I’ve been browsing more than a few blogs recently, to get some ideas for some projects. One thing that I noticed, which I’ve never picked up on before, is the “Recent Entries” list. More specifically, its inclusion on a site home page.
Call me crazy, but unless you only have one or two entries on your home page, isn’t it just duplicating content? You (usually) have your most recent entries as the content of the home page, so why also include a sidebar menu that lists the titles of the same recent entries?
Fair enough, having it on an archive page – it gives visitors an inkling to what else can be found on your site. But on the home page? Is it worth the screen space it takes up? Couldn’t something more useful be put in its place (says he with the near-empty sidebar)?
Or am I missing something? Is it a usability thing? An SEO trick to increase Google traffic? Or are people so used to seeing it they put it in automatically?