Hey guys,

I’ve done some improvements to my blog and therefore some features are out and some new ones are in. What’s changed:

1. I’ve created a structured monthly archives page to make the sidebar more lighter and allow people to make some sense of it.
2. I’ve replaced the default WordPress^[1] search with a brand new search powered by Google. The default WordPress search was absolutely horrible.
3. No more “smooth loading”^[2] of the content. I had some problems with that feature (videos not showing in Internet Explorer, problems when loading the page, etc.) so I’ve removed it. Hopefully I’ll find a solution soon.
4. The radio doesn’t start automatically anymore. The main reason is the removal of the “smooth loading” feature. If I would have kept the auto-play, the player would have started automatically at each page load and this can be quite annoying. I usually put up a song every time I post so that there is a nice sound background to the post you’re reading. Just start the player yourself from now on. Player is starting just on the homepage, posts feel empty without it.
5. I’ve inserted a tag could in the sidebar (“Could of Life”). Tags were introduced in this new version of WordPress^[1] so I thought I might take full advantage of it.^[3].
6. I’ve inserted a feature that displays the last 5 recent comments on my blog. I’ve made a commitment to reply to all your comments :).^[3].
7. I’ve created a structured links page because the sidebar was too crowded.^[3].
8. Last thing: I’ve added support for Gravatar^[4]. This is how my picture appears next to my comments. Many blogs have support for it, you just have to create yourself an account, specify your blog or personal website and upload a picture. No complex configuration, or any other rubbish.

Please let me know what you think and if something else needs to be changed. I’m all ears :)

That’s it for today,
The Lion^[5].

1. The publishing software I’m using. [»] [»]
2. Was done trough Ajax for the more technically inclined of you. [»]
3. This happened a month ago. [»] [»] [»]
4. Globally recognized avatar. [»]
5. And no, I’m NOT gonna write a ‘Happy New Year’ sort of post. [»]