Much of what bloggers do these days they do because they see everybody else doing it. It is a big game of "follow the leader"... or in this case, "follow the guru".

But, sometimes when everybody else is zigging, it is a good time to zag. And in this episode of The Blog Program, I ask the question...

Is the blog sidebar dead?

My readers have probably noticed that in the last few months, I have gone to a no-sidebar layout here on BMA. It started out with just my feature posts - all of which were published in full width. Then, toward the end of 2013, I went ahead and flipped the switch to ditch the sidebar throughout the entire site. I did bring back a mini floating sidebar just to make a few shortcut links more easily accessible, but the traditional sidebar definitely doesn't exist here at the Academy.

In episode 16, I talk about why exactly I made this switch. I talk about:

• What people usually put into the blog sidebar... and could it go anywhere else?
• Why I believe the sidebar might actually get in the way of your content marketing.
• Which elements of the traditional sidebar are worth keeping, and which are a waste of space.
• Why banner ads in your sidebar is practically a waste of time
• How removing the sidebar could change the way your audience views your landing pages.