Webdesign Blog Layouting: 3-column VS 2-column

When I was in high school, the blogs I made had the usual 2-column webdesign layout. Usually, navigation goes to the left and content takes the center space. All ads if there were any, are put in the left sidebar and all content goes right smack in the middle. Sometimes I change the location of the sidebar from left to right but the fact remains that I only have 2 columns. Then when I got older and was able to research on more layouts I read that 3-column blog layouts are like the Holy Grail of blog layouts.

I wanted to find out why and I came to these conclusions:

1. Widgets. Widgets. More Widgets. Bloggers want to put as much clutter in their blog as possible. Technorati tags, blog roll, random awards, blog polls... you name it, they want it. It has become some sort of status symbol to have as much "bling" in your blog as possible. And 3 columns allow you more space at first glance without scrolling down.

2. Centered content. When you have another sidebar your text doesn't overstretch. If text is overstretched, the eyes will have a hard time moving across the page and most likely the person wouldn't take time to read the whole thing. Having two columns reduces the scattered impression your blog has.

3. Extending Sidebar. Face it, nothing looks uglier than a sidebar that extends far because of a long content. Having two sidebar minimizes that.

However, these doesn't mean that 3-column layouts are THE layout holy grail and that everyone should follow it. It still depends on your taste and what works for you. 2-columns also has its pros and cons. The key here is determining what works for your blog. Do you like your readers to focus on the center content rather left to right? Or would you rather have your readers view your site like they're reading a book? Once you have this question answered, you can design your blog in the way you see fit.