The Weblog Review

Splash pages. I said it before, and I will say it again. I hate them. They serve no purpose with weblogs other than to have me click another page. I did think this one was much better than the others I had seen, because at least this one let me know it was going to be a group weblog.

So now I am reading the weblog, and I noticed something. The posts are typically meant for someone in the group. From what I could tell, about 90% of them were. But even though the majority was intended for the group, I could tell some of them were for everyone.

This site seemed like it was just one big conversation that was on going between group members. And they seem to know each other out side of the weblog as I found many reference to seeing each other and calling each other in the posts. Interesting idea: instead of emailing someone to call you, post it for the world to see. Maybe it makes it seem that much more important? I don’t know.

The design of this site is slick. Very well done, and the owner really knows his way around designing a website. He also creates pixel people for each of the posters so you can tell who posted what. That was way cool, and I really liked this idea.

This site is just average, but I had to give it a below average score because it didn’t seem like the outside world should know about it. As I stated most of the posts seemed geared towards someone in the group of participants, and not the general reader. There are some good posts, and some bad, just like a normal weblog, and the design is really good, but it comes back to who the target audience is. Maybe if the group as a whole decided to post both “internal” and “external” type posts, I would have enjoyed it better. But as the saying goes, “This is an AB conversation, so C your way out of it.”
sciongate

What an interesting site. The title, Fresh, Hot Wastes of Time is 100% accurate. While reading this site, I spent nearly 2 hours on all the things she links to that are, Wastes of Time.

So what is the meat of this blog? We have a female writer, a recent mother who has quite a bit of free time to find some of the most random links, sound files, and other stuff out on the web. She compiles her list and posts it, which happens to be multiple times a day.

But she doesn’t always just post random links. There are posts about what is going on in her life, and the normal weblog type entries. I didn’t find any particular entry that struck out as being interesting or funny that is a must read, however, about 90% of her links are worth checking out if you have time to waste.

The design of the site is pretty simple: a two-column layout with the links on the right in a blue and purple shaded color scheme. I like the clocks up at the top of the page, since the title references time. I was expecting something to be linked with in those, but nothing was.

Over all if you need a site to read while “acting like you are working” then this is the perfect one. Plenty of links to get you looking at different things, and there is the personal side if you want to read about the author.
Fresh, Hot Wastes of Time

Ynnej (which I’ll just have to assume is Jenny backwards, give me a gold star) impressed me straight from the start with its user-friendly layout which is both simple to use and attractive to look at. Its different to what I’ve come across in the past, but for a weblog it certainly does the trick, and I’m sure you’ll all agree with me after having a look yourself.

If your after your typical cam-girl you don’t need to go any further then here. As an added bonus Jenny also give you the chance to be her boyfriend by filling in an online form, which is an amusing concept. The blog itself isn’t anything I would get hooked on, though that’s not totally surprising, as I don’t really have much in common with 16-year-old teenage girls. There are however plenty of links to other sites so if you find yourself with some spare time on your hand its certainly a valuable resource to other sites of interest.

There is thought out there that cam-girls are rather self-centered, and seeing as ynnej.com includes multiple pictures of herself, and a wish list, I don’t think you can really conclude other wise. Theirs is plenty of information about the author, which is a nice touch, as well as former school assignments and other articles that I assume is written by her as well. There’s also a section on ex-boyfriends, a brief description on each one, and from my last count there were 16 of them, it would seem our author also has a rather busy social life as well. I’m not sure if I would personally like myself reviewed as an ex-boyfriend, but then again, I found it to be a pretty good read.

Ynnej.com certainly was a very attention-grabbing weblog to review, and yes, I did enjoy reviewing it, though its safe to say its more aimed towards the teenage age bracket. Design wise I couldn’t find a fault, it was impressive and everything seemed to work (except one link to a yahoo group site) so it gets the big thumbs up for me in that respect. Overall a good site, and I give it a 3 out of 5.
Ynnej

The face of a girl looks at me as I arrive, almost as if she’s noting

the arrival of this stranger as I pass by on my way to the content of

the blog. Looks like it’s cold here! A nicely laid out blog at first

sight, though the sidebar doesn’t seem too clear. Quite what the bit

of text at the top of the page means, I’m not too sure. But it does

seem, from first impressions, that the author of this blog is into

creative writing.

Reading the entries on the current page of the blog, there’s no doubt

that Olga, the author, is heavily into the sort of spiritual stuff

that brings healing crystals and ‘ethnic’ clothing and jewelry to

mind, not to mention auras. Her ‘about me’ page confirms that she

believes in psychics, reincarnation, healing, and so on. She is also

heavily into creative arts generally. I am not surprised to find she

has chosen to live in Los Angeles. I feel I could just assume her to

match the stereotype I have in my head completely.

After dipping into the archives a little, this would seem to be a

personal blog with the standard ingredients. Except everything seems

to be written in the context of Olga’s nature religion. Whether it’s

thoughts on something that happened that day, or expressions of how

she feels about her work, it all seems to be from that particular

perspective, with plenty of jargon.

There is more to the site, including a poetry section and what looks

like an extensive portfolio featuring web design and art.

Unfortunately, Macromedia Flash is required for some parts of the

site, including the portfolio, and what I expect to be the main page

of the site. Consequently, this site will not be completely open and

accessible to everyone. But generally, the design is okay, and

clearly of the artistic kind. And, if you haven’t already guessed,

her nature religion pervades pretty much everything.

It is difficult to know quite how to rate this blog, as the heavy use

of religious jargon and concepts could easily reduce the content’s

accessibility to many people. Then again, it is a writing style that

is true (I trust) to the author’s beliefs and perspective, and this

is, indeed, a personal blog. While many will be put off by the

strongly religious nature of Olga’s writing, it does seem to be

reasonably standard stuff.

p r o t o t y p e 2 6

The Lardpony web site is centred around the weblog, and the most recent post is on the front page. Everything else you need is also right there in front of you just where you want it, so lets go in and have a look.

This weblog has been in existence for about three years in different places, its been here for about a year and this is the content that I concentrated on. Thomas, the writer has a very easy conversational style of writing and can be very witty. He is a student, and this site is centred on the stereotypical student lifestyle of drinking, music, junk food and barely making your deadlines. Its not a diary weblog in the truest sense of the word, he just spills onto the page whatever is in his head, and this makes it interesting. 2001 was definitely the best year for this blog, and if it was based on that alone it would have scored higher. The posts seem to have become a chore over the last few months, and I am sure this has a lot to do with increased student responsibilities. This blog has survived a long time and I am convinced the content will be back to its original best at some point in the future.

Lardpony uses a mauve frame and a centred white page that holds the content of the blog. All the other places within the site are linked from the main page, and this makes it a very easy site to navigate. Posts are archived monthly and are easy to find. All the links work fine, although a few images are missing from the older archives. The comments option is one that I like, and its used here to its fullest extent. In short, its original and well laid out.

All things considered I like this blog. I like the wry sense of humour which is typically English, and has a tendency to be profane on occasion. I havent got a problem with so-called bad language, but some people have, and for this reason the site must be for over eighteens only. Check out this blog if you are a student, or if you have a good hour to kill. I give it a respectable 3.5

Lardpony