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Please recommend a theme?

  1. happinessguru
    Member

    I want to change my theme. I do not know the name of my present theme but I need one with more features. Can somebody recommend a free one with:
    1) Breadcrumbs (?) at the top
    2) Archived posts in a list at the side without dates and a snippet about the archived post.
    3) The ability for visitors to search the archives for tag or keywords.
    4) The ability for me to find archived posts to link to on my blog posts. Perhaps this would be covered by 2) or 3)?
    I know very little about blog building or laying out and any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Tommy

    The blog I need help with is happinessguru.wordpress.com.

  2. timethief
    Member

    I'm sorry but we Volunteers do not assist with themes selection. There's a Themes Forum and it has a features searchbox you can use to narrow you search > http://theme.wordpress.com/

  3. enrikapperley
    Member

    @happinessguru

    As you can pre-visualize all themes, try the ones that appeal to you (colour, columns, etc.) until you find the one that best suits your needs. That's how I did. Hope this helps.

  4. happinessguru
    Member

    Thanks for the speedy replies. I have seen a working wordpress.blog that I like.
    Is there any way that I can find out what theme it is?

  5. enrikapperley
    Member

    Ask the blogger?

  6. justjennifer
    Member

    Whatever theme you choose, it has to be one of the 200+ that appear in our Dashboard under Appearance>Themes, which as enrikapperley mentioned, can be previewed with your content. Any other theme besides the ones in our Dashboard is meant for use with the standalone WordPress software and cannot be used here on WordPress.com.

  7. happinessguru
    Member

    As I didn't pick a special theme ( I don't know enough lol) . I just picked the first one that I saw for my theme. Perhaps it was a default one? I have asked the blogger whose theme I liked which one they use. She (like me) doesn't know but thinks that it is a Twenty Ten, Eleven or Twelve.
    Perhaps in my ignorance, I see a problem where there is none?
    Perhaps the features I need can be added to any and all sites/themes including the one I have at present? Here they are again:-
    "A free one with:
    1) Breadcrumbs (?) at the top
    2) Archived posts in a list at the side without dates and a snippet about the archived post.
    3) The ability for visitors to search the archives for tag or keywords.
    4) The ability for me to find archived posts to link to in my blog posts. Perhaps this would be covered by 2) or 3)?"
    Can I add them to my present theme/blog?
    Thanks for the help so far, Tommy

  8. happinessguru
    Member

    As I didn't pick a special theme ( I don't know enough lol) . I just picked the first one that I saw for my theme. Perhaps it was a default one? I have asked the blogger whose theme I liked which one they use. She (like me) doesn't know but thinks that it is a Twenty Ten, Eleven or Twelve.
    Perhaps in my ignorance, I see a problem where there is none?
    Perhaps the features I need can be added to any and all sites/themes including the one I have at present? Here they are again:-
    "A free one with:
    1) Breadcrumbs (?) at the top
    2) Archived posts in a list at the side without dates and a snippet about the archived post.
    3) The ability for visitors to search the archives for tag or keywords.
    4) The ability for me to find archived posts to link to in my blog posts. Perhaps this would be covered by 2) or 3)?"
    Can I add them to my present theme/blog?
    Thanks for the help so far, Tommy

  9. justjennifer
    Member

    As timethief said above, we really can't assist you with selecting a theme for your site. I will however try to reply to your questions:

    1. Sorry, do not know.

    2. You can use the Archive widget in a theme's sidebar, but it will not show a snippet of the post. That functionality does not exist regardless of theme. http://en.support.wordpress.com/widgets/archives-widget/

    3. Use a Search widget in your site's sidebar. http://en.support.wordpress.com/widgets/search-widget/ Some themes do have a search box coded into the template itself, but I do not know which.

    4. You can link to your earlier posts and pages from inside the Visual Editor when you are writing a new post and this function exists regardless of theme. http://en.support.wordpress.com/links/

    Your site linked to your username is using Spectrum. http://theme.wordpress.com/themes/spectrum/

    Here are links to the other themes you mentioned:
    http://theme.wordpress.com/themes/twentyten/
    http://theme.wordpress.com/themes/twentyeleven/
    http://theme.wordpress.com/themes/twentytwelve/

    You can search for other themes by using the "filter and search" here http://theme.wordpress.com/

    Cheers!

  10. raincoaster
    Member

    1) Is antiquated. Contemporary websites don't do this any more. (Breadcrumbs is like on this page it would say "Wordpress.com Forums/Support/pleaserecommendatheme" as an aid to navigation)

  11. happinessguru
    Member

    Justjennifer, Many, many thanks for the full, well written and excellent reply.
    Tommy

  12. 1tess
    Moderator

    I have seen a working wordpress.blog that I like.
    Is there any way that I can find out what theme it is?

    Yes, if you are logged in, and viewing a wp.com blog, then look at the top left of your screen next to the wordpress "W" you will see the name of the blog you are looking at. Hover and there will be a drop down menu with the name of the theme being used at the bottom of the list.

  13. happinessguru
    Member

    Thanks 1tess, I found my theme (Spectrum) and the one I admired was Twenty Ten. I'm assuming that Twenty Twelve will be more 'up-to-date' and will eventually go for that. I have noticed that some people have problems when changing their themes. Is this common? How dangerous is it? Can I loe my blog if it goes wrong?
    Thanks again for that tip,
    Tommy

  14. happinessguru
    Member

    I have now got an Archive Search Button. YAY! I have tried to add a drop down menu to it for Keywords, Tags or Categories. I have had a go but can't hack it. Any advice? If I can add one should I use Keywords, Tags or Categories?
    Thanks again for the helpful advice,
    Tommy

  15. happinessguru
    Member

    Hold up on that last query about Search Menu. Encouraged by the success that I have had so far, I dug into the support a bit deeper and I think I have it now. Thanks again for the help so far.
    Tommy

  16. 1tess
    Moderator

    As for changing themes, you probably won't run into many problems. You can get yourself another free blog, keep it private, and use it to experiment with. You can export your "real" blog, import it into your experimental blog, then switch themes to your heart's content without disturbing your live site.

    Happy blogging!

  17. happinessguru
    Member

    1tess, Sounds great, I'll do that rather than change over in one go. Great stuff.
    Thanks.Tommy

  18. 1tess
    Moderator

    You are welcome.

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