Viewing Some Blogs Using Internet Explorer is Not Visually Appealing
I recently found out that when this blog is viewed using Internet Explorer (IE), the third column (sidebar) swings like a dancer. This is one dangling column that really ruined my days. I have also observed this with other blogs that I visit.
At first I thought I did something wrong like adding a widget on the sidebar that messed up the layout because during the early stages of my blog (like anyone else’s blog, I presume), widgets are few and a three-column theme is ok. However, dew days ago, when I added back the widgetbucks widget on the second column, I noticed an annoying look of this blog using IE.
For a blogger like myself who works his a*s off day-in, day-out just to come up with meaningful and informative posts, this incident is truly unacceptable. Why? This is because of the mental setup of readers of a blog, especially new ones, to want to return to your blog when they are impressed by either a blog’s layout. Whether the blog is fabulously laced with images, fancy ads, or simple two-color theme, the readers always seem to be attracted to the blog’s organized layout. And when I say organized layout, I mean no dangling buttons, widgets and other elements that get in the way of good viewing. I can understand how annoying it would be for readers to see elements on a blog are viewed in an unorthodox fashion which is not the blogger’s primary fault. The culprit it seems is the web browser that the readers use in viewing.
In Mozilla Firefox, everything looks cool and in order. The same thing holds true for Opera 9.0, which in many ways opens web pages much like IE does. I do not know yet the solution to this but I think it has something to do with IE’s engine as regards handling CSS and PHP files.
But to cut the long story short, I am so discouraged to use IE in viewing blogs. Besides, I haven’t used IE in years. Firefox has been my friend for a long time and I’ll just keep using it instead of driving myself crazy over dangling elements. I have tried fixing my blog’s templates but to no avail. I will not replicate the same torture I have inflicted on myself trying to fix something that is over me and my skills.
If you experience the same problems like I do, please leave a comment. I’d sincerely appreciate it. And if you are a blogger, I suggest you better check your own blog to see if the layout sways the way it shouldn’t. Believe me, this is terrible if you’re a design-conscious individual.
If you know or find a fix, then I’d be so happy if you can share it with me. Just don’t mess up your blog further. 
RELATED POSTS:
I’m on ie right now, and there’s no swaying..
Strangely I do think sites look better in ie, although it does crash every 15 minutes.
I’ve just spent the better part of the last 10 days working on a wordpress setup (almost zero posting!), to list all the hurdles here would take a half hour to
type, let’s just say it’s like one of those Apple vs PC ads, when I sleep I dream of nighmarish css and php.. *shudders!*
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Hello Jessie,
Some templates are choosy talaga,ganon din sa akin,i cant view the proper skin blogs at IE and Firefox,but i still use firefox for alexa.I can see your nice template and everyone elses` through Opera.
have a good day!
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Hi again!just to remind you that i posted a comment that i think went to your bin.paki de spam na alng so that you can see what i wrote in there.pinapahirapan talaga ako ni akismet…
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@ sherry, thanks for informing me… however, in your end the bad deed of IE is crashing every 15 minutes. maybe it’s really the engine of IE and handling of files… you’re right, i too have bad dreams about css and php, lol! it sucks, right?
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@ ghee, ok let me take a look at it…
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hi. i was just viewing your site on IE 7 and it looks fine. you must have fixed it already. i hardly use IE since I started using firefox over a year ago. i do use IE for viewing my sites because as you mentioned, the site’s overall display tend to look different in other browsers. there’s no fix except that when looking for a template- i make sure that it says it’s been tested on all major browsers. Most templates would say what browsers it’s good for- try to look for the one that says it works in all browsers…
BUT everyone should be on Firefox already! It is a better browser than IE in terms of crashing and freezing, restoring previously opened sites; more secure; the pop-up ads are totally eliminated and it’s got cool plug-ins!
BTW, may I suggest removing the rel=nofollow tag on your sites!
honestly i’d love to leave a comment when I see a “U comment, I follow” badge… because I support Do follow. It rewards your readers and encourages more comments. 
This site is great with it: http://blog.blogsthatfollow.com/wp
Hope you join the Do Follow movement! Cheers!
Sorry it took me awhile to reply to you but I added you on my blog roll already…
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@ mae, i already installed the a nofollow plugin… all comments on this blog are all on a dofollow attribute… i myself is an advocate of the dofollow movement. however, this will only benefit those who have nofollow in their blogs. although i am an advocate of mutual growth for blogs, i doubt if this is the right move at this time for some reasons. one, i have applications pending for paid reviews… if this will be affected then i will be compelled to disable the dofollow plugin
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jess what is a nofollow dofoloow thing?
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I use Firefox and see it good the only problem is that to open the page i see for 1-2 minutes all in grey. I know the problem you say. I had it with IE but with WP.com. One part was in the top, other part in the bottom.
