We know what you're thinking: "What the H-E-double-hockey-sticks happened to my Autoblog?" We brought the old girl into the shop for a few upgrades, and here she is all decked out with her new mods. We'll go through everything that's new in a moment, but first we should tell you why these changes were made.
Was Autoblog broken? No, but we have steadfastly stuck with the traditional blog format since the site's inception in July 2004. The vertical nature of a blog is our favorite way to consume news and will always be at the foundation of how we present our content, but there's one thing about being a blog we don't like.
New posts get published at the top of the home page and race down to the bottom as newer ones are published, and older posts may as well be gone forever once they leave the front page. There are lots of posts we publish that should have a shelf life longer than half a day, posts like new vehicle reviews, first drives, auto show coverage, etc. Instead of falling off the first page cliff, they should go somewhere on the site that's easy to find.
Thus, we decided to expand Autoblog. Now, in addition to scrolling up and down the page, you can visit other areas off to the side that keep all of our premium content near the surface. In addition to new category pages, we're debuting our very own database of makes and models sold in the U.S.
So follow me after the jump and get to know the new Autoblog, and if you spot something amiss, let us know at feedback at autoblog dawt com.
UPDATE: There's an issue with the Model pages right now that we're aware of and working on. We just have to wait for some people to wake up. Thanks for your patience and the great feedback so far in the comments!
While not an out-and-out redesign (we liked the last one), the home page of Autoblog has been redesigned, particularly near the top. Follow the guide below to see the big changes, and explore on your own to discover all new nooks and crannies. Enjoy!
New Navigation Bar
There's a new navigation bar across the top that exists on every page of the site so you can hop around to different parts or get back to the homepage from wherever you are.
Browse By Bar
This one's a biggie. As mentioned before, we wanted to give you a way to find particular content that had already moved off the home page. The Browse By bar allows you to drill into Autoblog like never before. We now have pages that feature content for every automotive make, model, type and style, as well as a new list of additional areas in All Categories. Click away and explore, we'll wait.
New Feature Carousel
We've swapped out our current feature carousel for a bigger one. But don't worry, if you think it's too big, you now have the option to collapse the features carousel.
Model Pages
You can use the Make/Model button in the Browse By bar to find all of the posts that we write about particular brands. Once you choose a make, you'll then be given a list of all the models that brand sells in the U.S. Each model on sale in the U.S. has its own page, and if we have reviewed a model, it features the type of page you see above, complete with quick access to any reviews and the best gallery of high-res images (taken by us, no stock shots here) for that model.
The Next Evolution of High-Res Image Galleries
We've always prided ourselves on galleries that give you full high-res images with no muss or fuss. We've outdone ourselves this time, however, with brand new galleries that are even faster and more flexible. In fact, they're lightning quick to load and switch between images almost instantly. There are also three sizes of viewing, and a new standard size that will always show the full image without being cut off by the bottom of your screen. The best feature, however, is that you can now click between images without reloading the entire page. Try 'em out, see how fast you can go through a gallery now.
Was Autoblog broken? No, but we have steadfastly stuck with the traditional blog format since the site's inception in July 2004. The vertical nature of a blog is our favorite way to consume news and will always be at the foundation of how we present our content, but there's one thing about being a blog we don't like.
New posts get published at the top of the home page and race down to the bottom as newer ones are published, and older posts may as well be gone forever once they leave the front page. There are lots of posts we publish that should have a shelf life longer than half a day, posts like new vehicle reviews, first drives, auto show coverage, etc. Instead of falling off the first page cliff, they should go somewhere on the site that's easy to find.
Thus, we decided to expand Autoblog. Now, in addition to scrolling up and down the page, you can visit other areas off to the side that keep all of our premium content near the surface. In addition to new category pages, we're debuting our very own database of makes and models sold in the U.S.
So follow me after the jump and get to know the new Autoblog, and if you spot something amiss, let us know at feedback at autoblog dawt com.
UPDATE: There's an issue with the Model pages right now that we're aware of and working on. We just have to wait for some people to wake up. Thanks for your patience and the great feedback so far in the comments!
While not an out-and-out redesign (we liked the last one), the home page of Autoblog has been redesigned, particularly near the top. Follow the guide below to see the big changes, and explore on your own to discover all new nooks and crannies. Enjoy!
New Navigation Bar
There's a new navigation bar across the top that exists on every page of the site so you can hop around to different parts or get back to the homepage from wherever you are.
Browse By Bar
This one's a biggie. As mentioned before, we wanted to give you a way to find particular content that had already moved off the home page. The Browse By bar allows you to drill into Autoblog like never before. We now have pages that feature content for every automotive make, model, type and style, as well as a new list of additional areas in All Categories. Click away and explore, we'll wait.
New Feature Carousel
We've swapped out our current feature carousel for a bigger one. But don't worry, if you think it's too big, you now have the option to collapse the features carousel.
Model Pages
You can use the Make/Model button in the Browse By bar to find all of the posts that we write about particular brands. Once you choose a make, you'll then be given a list of all the models that brand sells in the U.S. Each model on sale in the U.S. has its own page, and if we have reviewed a model, it features the type of page you see above, complete with quick access to any reviews and the best gallery of high-res images (taken by us, no stock shots here) for that model.
The Next Evolution of High-Res Image Galleries
We've always prided ourselves on galleries that give you full high-res images with no muss or fuss. We've outdone ourselves this time, however, with brand new galleries that are even faster and more flexible. In fact, they're lightning quick to load and switch between images almost instantly. There are also three sizes of viewing, and a new standard size that will always show the full image without being cut off by the bottom of your screen. The best feature, however, is that you can now click between images without reloading the entire page. Try 'em out, see how fast you can go through a gallery now.
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