Appropriate Website Design

I've been working on a new blog template, and thinking a lot about what kind of design I want to use. And just as importantly, what kind of design the people who might read my blog would be most comfortable with. Doing all that thinking made me hungry, so I made myself a beautiful roast beef and tomato sandwich. But nevermind that. The important thing is that while I was eating that sandwich (damn it was good!) I was thinking that I really don't want to use a pre-made template that makes my site look ultra-professional or anything like that. Because, well, basically because I'm not ultra-professional! I'm just a regular guy sitting here in my boxers, a t-shirt and my favourite baseball cap, blogging about things that interest me.

So when I read a blog entry about design appropriateness by Peter Merholz, I could really understand what he was saying. Sure, as web users there are times when it's important that a site look professional and corporate. It helps create trust and credibility. But sometimes we're more likely to trust somebody who's 'just like us.' That's why we like blogs that feel more personal and less corporate.

I think people interested in things like affiliate marketing need to keep this in mind. Sure, some affiliates have a lot of success by creating a site that looks like a big corporate e-commerce site, but that's not the only way to do it. I'm not saying the site has be ugly or hard to use, but sometimes it works to have a more 'personal' look and feel, and trying to get more of a 'one on one' experience for your visitors.