The Case Against the Archive Calendar
I have a simple request: stop using the WordPress calendar on your site. (Other blog software is included here.) At first glance, it looks like a worthwhile piece to keep around, but in truth it’s worth is extremely limited. Let’s take a look at what it does do and then decide for yourself whether you should keep this element around.
| Calendar Feature | It’s Worth |
|---|---|
| Highlights the Current Date | I know what day it is. I’ve got my computer, newspaper, watch, cellphone, tv, and electric bill to tell me that. Why add to the pile? |
| Content Navigation by Day | How often have you explored a site by picking a day from the current month? “I wonder what he wrote on Wednesday, the 11th” isn’t going through your head. If you’re looking for old content, you are either going to scan down the page to older posts, hit the archive section or do a search before you try to guess which day a particular post was at. If it’s a third or fourth tier choice in digging out old content, then it’s a choice that will never be exercised. |
| Display of a One Month Calendar | Once again, I get this elsewhere in my life. |
| Visual Representation of Post Frequency | This is the only feature I find worth in. At a glace, I can see how frequently you post by which days appear as links. |
Most sites present more information than their audience will ever consume. Adding noise, in the form of a sidebar calendar to what is often an already crowded interface, does little to nothing to help you reach your audience.
These things considered, is it really worth the real estate it takes up in your design?
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Comments (20)
[...] Calendar
Filed under: Asides — kbn @ 10:33 am
Obvious Diversion makes The Case Against the Archive Calendar on blogs. He and the commentors make some good points. Who know [...]
I agree with you on this issue. I’ve never used the calendar feature on people’s websites/blogs.
Hmm. Well, I agree with some of your points. I actually use it to navigate around my site, though I don’t know if others do or will.
To me, though, I think the most important aspect of it is that it gives the impression that the site is updated regularly, perhaps, even, if it isn’t. This hits to your last point. Also, if you don’t update, it gives frustrated visitors an outlet to vent their grief — that is to say, something to click on. The first point is why I leave it. I guess that I also like the aesthetic. Compare this:
http://www.publichealthcenter.com/
to this:
http://www.publichealthcenter.com/organizations/organizations.php
I think that the former appears more ‘official,’ so to speak.
Hmm. I submitted a comment, but I think it disappeared. Maybe because there were a few URLs. *shrug*
I agree with you too. I think most people use the calendar because “it is there” and it looks kinda cool. In my opinion it is a complete waste of bandwidth and space.
Hey Clay – you got caught in my comment filtering. I raised the anti-spam stuff so it wasn’t so strict as well as, of course, approving your comment so it would show up.
I replaced the default WordPress template with one that doesn’t have the calender. When I noticed my calender was missing, I thought, boo hoo, all the cool bloggers and diarists have calenders. Then I thought about it and came up with reasons why I don’t need it, which are a lot like yours. In general, I think of blogs as throw away, for-the-moment things. I’m rarely interested in what Anil Dash linked to 6 weeks ago.
K, you hit on what is probably the issue in that it comes in the default install of most blog software and, as a result, we will continue to see it’s use grow over time unless it’s removed from the default. Visually, it does add a sense of richness that Clay and Sunny have pointed to, but richness ultimately should come from the worth of the content a person writes and not an element of data-noise masquerading as something of worth.
I agree. I have never found much use for it. You won’t find it on my site either.
By the way (first time visitor), this is a beautiful design! I really like your use of colours.
I agree. As soon as I installed WordPress, I immediately took the calender out, especially when I saw all the extra size it added to the CSS file.
Points are all valid, except I’m proly that rare case of a persion that will actualy click a single day to see what they posted on such-and-such date. I disagree with your assesment that the calendar is limited, especialy when all your points show its uselesness. There’s a difference between being useless and limited. I think it’s fairly useless for the most part. I still have mine, but because I’m fickle. I’ve taken it out, only to put it back in and out again. A prime reason people have one, is the same reason people have g-mail – everyone’s got one, why can’t I?
Will I take mine out, eh, probably. Will I put it back in? Eh, probably. Will the cycle ever end? Probably not.
TG
I also recently took out my calendar. It was visually exciting to see, in a way, but an unneeded element.
Yeah I agree…
I had it for a while and then I removed it from all my websites.
Worthwhile Question
In perusing the WP Support Forums looking to answer a question I have about WP to MT conversion, I ran…
I got here using the google search “wordpress calendar is useless.” I had a feeling it was, and you convinced me. It’s gone from my blog now. Beautiful site, by the way. Bookmarked.
[...] WordPress Calender
General – Chris Berg – Sunday May 1, 2005
Convinced by this blogger’s post, I’ve dropped the calender. If you use WordPress, then it is worth considering [...]
I came to your site looking to put that calender thingy or some cool blog tool stuff i can put on my blog. Didn’t realize so many hated that calender. Well, I’m not sure how it works but I was thinking it was kind of your daily planner thing. Is it? I’ll do some more research before putting it on my blog.
The calendar is extremely important to me (at least it will be if I can get it working correctly) in that I want my readers to be able to read “future” posts (these will include upcoming events and rehearsal items). Right now I can’t get the calendar to display events in the future but at some point I will figure that out and then the calendar will be extremely important…
I’ve just created a blog and put the calendar on it. I thought it was very useful for indicating how often I post to the blog… don’t you agree?
There is also a mod for doing this with photos instead of numbers which I’m looking in to.
I really think it looks alright… (comments?)
Hei. While your points are valid (even though i do not have a monthly calendar everywhere else in my life), i do not believe that the calendar is the major reason for scattered and information blown blogs. People tend to put as much “cool” stuff into their sidebars as they can. A calendar is a well known and easy to figure element for a visitor of a site, it is not what will confuse him, but rather all the other stuff that surounds it.