User blog comment:Sannse/Sneak Peek at the New Look - Themes/@comment-74.136.136.203-20100922060935

I don't mind large ads. But not in the content space. I suggest putting large ads at the top and bottom of the pages. Also, use one wider column, not 2 or 3 narrow columns. Advertisers probably prefer wider ads over narrow ads in a column. Have the ad follow the reader down the page down the wider column. Right now that column space is empty and unused. Ads following the reader in the column is better than inserting ads in content space. Also, one wider column infringes on content space less than 2 or 3 narrow columns. It also allows for wider ads.

This way advertisers have wider ads in view at all times, and readers have a wider content space. Everyone is happy. Readers can read the content without confusion by ads intermixed in the content space. Sneaky ads that are not indicated as ads disrupt readers. If ads have to be in content space, then please indicate that they are ads. It shouldn't seem that wikis and wiki editors endorse advertisers. This annoys editors greatly. If ads have to be in content space, then please put a border around them, and put "ad" in the caption.

I looked at some of the current layout choices at my 2 blogs (one on blogspot.com and one on wordpress.com), and there are a huge number of choices concerning columns, widths, background images, colors, etc.. They are easy to preview and implement. These blog sites manage to do all this with ads, and they make a profit.

I especially like the width sliders at blogspot.com. See the "Adjust Width" section on this page: http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?answer=176245

It seems that every time I look there are more, not less, free layout options at those 2 very popular blog sites. Wordpress.com allows even further CSS customization. It has an interesting way of dealing with all this complexity. Wordpress.com charges a yearly fee of $15 for custom CSS: http://en.support.wordpress.com/custom-css/

I doubt this would work at Wikia though since no one "owns" a wiki, and therefore many wikis would not keep paying the yearly fee to maintain the custom CSS. Wordpress.com sites go back to free CSS choices if the yearly fee is not paid. Blogspot.com (Google's blogs) and wordpress.com both allow many free layout choices. So I don't see why Wikia can't offer many layout choices, too.

Every wiki is different. The large wiki I work on will not work with an overly-narrow content space. There are many thumbnail graphics and videos down the right side of many pages. There are also many images and videos intermixed with the main text of the pages. Also, there are image and video galleries. For example: http://cannabis.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page - note the many images, videos, formats. http://cannabis.wikia.com/wiki/Santiago - note the image galleries. http://cannabis.wikia.com/wiki/Lima - note the video gallery. http://cannabis.wikia.com/wiki/Seattle - note the videos and graphics intermixed. http://cannabis.wikia.com/wiki/Template:Featured_cities_with_videos http://cannabis.wikia.com/wiki/Buenos_Aires - I didn't make the videos wide. Another editor inserted those, and I stay out of their way. Another reason the content space can not be too narrow.

The single left column on my wiki could be made slightly wider without too many problems. This would allow the wider ads that advertisers prefer. But increasing the number of columns would destroy many pages on my wiki when viewed on my average-size 17-inch monitor. Especially on an international wiki where people of all incomes and monitor sizes visit.