Granny Those Active Rain Blog Graphics
I hand it to all who have gone the extra mile with beautiful effective graphics!
I wasn't active over several months, but noticed the slow loading of some sites from the start - which I find still remains. Most load quickly without problem. However, some take too long for my patience.

There are blogs I would like to visit more frequently - I like your posts! But the truth is I avoid slow loading blogs. My computers are average - I get around the net well. These sites are the only ones I have difficulty with.
Think of marketing to clientele potentials - yes those 'grannies' who may find your link easily, be trying to access your blog - but it takes too long. The pictures and graphics should be small enough for any computer to upload in good time. We all know that many clientele are the boomer crowd, some with tech savvy; many others not.
Google graphics, and Active Rain's for that matter, are simple and load quickly. There are good reasons for simple graphics. One is easy loading. Another is easy uncluttered viewing. If you're a new to blogging, this will be important to consider as you build your AR Blog.
I appreciate visiting sites with 'Grann-ied' Graphics - clients who don't have state of the art equipment will too. Thanks for your beautiful sites - I am staying with the original AR graphics for now - it works for me!
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Thanks Deborah, good point.