I have to admit that I was never really active in the local design scene here in the Philippines—I’ve been more active in the blogosphere. Anyway, I stumbled upon this discussion about Personal Site Versus Blogs, a few months back (I think that was sometime in February). It basically asked what the difference between blogs and personal sites is, and which of those two are gaining leverage.

Sadly, most say that the two are one and the same—which I totally disagree with. The topic poster was referring to “personal sites” as those personal sites that was so “in fashion” back in the 1990′s, where the owner would put in his autobiography, favorite things, links, and of course, ever-popular guestbook.

It’s easy to confuse blogs with plain old personal sites, especially if you only consider blogs as an online diary of telling whoever cares what you did and ate that day. Blogs have already evolved into so much more. It can be a recipe center, a wedding guide, a tech news and reviews journal, or a sports reportage—all written with a personal touch. Considering blogs as simply a “Dear-Diary-this-is-what-I-did-today” aspect of a personal site is just so… outdated.

But then again, if you still think that Macromedia Flash is the new black… It isn’t really surprising that this mentality exists, doesn’t it?

Now, back to the main question, are blogs bad for web designers?

If you know how active I am in the Philippine blogosphere and that my primary line of work is web design, you’d what I’d say to this: NO. So why ask? Well, there’s this answer in the very same thread I mentioned that made me consider that question merits its own blog entry other than a reply to the post:

Conversely, the losers are the website developers and designers, like in the Philippines where potential clients are starting to choose a blog for an online presence over official websites, mainly because of the ‘free’ aspect. It is not even the knowledge that they have full control over a blog; they are starting to look at blogs as an option just because of the ‘free’ aspect, which I think is sad.

It’s not just about being “free,” dude. It’s about getting seen through a new and effective form of media.

Website developers and designers are so not losers in this innovation—that is such a bad generalization. Our business took off primarily because of blogging. Blogging is a new opportunity for designers and developers, and shouldn’t be considered as a threat. Thinking that your business will fail because of something you aren’t familiar with is just so negative. A good business man should think of ways on how to profit from a new innovation, and not think of himself on the losing end just because things change.

There are a lot of new things on the Web that could “threaten” the web developer/designer’s business, but it’s up to you how to mold it into something that would benefit you.

So this poster’s clients prefer a free blog as opposed to a Flash brochure site. Who knows? Maybe his proposal did get turned down in favor of blogging. BUT, if this client’s main purpose is to use blogging in order to make his business known, there will come a time that he will hire a designer/developer. Sure, you can get free themes. But that won’t reflect your business’ branding and identity—it’s just very generic. Unless your branding is generic, it’s very difficult to find a pre-designed theme that will truly showcase your business’ branding.

And no, that instance isn’t just a hypothetical example—we actually had a client like that. He initially wanted a plain brochure site for his product, and then asked us for advice on what’s the best way to advertise his new site. We could have suggested SEO and actually earned from it at that very moment, but we didn’t. We only “earned” from hosting his blog, which we installed for free in return for a link on his site. Bad business? Well, maybe if you don’t see the advantage in the long run, you’d say it is.

Guess what happened? We didn’t only benefit from his link, earned from the hosting, but also had another custom blog design client. He enjoyed blogging so much that he decided to forgo the brochure site idea, and just focus on improving his current blog. He eventually saw the need to “brand” himself, especially since his traffic is picking up.

See? Blogging isn’t bad for web designers. You just need to see it as an opportunity instead of a threat.

The first reason for this is the most obvious: you’re so behind the design trends. There are some designs that are “seasonal,” kind of like clothes that can go out of fashion. But there are those that are simply “classic”—it would work whatever the current trend is. But regardless of which, even the most classic design will have to undergo a design “improvement.” It will have to adapt to the current viewers’ needs.

That is probably one of the most important things to consider when you’re thinking about getting a redesign. If your viewers matter a lot to you (well, it should actually—they’re the ones keeping your blog alive), then you would need to consider their needs. A design that worked for viewers back in the 90′s will definitely not work with those in the present. Web 2.0 isn’t just about curvey edges and cool gradients—it’s all about usability. And in order to keep up with that “usability” need, you will then have to consider getting a redesign.

Another thing that can brought about this need to change a blog’s look is an evolution in the blog’s subject. There are those who have started having a personal blog which then revolves into a tech blog—it’s pretty obvious that a “personal” look might not work well with a tech blog. This can happen you know… I myself started Kutitots as a plain old journal, but now it’s more than just a recap of my day—I prefer to think that my entries have more substance, letting other people pounder on some issues I bring up.

Anyway, whatever the reason for a redesign may be, it all just boils down to the question of “if you can handle it.” There are some people who are too attached to their current design, or just simply can’t let go because of the gazillions of modifications they did on it. Then there’s also the issue of whether you can afford it if you don’t know how to install a new theme or would like to have a custom theme designed.

The only thing to keep in mind (I guess) is that when you do decide to redesign, make sure that the old one really needs to be replaced. Let the public “absorb” the design first. I’ve already seen some blogs that change themes every week (it can get pretty annoying, and shows that you really can’t make up your mind). Besides, if you want the blog to establish a certain personality, it’s best to keep the design for some time.