reading your blog in the original format – that’s giving people information.
I know that lots of people don’t like reading white on black – I still have it for my blog because I designed it for ME, but I’m not upset about the people who regularly complain about it, because it’s all feedback from my readership…