Born in New Jersey, Joe Ross moved to Philadelphia to attend Saint Joseph's University and graduated with a BA in English. Then, it was on to one office job after the next, eventually landing in the Quality Assurance department of the Philadelphia Housing Authority.

In my free time I play loud music, write short fiction, contribute occassionally to a Philly-centric blog, read a massive amount of literature and make stupid jokes based on painfully obvious or childish puns.

Oh, and I write for Helium!

My passion is ...

writing.

I know too much about ...

science fiction.

My parents always told me ...

to say please and thank you.

My childhood ambition ...

was to be Indiana Jones.

My favorite memory ...

is backpacking at the Delaware Water Gap.

Why I write ...

it's the only thing I do even remotely well.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

is Machiavelli, JD Salinger and The Weakerthans.

My first job ...

grounds and maintenance at an apartment complex.

My best moment ...

graduating college.

My inspiration ...

the inexplicable endurance of good people in a world that does not deserve them and only rarely even recognizes them.

Computers & Technology > Internet Trends Tips for improving your blog design

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Designing a blog can be an arduous and daunting task. Templates provide good launch points because it is good to have some content already when you start to invest time in an original design.

But this is not a how-to design article, but a how-to improve your design article, so I'm going to talk about the fundamental strong points of any good blog. These apply to both personal and professional or "for money" blogs. They are ways to ensure that your readers have the best possible experience on your site and return regularly to check updates.

Content Presentation

Your content needs to...

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Writing: