Old Design

The above screenshot is a redesign for the Business Referral Group that I belong to offline.  The previous design was a modified template, but the new one is completely original and custom for this group.

As you can see, the new design is a fresh, updated design with a semi-transparent background and section for book recommendations.  The sidebar showing the Amazon widget is only one way that you can monitize your site.

The blog feature is actually located on the “Members” page, as that is the most frequently updated page for the site.  This allows for easy updating whenever a new member joins the group.