I prefer FreelanceSwitch's as well. Seems a little deceiving to put them together (Twitter follower count can be quite artificial. Just follow a few thousand accounts with with auto followbacks. Doesnt make for much of a connection though. :( )

Would be more than happy to pay for the other extra features, that still sounds like the best plan to me! :D

I would pay if I had a problem and couldn't find a solution elsewhere.

But to be honest, I wouldn't pay until I actually did have a problem. And with most plugins, the only problems I tend to come across are that the plugin hasn't been updated in forever, and in that case, I'd probably be nervous about paying for possibly non-existent support if the author has just vanished :(

That was an interesting read Alex. Your post on the magazine look is great and definitely ticks all the boxes for social media success, but I wouldn't give up on your long, discussion posts just yet.

With Pro Blog Design, I like to do a mix of the two. I started out like you, preferring the more discussion-y/article posts, but eventually realized that the social media bait was what brought in droves of traffic.

But you always have to keep pride in your blog. If it isn't perfect in your eyes, it wont be in anyone else's. For that reason, I now have a mix of the two. The social media might get new traffic to your site, but your subscribers will probably appreciate the well thought out articles. You have to keep both parties happy :)

Either way, good luck with the re-branding! :D

I haven't tried any of the CSS frameworks out yet, thought it is quite tempting. At the very least, it has to be worth one go just to see what the fuss is all about! :)