Microfeatures I love in blogs and personal websites (danilafe.com)

Article summary

The article discusses various microfeatures that can enhance the reading experience on blogs and personal websites, such as sidenotes, tables of contents, and easily linkable headings. These features are considered 'nice-to-have' and can improve the quality of life for readers. The author provides examples of websites that implement these features and discusses their benefits. The article also touches on other features like code blocks with origin, markers for external links, and link previews.

Main themes

• Microfeatures for blogs
• Reading experience
• Website design
• User interface
• Technical writing
• Web development

What commenters say

• Some readers appreciate the use of dialogues in technical writing, while others find it distracting or unnecessary.
• The use of progress meters is seen as redundant by some, while others find it helpful, especially when scrolling through long pages with large footers or comments.
• Estimated reading time is a useful feature, but its effectiveness for non-English speakers is questioned, and some suggest alternative approaches like word count.
• The implementation of keyboard navigation using arrow keys is controversial, with some finding it useful and others considering it disorienting and destructive.
• Some readers value the ability to view plain text versions of posts and appreciate features like view source links and helpful 404 pages.
• The use of anchor links for easily linkable headings is desired, but finding a visually appealing and mobile-friendly solution is a challenge.
• Different opinions exist on the effectiveness of various microfeatures, with some considering them essential and others seeing them as unnecessary or even annoying.
• The importance of considering user experience and accessibility when implementing microfeatures is emphasized.