You may notice some subtle changes on JA.O today. Last night I finally bit the bullet and started monkeying with the templates that Typepad uses to frame the site’s content. This is not as easy as one might imagine, which is why I do it so infrequently, but it was time. In fact, at one point I had to circumvent Typepad’s proprietary code and just use a brute force HTML technique, but now it’s done.
Here’s the changes:
1) NEW AWARDS! I’ve added the Catholic Blog Awards I won in 2007 and 2006 to the site. This year I won Smartest Catholic Blog (a new category) and Best Apologetics Blog. Last year I won Most Informative and Best Blog by a Man (categories that weren’t awarded this year) and Best Apologetics.
The awards are now in the right hand sidebar (scroll down). The reason that the 2006es hadn’t been added before now is long and complex, and I won’t try your patience with it (though it has to do in part with the difficulty of revising the templates).
I want to say a big THANK YOU and CHT! to all who nominated JA.O and voted for it! I really appreciate it, and it means a lot to me that people would find the work I do here valuable enough to vote for it. That kind of support from readers really helps me keep going.
2) Correspondingly, I’ve removed the 2005 award from the banner at the top of the page. It’s now down with the other awards in the sidebar.
3) I’ve fixed the search feature that’s at the top of the right-hand sidebar. I used to use a search service that never was really spiffy and that for some time hasn’t worked at all (it seems). It had gotten to the point that I had given up using the search feature altogether and was just using Google when I needed to search my archives. So now that I was fixing the templates, I decided to chuck the old search feature and replace it with Google (customized so that it searches JA.O)! This should make it a lot easier on everyone (me included) wanting to search old entries!
4) I flipped the order of the "Recent Posts"and "Recent Comments" elements in the sidebar as well. Experience showed me that I spent more time looking down at the Recent Comments than I did looking up at the Recent Posts, since comments change more often than posts do, so I put Recent Comments on top. This should also avoid people with certain screen resolutions from having to scroll down to see the comments, again making it easier on all.
So those are the changes. Hope you like them, and thanks again!
Enjoy!
P.S. Apologies if blogging is slow today due to monkeying with the templates.
Jimmy,
Nice changes!
Great to see you’ve finally posted your awards, too! ;^)
The only problem is that your 2005 award is still appearing on the top of your blog page. Could you remove it?
The top of a webpage is what visitors see first and foremost and, therefore, significant. If new visitors were to come to your blog (especially in the case of those scanning the Internet for reputable Catholic websites to consult) and only see the 2005 award, they’ll think it’s the only one you’ve won unless they actually bother to page down to where your other awards are featured.
Just a suggestion though, could you place your awards on the left panel under your picture? That way, new visitors can see them right away and know the site they’re visiting carries certain credibility and a respectable reputation.
I would’ve suggested the top right panel, but you rightly placed the Recent Comments there, which is very convenient and well done.
Do you truly believe your blog is the smartest one on the net? Even more brilliant than the insight offered by Ignatius? If you don’t, then it would be best to say “no” to an award which is not true. If you do, then I can say — the award isn’t true.
On the subject of Blog changes, I was curious as to the total disappearance of Michelle Arnold from the blog. I don’t recall any mention being made of her going away, but now I see that she’s no longer listed as a co-blogger. Anyone have any info as to what happened?
Jimmy, thanks for all that work to make the changes. They will make life easier, especially the new search feature. Good to see your work recognized in your well deserved awards.
oops, that last one was me.
Neat changes, Jimmy.
I especially appreciate the new Google search feature, as I had given up on the old search a while ago and, like you, just went direct to Google, which worked very well.
Congratulations again, not so much on the awards, but for success in maintaining such a helpful and high quality site. I know you have a lot of demands on your time, and that you could be spending your blogging time in ways more personally profitable to you.
Thanks.
Great job, and congrats on the awards. LOVE the new google feature as well.
Congratulations on the awards. I stop by your blog frequently (and have it up on mycatholic.com home page just to check your posts). Like the new look and everything seems to be working OK!
lurker delurking –
I emailed Jimmy about that when I noticed and asked if she would still be contributing:
“She may from time to time, but didn’t feel that she could do so regularly at this point and asked me to de-list her name.”
