Two Column or Three Column Blog Templates

There are a lot of blog folks convinced that you need a three column template for your blog. Some feel that it makes a blog look more professional, others that it allows you an additional sidebar to place links, and advertisments etc and of course more advertisments make money from your blog...or at least one would think so.

I am not going to argue that isn't true, but I don't think a three column blog template is as necessary as you may be thinking. For a couple of reasons....

First of all, 3 column templates are usually wider than the usual blog template, and are best viewed on a wide screen display terminal. I admit these screens are getting more common but think of the millions of folks still using a 17 inch monitor or even smaller. Laptop monitor screens for example. Many of them are not that big.

If someone is reading your blog on a smaller screen and you have three columns that go off the sides of their screen they may miss some important stuff, like you Adsense advertisements or affiliate links.

Three column blog templates also put a lot of information on one page, which can be good, but, depending on what it is and the layout it can be distracting, or as the expression goes, 'too much information' which means that readers may actually miss the stuff you want them to see.

I have come across three column template blogs that are easy to read, and the flow is fine, and all that. But on the other hand, with my 17 inch monitor, there are just as many that aren't acceptable, or easily read, and I find them annoying at best as I have to manipulate the screen to see everything, sliding back and forth. You know what I mean.

I have often been guilty of leaving some stuff to the experts as well. I find myself asking the question, "if a three column blog is the best, why doesn't Blogger provide me a three column template?" Currently they don't. That leaves me of the idea that Blogger doesn't think they are necessary for blogging success, perhaps because they too realize that not everyone has a big screen monitor.
I assume if the demand is eventually there, especially if bloggers start asking for one, eventually Blogger will provide one, and who knows I might try it.

A two column template is much easier to navigate as far as I am concerned. The links, advertisements, and anything else I might be interested in, is included in one sidebar, either right or left. The column is easy to scroll without thinking that I might be missing something. Also, the more focused look of two columns, forces the reader to a choice of your posts or your sidebar. Sometimes this can be a good thing.

I think the three column approach is a favorite among bloggers who feel that the three column format takes away from the 'cookie cutter' templates, which are commonly used. Therefore, it feels more professional, more like a website than a blog, which has a little less lofty connotation. There may be something to that, but what's wrong with a blog looking like a blog? After all, your readers are coming to your blog to mainly to read what you have to say, or look at the pictures you post first and foremost. To me, successful blogs all come back to the same thing, the quality of the content and usefulness of the content.

All the above being said, I have found directions to change a two column Blogger template to a three column Blogger template and you can too over at Blogger Buster

I can't guarantee the directions, and I think it only works with certain Blogger templates, but if you are interested in changing your Blogger blog to a three column template, it might be worth investigating.

On another, totally unrelated to anything note, I just caught the end of a special on Bravo about Elvis, I think it was called, Elvis, By The Presleys. It featured Elvis singing what was in my mind one of his greatest songs, although one of the ones least heard of, from his 1968 Comeback Special, and the song was called, "If I Can Dream" Oh my the guy could sing......I told you it was totally unrelated.....

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