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Ardamis.com uses the inimitable WordPress for content management.

The layout is ever changing and draws from a number of sources, but I must mention that John Gruber’s site, DaringFireball, has been a huge influence. Every time I think I’m approaching minimalist zen, I revisit his site to see what else I can strip out of mine. Another excellent example of text-as-geometry is Warpspire’s Hemingway theme, which has been another source of envy and inspiration over the years. The font face, Segoe UI, and size of the headings and body paragraphs have been taken from Microsoft’s TechNet (see the page at technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732946.aspx for an example).

Ardamis.com is valid HTML5 (served as text/html) and valid CSS, and until recently it had been XHTML 1.0 Strict, which is how I currently develop sites for clients. The exceptions to validation come from the use of microdata markup or various JavaScript snippets used by social media buttons and badges, the benefits of which outweigh the desire to have completely valid HTML. You can check the links in the footer of each page if you’re curious about validation.

The font in the ardamis logo is Ben Nathan’s BN 3rd Place (variously, BN 3th Place).

Ardamis uses the following plugins:

  • SyntaxHighlighter Evolved — Post syntax-highlighted code without losing its formatting.
  • Head META Description — Insert HTML META description tag: excerpt/content brief for post/Page, description for category, and blog tag line for everything else.
  • Other Posts From Cat — At the bottom of every post, links are shown for the last X posts from the current category.
  • Google Sitemaps — This generator will create a Google compliant site map of your WordPress blog.
  • A WordPress Plugin for Adding the Post Date to wp_get_archives — It’s just like wp_get_archives(‘type=postbypost’);, but it also shows the date of the post. (Written by me.)
  • Despacer WordPress Plugin — Removes the leading spaces from wp_title();, useful if you’ve put the page title ahead of the blog title. (Written by me.)

I’ve used the following plugins in the past and may again in the future:

  • the_excerpt Reloaded — When a post does not contain an excerpt, displays the contents of the post (typically abbreviated), which can be customized to selectively allow HTML tags, specify the length of the excerpt (in words), refashion the “moreโ€ฆ” link, etc.
  • Xbox 360 Gamercard WordPress Plugin — Display your Gamer Card using XHTML and CSS instead of an image or an br; style it however you like. (Written by me.)
  • Halo 3 Service Record WordPress Plugin — Display your Halo 3 Service Record information using XHTML and CSS instead of an image or an br; style it however you like. (Written by me.)
  • Halo 2 Stats WordPress Plugin — Similar to the Halo 3 plugin, but for Halo 2. (Written by me.)