Friday Idea #2
Leading on from Idea #1 comes the CSS idea.
I don’t know of a resource inside wordpress.com that has sandbox css available. I may be wrong.
If I had custom css but I wanted to change it, there is nowhere really that I could ‘donate’ my current css to. I might want to start over but let someone else start from my base. Of course there is nothing stopping me (or anyone) from taking someone else’s css but that’a bad form, not good. And you would be found out here probably.
Someone will say this is about getting more people to buy the upgrade – and it is not. I think that there are a lot of people who want to make the jump to a custom theme and would pay the $15 but the thought of doing a whole theme is daunting. I learnt to do css by looking and playing with other people’s code. While that can be done here the ability to save is pretty important – which would be there with the upgrade, and starting with something that works is always going to make that learning curve seem less steep. Does that make sense?
So if all that does make sense, is there are mileage in saying “Please link to your css from here (being a page in the FAQ)” and again people see it, you get traffic and you get a credit whenever it is used. The licensing of themes is another discussions but it comes down to the same thing as idea #1 – making more resources for fellow bloggers. (This does have a potential support element but that can be made clear in the faq).
Thoughts?
December 15, 2006 at 3:33 pm
I think what would work is more of a database for hosting CSS with a theme switcher for checking them out.
Definitely a good idea.
Unfortunately, with the paid upgrade you can’t link to a specific style sheet… you can only cut and paste it in.
December 15, 2006 at 4:02 pm
But if I said “Here’s my css file” then it could indeed be a c/p into the editor? And very easily altered too.
December 15, 2006 at 4:25 pm
Yup, so what we need is a database of CSS files.
oh, and tag: http://engtech.wordpress.com/2006/12/15/five-things-you-don%e2%80%99t-know-about-me-meme/
December 15, 2006 at 4:45 pm
I think it’s a great idea!
I also think linking designers who want to write Custom CSS for you for a fee should be listed on a special “builders” page. Let them pay for access to that page and let them set their fees in public and link their examples so we can hire who we like right there on the spot with a click.
December 15, 2006 at 5:10 pm
engtech, I’m seeing a page just like the presentation page we have already. There would be a link to the blog of the person who designed it and on that blog would be the link to the CSS.
So it’s screenshot of //engtech, link to //engtech and on //engtech is the code. All the linky goodness and traffic goes to the authors.
The person then copies that CSS directly into the CSS screen.
So we don’t need a database, just a list and as much control stays with the authors. They can license as they see fit. What we don’t need to do is bring hassle into this, just simplicity. I just think a neutral and presistent place to host the screenshots would be useful.
December 15, 2006 at 7:12 pm
it sounds like a decent resource. matt originally asked me to tag my custom CSS posts with a customCSS tag, which i passed on to wank (she’s now the featured blog
), but i think he gave up on doing anything with that tag.
December 16, 2006 at 2:22 pm
how do I get my own name back instead of this person whojust happened to comment on my blog. I am not tyler, i am kavips