Yes, subtle indeed. Most subtle. A certain Je ne sais quoi.
“Do you truly believe your blog is the smartest one on the net? Even more brilliant than the insight offered by Ignatius? If you don’t, then it would be best to say “no” to an award which is not true. If you do, then I can say — the award isn’t true.”
Huh?? I don’t think Mr. Akin has much of say in which awards he won. In fact, the main factor in who won the awards seems to be the preference of readers. Mr. Akin runs an superb blog here and is most worthy of the “Smartest Blog” award.
Jimmy,
Great to see you were able to finally remove the 2005 award from the top of the page!
I can’t help but notice though that the 2007 award that’s for Best Apologetics Blog came out as “Best Apologetic Catholic Blog”!
It almost reads as if this blog is the best Catholic blog for being so sorry! ;^)
Again, I can’t say it enough, but congratz on such well-deserved awards, Jimmy! Keep up the awesome work and insights!
One could say “I do not deserve the award,” and reject it.
Anonymous, do you have a personal objection to Jimmy winning that award?
Yes, he does, Edward. He’s a psycoanalyst’s dream. He probably also believes that Blessed Mother Teresa should have declined the Nobel Peace Prize. Just pray for him and have pity on him.
Anon –
About your rant:
One could say “I do not deserve the award,” and reject it.
Have you ever heard of false humility???
Also, did you ever hear that acknowledging such recognitions can be an opportunity to humbly acknowledging the work of Christ and the talents he had given to such an individual?
You’re not thinking any of this through at all, but, for some odd reason (perhaps personal?), continue to harp on this.
If you are truly against such recognitions for a job well-done, then I hope that you actually practice-what-you-preach and that if ever your employer were to reward you with a promotion and/or raise, that you tell your employer that you flat out reject it because such recongition is, like you said in the other thread, merely self-congratulatory and that you want to act with such humility and that expect your reward in Heaven rather than on earth.
Congrats on the awards. Well-deserved. Though I still don’t like the format and all the categories they came up with.
And the new search is good. I was already using google advanced search with domain narrowed down to jimmyakin.org. This will make things much easier.
Anon – your comments have a sore loser quality to them.
My humble opinion is that you read this blog on a daily basis and smarten up.
kaneohe:
Great to see you’re still out there, brother!
Although you may not be Catholic, I still hope (and pray) that one day you do!
But, regardless, it is nice to have your presence still and hope that God take cares of you in all you do! =^)
I like the changes.
Congratulations, Jimmy! I voted for you in every category and you are the first (and sometimes, only) blog I read every day. You most certainly deserve the smartest blog award–in all sincerity I can’t understand half the stuff you write about (you have smart commenters, also).
Aloha Jimmy, my heartfelt congratulations on your recent awards. I am not Catholic, but truly hope to be one of your brothers soon. Your blog is part of my daily life – it has offered me so much hope, understanding, and yes – more questions than I can often handle – but that’s the wonder of it all!
Throughout the day, as I pondered your “smartness” this came to mind:
“Wisdom was created before all other
things,
and prudent understanding from
eternity.
There is but one who is wise, greatly
to be feared,
seated upon his throne –
the LORD.
It is he who created her and took her measure;
he poured her out upon all his
works,
upon all the living according to his gift;
he lavished her upon those who
love him.”
Sirach 1: 4-10
Well, it sure looks like He gave that cowboy hat to you!
Grace and peace.
A thankful friend.
Aloha Esau, thank you for the kind words.
I check Jimmy’s blog daily and am often wonderfully overwhelmed by many people’s comments and helpful offerings!! Obviously, not being Catholic I am unable to comment on most topics, but that does not mean I am not learning and constantly being inspired.
I always look for your wise, to the point (and not to mention usually entertaining zaps!)
Please keep me in your prayers, as I do all of you in mine.
Have a passionate Lent.
Grace and peace.
Thanks for fixing the search feature. I was getting pretty frustrated with the old one. Google rocks!