I wanted to start a dialogue about they typical related posts/"click here and gimmie' your email" sidebar that appears on a lot of blog based websites.

I see them a lot, most likely on DIY, wordpress or squarespace websites . I understand that they are there by default and people typically don't change that, but isn't it about time to change the default?

Very very rarely does a sidebar serve a purpose. More often than not, I feel like it's a waste of space reducing the entire site width by at least 25% and it ends up completely ignored anyway.

What are your thoughts?

1. Do you ever design websites where there is a good purpose for a sidebar? If so, please link!
2. What other good purposes does a sidebar serve other than "related posts"?
3. If you have examples of sites that use a sidebar well, I'll love to see!

Thanks DN!