Ghibli Blog v3.0 Underway

As you can probably see, I'm now working on updating and redesigning the website. Things may look a little messy this weekend, as I work hard to make improvements. Currently, The Ghibli Blog looks a lot like a Japanese website site: very colorful, and very, very crowded. The information overload is a bit much on the eyes, and a lot of good content is passing by unnoticed as a result. This is something I'd like to fix.

Some notes on the project:

* I'm taking advantage of the top menu items for new categories. Videos will list the top video posts on the blog, particularly those Youtube videos that are still active. TV & Film will be the master list of reviews that's currently in the middle column of the main page. Downloads, as you already know, is the master list of fan-translated anime, available for download. I should also add a tutorial for new users. Contact is the same old Contact page. I may shuffle around or add another menu item. And finally, clicking Home lets E.T. fly home in a spaceship made entirely out of Atari cartridges.

* I'm adding some Youtube videos to the middle column, two, maybe three. For now, I'm using some Miles Davis "needledrops" that I recorded last month and uploaded to my Youtube account. This will change to something more Ghibli-related, like short films and trailers.

* I have been experimenting with new template designs, but, frankly, nothing is working out. A couple strong contenders have been tossed out this afternoon. I'm still holding out for the possibility of a new design, but for now this current layout is staying.

* A New Logo? Many of you have been asking for a proper logo to Ghibli Blog, instead of the text title. The only real challenge is space. There's little room on top. If I can insert a graphic that is also transparent (so the background is still visible), I'd like to do that. I'll take measurements, sketch out my ideas, then put it to you, the Ghibli Blog readers, to create.

As always, I'm open to your comments and suggestions. If you have any ideas for making Ghibli Blog the best best it can be, speak up. As always, domo arigatou gozaimasu.