>you want stuff in the sidebar, never be too far away from header/footer, etc.
I hate to be contrary, but no, I really don't want anything in the sidebar, at least when it comes to a piece of text that requires a certain amount of concentration to consume. That's why it's actually easier to read something from, say, the new york review of books in a physical form then it is from the website; there's just too much potential distraction, full stop, while the physical page tends to be more focused, more clean, for whatever reason.
I hate to be contrary, but no, I really don't want anything in the sidebar, at least when it comes to a piece of text that requires a certain amount of concentration to consume. That's why it's actually easier to read something from, say, the new york review of books in a physical form then it is from the website; there's just too much potential distraction, full stop, while the physical page tends to be more focused, more clean, for whatever reason.
Anyway, I think it's ESR that does the best text/article presentation on the web, for example (http://www.catb.org/esr/writings/homesteading/cathedral-baza...)