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hello. the do follow is a win-win for you and your readers because it helps specific ranking in your pages NOT just your front page. like in this post, you’ve got 9 comments now- if this is a do follow, search engine will notice this page as important because people are reacting to the article. Most people are concentrating to have a page rank on their homepage only- but individual pages is just as important!
I don’t do paid reviews but i know some about it. they’re now implementing that you put a rel=nofollow only on the links you are reviewing and you can simply insert that in your code when you’re posting. what i’m saying is, you have the rel=nofollow for the paid links but you have do follow for your readers who are commenting. if you’re a do follow blogger, a badge would help to let people know you are… I looked into your source code and you STILL have the rel=nofollow tags in all your comments. so you may not have installed it right…you’re not a do follow yet, please check your source code..
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@ liudmila,
yes you’re right my friend, maybe i will have to tweak my server to get the speed of loading faster… as with IE, it has always been problematic in handling things like these unlike Firefox which loads faster and experiences less errors and hanging.
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@ mae, ok i’ll check it out…
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Hello, I have a tag for you Jess, are u ready? lol hehehe
Make a paragraph or two regarding your personal meaning of Christmas, below the paragraph of the one who tagged you and you may put your name at the end of the paragraph linking back to your blog or right to the post of this particular tag. Then you tag as many as you can.
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Kabayan, your site looks good on my IE7 browser. On the other hand, my site doesn’t look good on Firefox coz the header seemed not having the same size as the body lol! The same problem too when I viewed my site on IE7 1024×768 resolution. I have 1280×1024, for me an appealing resolution to view a site. Thanks for sharing us your prob.
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marlene, maybe a tweak in the header.php of your file can do the trick. if u wish to do some experiment, edit ur header.php but be sure to BACK IT UP before doing so. at any rate, your site looks great in my view at 1024X768 using Firefox & Internet explorer.
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hi kuya.
hmm.. ok naman ung theme mo, IE kasi ang gamit ko..
i had the same problem as yours. may isa akong visitor na ang sabi sira daw sa IE ung theme ko, eh sa Firefox ok naman.. weird..
kaya naman, may IE na ko, may Firefox pa so I can check my blog in both browsers.. ^_^
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Jessie, in IE v6.0, your third column has dropped below the widget of your second column, but of course looks fine in Firefox. You can view a screen shot of this problem below, that’s if my link displays in your comments.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h50/dearalf/third_column_drop.jpg
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@ Dear Al, thanks for the screenshot and comment… i dropped by ur blog too. and i think it’s cool
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Thanks!
I found your blog via Dawn’s through her Haloscan comments.
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@ dear al, i have no idea who dawn is. perhaps u could give me her blog address… but there must be a good reason why u found me there… thanks anyway…
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@ Dear Al,
i already found Dawn’s blog… yeah, i visit her blog every now and then
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Hi Jessie.
Thanks for visiting my Photo Hunt. I’ve been using Firefox for several months now and found it more convenient to use. I decided to download it when I couldn’t view my friend’s blog. She told me to use Firefox instead. I never looked back at IE ever since.
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i hate using IE, too but it’s what’s inside my notebook
good thing our PC’s got firefox 
thanks for visiting my ‘maalaala mo kaya’ blog 
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@ Rach,
you’re right my friend, no one should really go back to using IE after using Firefox… for some reasons, Firefox is more stable, more secure and more intelligent (with more add-ons and enhancements than IE). It also handles web files better and crashes less frequently. I love your blog… keep it up amiga
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@ kengkay,
ironical and name mo at yung blog mo. hehehe… kengkay pero madugo sa drama (in a good way of course)… keep blogging my dear… your blog is touching. tlgang na-touch ako while reading your posts.
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I prefer Firefox din. I hardly use IE, I only use it when viewing/checking my themes.
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@ amor,
yeah… IE sucks big time… it doesn’t even handle web files well and is prone to crashing.
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Nice blog. I’m liking how the dofollow movement is really gaining steam! You bring up some good points, but I agree that the pros far outweigh the cons.
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i feel firefox is better,the little things are what set Firefox apart. Firefox tends not to get bogged down over time, beset by spyware or other issues that occasionally prevent Internet Explorer from loading pages correctly – or at all. Firefox also prevents Web sites from annoying you. It’s easy to configure the browser to block not only pop-up ads but most ads in general. The browser also prevents other tricks – such as “sticky” sites, status bar tickers, or links that hide where they’re taking you.
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Yea I would say IE is gonna be in some serious trouble. FireFox has been gaining ground and now the Chrome browser may make some inroads as well.
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jessie reply on September 21st, 2008:
I’d say the same thing. IE is really in bad shape these days even with the release of IE8 Beta 2.
jessie’s last blog post..Total Cell Phone Ban While Driving Bill in the Philippines
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