The Weblog Review

If there’s one thing I’m a big sucker for, it’s a site with a funky design. Max is a 20 year old college student who has very recently began studying different forms of religion. His weblog’s layout reflects this with the layout being referred to by Max as “version truth”, primarily based on the religious/spiritual teachings of J. Krishnamurti. More information on this can also be found in an additional portion of Liquidmax, which I found to be quite enlightening. The design is done all in different shades of oranges, which are complimented by a white background. It’s a small design, meaning it doesn’t take up a lot of room in the browser, but it definitely gives the site a sleek appearance.

The navigation system used for the site may be a little tricky for some. Other than the normal words that would direct a reader to find a specific section of the site, Max uses just the numbers 1-6. While it does make for a nice clean look, it may not exactly be clear for some readers to know where to click to find more information out on this site.

Whether the site is really this new or if it’s due to a technical problem, the site lacked archives. With only eight entries made onto the site, it made it very difficult to give a fair rating. I can tell by other portions of the site that Max is an excellent writer, and has great opinions on a barrage of different topics. Eventually, I can see this becoming a great weblog with the types of entries that make people come back to see how their opinions match up with Max’s.

liquidmax

This is a pretty flashy site for a blog, and the aesthetic seems odd for a site who’s central premise centers on mysticism. The design is functional and intuitive, but the style didn’t really ‘work’ for me; it’s just sorta like like “whoa, there are monks everywhere.”

The intent of this site is a diary of the various happenings in the author’s life in relation to his philosophical beliefs: a life in the spirit of a philosophy. Krishnamurti’s mysticism was a life-altering find for the author, who is fed up with tradtional organized religion and dogmas of all sorts. The ideas will seem jaded to those familiar with enlightenment philosophy; However, I doubt that’s the intended audience

This blog is directed at unfamiliar, possibly curious people. There isn’t much content. He would be well served by further distilling the views Krishnamurti to his audience. He talks about how great it is, but he really needs to get specific with it in his entries to make the ideas interesting. For a weblog, it is an interesting find, but it really needs to be developed into a more riveting account of a life and a philosophy.
liquidmax

“Headlessness” greeted with me with a very simple layout; almost as simple as any weblog site can be. One graphic, a few links here and there, the weblog itself all set against one color. One little plus is you can change the skin of the site, so if you want a little color instead of the default white, you can pick another color.

The weblog tends to be geared towards art. After reading the “about” section of the site, art is a subject the writer likes a lot. The main purpose of this site is for the writer to share things he likes which is what you’ll find here. There’s a selection of things posted here ranging from music, to video games, internet sites, and whatever else the he finds interesting.

It’s a pretty straightforward site with archives (currently being uploaded still), links and so on. You won’t really find out a whole lot about the author except maybe through his posts about what his interests are, but I didn’t see any really “personal” posts.

If you enjoy art you might enjoy this site and the links offered in relation to the other subjects. I really didn’t see anything that may really set this site apart from other sites that may post similar things.

I give it a 2.5.headlessness

I really enjoyed Distances-Meet, a dual blog done by a couple that lives across the pond from each other. The design of the site is pleasant and calming, using a simple color scheme and easy toolbars for navigating the site.



One thing I really enjoyed was the section called “The Cast”, which outlined all of the people that Himani and John talk about or deal with in their blog. It was a nice touch to learn about the people in their lives.



Also nice to see was the complete background on their story and pictures of them – and why they share one blog. If this important information hadn’t been there I wouldn’t have been so interested in the blog itself.



In the original review I said: As for content, the link to “Archives” did not work…However, they have since fixed that problem, thus enabling me to up their grade a bit!



The posts themselves (from what I saw) are long and filled with details – which is much better than the one sentence entries a lot of bloggers tend toward.



They provide a link to PayPal and other places because they are trying to save up money to see each other (as mentioned, they don’t live in the same country). Go read their story and see if you feel like dropping them a couple bucks. Setting up such a nice blog proves they just might make it!Distances Meet

Things are flashing. Why are things flashing? That’s my first thought upon entering this site.

I really like the combination of earth-tone type colors that the author uses for this site. Its nearly-camouflage coloring is actual somewhat soothing. The flash used to make everything flash was just slightly on the bothersome side. I like the drop down menu bars at the bottom of the screen. They make for easy navigation, and they all work as they’re supposed to. The different selections throughout the entire site are self-explanatory, and also all worth visiting. But I digress, because this is The Weblog Review not The Weblog Site Design Review.

One of my favorite features of the site was the “song of the week” section. It’s kind of a neat concept that you can hear it directly without having to download it. Of course, if you’re on a slower (read this as anything less than broadband) connection, then it’s not going to be the most convenient way to listen to the song. However, it is a very neat concept.

David’s journal is ever-changing, and what I’m describing as ever-changing is the manner in which he writes. Sometimes, it’s a one-liner updating readers on the current music he’s downloaded, and other times he focuses on the different aspects of trudging through school in a University. His weblog, which he describes as “a vehicle to remember life” certainly has some entertaining and interesting entries to read. David’s writing makes for a casual piece (or many pieces) of reading, and it’s enjoyable that way.

For subjects that require more than just a weblog entry – sometimes reviews or just narratives on a recent event, David has an “insight” section up. His writing on these is much different than that of his weblog. Not different in a bad way, but different in a way that seems as if he’s more meticulous on making sure every last detail of what he’s writing is exactly the way he wants the reader to construe what he or she is reading.

It’s a good weblog. I got past the flashing everywhere right away, and enjoyed my reading.paranoise