Originally listed as a movie site, Salocin is actually your-run-of-the-mill personal site, which does include a fair number of movie reviews. Salocin himself describes it as “a journal of a sort, completely public, and an open invitation for commentary from anyone with an intelligent point of view. Since it’s my website, I got to be the judge of what was “intelligent” and what was not.”
Content-wise, the site’s a bit scattered. Normally that’s the case in most blogs, but in most blogs with wide interests, the postings are fast and furious. However, Salocin’s posts are infrequent and short. You get the weather one day, a movie review the next and an update on his MBA program the day after that. This is one of those rare instances where it would be more interesting if he posted more often. Such few posts on so disparate of topics results in an unfocused blog.
The site’s design is, in the words of one of his readers, a bit bland. I think the site could use some sprucing up, but site design takes a backseat to the content, which could easily be improved, I think, by more personal postings. Given that Salocin characterized his blog as a movie site, however, he should then focus more on the movies generally – use more graphics, write more reviews, include more postings about his going to the movies, etc. Unusual for a blogger to show such a reluctance to delve into the quotidian minutiae that most wallow in. The movies he’s reviewing are reviewed in any major paper, but he’s writing them as though they were in a major paper. Bluntly, few people, if anyone, will read a review unless they trust the reviewer – or get something else out of it. I want to get a good laugh, or a clever line – whether it’s about the movie itself or the trip there, or the Date from Hell who ate all the JuJuBees, etc. And Salocin’s got the perfect medium in which to do just that. Blogging’s designed for just that sort of detail. He just needs to go for it. (Alternatively, he might consider posting his reviews on BlogCritic.)
Salocin designed the site himself, which is laudable. However, given that most bloggers use MovableType, Blogger, or any other load-and-leave blogging tools, no one wants to hear about the nuts-and-bolts of site design, unless it’s a blog devoted to site design. I’d suggest that if Salocin wants to discuss his design skills that he should devote another sidebar to site design and tips, along with the one on movies. Otherwise, without having an established link to discussion of design, his repeated references throughout the site to what he’s done, not done, etc., feel out of place. Additionally, some parts of the site feel overdesigned -like the log-in windows. I’m not certain what the purpose of logging in to the site is, other than being able to post a comment with your name or posting an ad, with the latter being a bit ambitious for a personal (noncommunity) blog.
I think this site deserves a 2.5, and can quickly become a 4 or higher with a modicum of effort.