I very rarely post about the philosophy of this blog or about the structure of what exactly you get to see here. A perfect example of this is the template that I use and the "side content" that I include.

Templates

When I first hit the blogosphere back in February of 2005, I used a Blogger template known as "Rounders". It basically revolved around the color green, and all the side content was on the right side. One of my most loyal readers, Ol' BC, still uses this template today. Click the link and you'll get an idea what the original look of the RWRepublic was like.

The problem I had with "Rounders" was that on certain MAC machines, including several in the schools where I work, the code would create some pretty screwed up experiences, including the posts only putting one word per line. This was quite annoying, so I began looking for other templates to work with. Rocker and Sage was also originally on a "Rounders" template, and was changed for much the same reason.

The second template I used was a very patriotic red, white and blue. Side content was still on the right. The problem with it was that it was too plain. If you know me personally, I am often very plain, but when it comes to showmanship and/or making a presentation, I'm all about the flashy and neato.

I've had the "Parchment" template since about August of 2005 (side content on the left), and I haven't had the slightest desire to make any kind of major change. I did add a right column in February 2006, which was going to be for advertising, but Hawkins was writing about his advertising philosophy around that time, and mentioned that the best place to put ads is at the top. This made a lot of sense, so I went with it.

Side Content

I've always been picky about what I put in the side content. Everything there has to be relevant to the philosophy of the blog, interesting and/or useful, attractive to look at, and above all, entertaining. I've always limited the number of blogs on the BlogRWRoll, and only gave in to posting a longer blogroll when I came across the "Fighting Keyboardists" BlogRoll, which is dedicated to a cause I strongly believe in, namely supporting the troops who put their asses on the line so that we Americans can sit back and enjoy life as a free people.

So here's what you see today. First, ads at the top of each column. Hopefully, I'll make a little cash-ola this way. I don't blog nearly enough to make a living at it, but I guess every little bit helps, and you definitely have to walk before you can run.

On the left side, you see what has basically always been my "side content", starting with a little activism. It's important that the First Amendment rights of Bloggers are protected. The link highlights a case where a blogger was fired for blogging on his own time. "Boycott Blue" lets you know which companies are supporting socialists in America, and thereby supporting socialism. It's important that Americans know when their money is going towards an effort to bring down the greatest nation in the world and replace our constitutional republic with a socialist state. These are two very important causes that MUST succeed in order for America to survive.

Everything else on the left side is about highlighting some of my more important work, such as calling out Freder_Frederson on his challenge on Iraq and the covert operations we conducted in the liberal blogosphere, calling attention to things that I think are important, such as President Reagan's farewell address and the RWRules for posting comments, my regular reads, and a few things that I found to be interesting or fun.

The right side is mostly about good old honest-to-God fun. I've really enjoyed seeing the "Flips" that come up every now and then, usually at WuzzaDem, so I put them there. The 101st is there because there was room there for it.

I wonder how many people have actually seen the link all the way at the bottom. I put it there because it was really the only place it would fit. The only change I have in mind is trying to find out how to make some of the top content either cycle or change at random (such as the quotes). if anyone knows what kind of code I should use for that, please let me know!

OK. I've bored you with all this stuff and all, but I was just too lazy with this awful weather to come up with a real post. Hope you at least found this interesting.

RWR