The Weblog Review

When jadedju first loaded, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The background is a rather unique and unidentifiable picture. There’s a picture of a blowfish up top, and the menu is on the right side for a change. If I had to content was going to be like before reading, I would guess that it would show a lot of creativity without being completely zany.



As I began reading the blog entries, I found myself searching for a common theme in her writings, but I couldn’t. The first entry was very thought provoking. The next had almost no content at all. The next was funny, and after that a post that I honestly didn’t find interesting at all. There was a post that only made sense to a few select people (although she apologized for this, which hints that she normally writes for strangers). Overall, though, the posts are interesting, and kept me reading well into the archives without having to remind myself that I needed to in order to write this review.



The design of jadedju is rather simple. There’s nothing to complain about, but there’s nothing to write home about either. A few of the links at the bottom of the page point to pages outside of jadedju, but make up for some of the more noticeable omissions on her own site, such as an explanation of who she is, and why she blogs.



This site is almost entirely general purpose. The only thing worth mentioning that makes this site possibly a no-visit for some people would be that the author is a lesbian. The fact is not driven into every post, and even close-minded people wouldn’t know this unless they read a good bit of the site, but it is worth mentioning for the close-minded that won’t want to read it.



The design is clean, and works, but somehow fails to feel complete. I get the impression that so much more could be done. Something just doesn’t feel right. The entries are on average better than most, but the quality fluctuates a lot.JadedJu

I often complain about not getting to know a person well enough by reading their weblog. Sometimes it is just the lack of an about me page for more background info, other times, the author just posts moronic things that they think are interesting. However with Cocktail Onions we get to know Melanie, not through an about me page, but through her weblog.

To be honest, when I first went to the site, I said, “What the hell is with the onions? I don’t get it.” But the more and more I read; the more and more I got it. We all know that onions have layers; so does Cocktail Onions.

So I started reading, and reading and reading, and even more reading until I wound up at December without even thinking about it. This is a very in-depth weblog, that has its frilly stuff, and then has its deep thought stuff. When you read this weblog, you are in for one hell of a good ride. But be warned, this weblog is not for everyone, because if you aren’t willing to connect with the author, you won’t.

The one thing I thought about not bringing up was her post about her other review from another review site. However, the person who did that review obviously did not get Cocktail Onions. A misspelled word and it all went downhill from there. We are human after all and cannot always spell correctly. Amazing.

But I do agree with one part of the other review and that is the big onion in the center of the page. She says that she has played with the transparency so it is easier to read when the text goes scrolling down the onion, but the text still gets “lost” at the very bottom of the onion. No biggie, just means I scroll a little more, but it is still a little pain.

The overall design of the site is really well done, and easy to figure out. Yes some things go from the left side to the right side between pages, but that is ok. It is still in the order you would expect it.

Overall it is a good read. It starts off (currently beginning of June) like she is almost lost in cyberspace, and she may very well be. However, you learn about her as she is finding her way through it all. If you want a weblog that will make you think, has values, and above all lets you know who the reader is then Cocktail Onions is the weblog for you.
Cocktail Onions

Hi dave is not written by Dave, its written by Sue. Confused ? It gets worse. I thought I had stumbled into a league of gentlemen site, which I am eminently qualified to review as I used to live approximately seven miles from the location of the said comedy. However, the weblog is quite difficult to find in amongst all the other stuff that makes up this site, follow the diary link not the log link.

This blog should be titled the life and times of a forty-something divorced mother of three. So you will not be surprised when I tell you that this blog is only updated once a week, and this is proper diary stuff. You wont learn anything mind boggling here, but this is someones life so Im not going to judge the content. Unless you are over 30 and have kids dont even bother having a look, you wont get it. I am and I have, and what struck me most was this: About half way through the posts Sue stopped writing at me and started talking to me. She has obviously become more comfortable putting her words onto the page as the time has passed. This blog will get better, there is a lot of humanity here.

The site has a very simple design with all the posts in the centre panel of one page, hence no archives, and there is nothing in the side panels to distract you. The only link on the whole blog didnt work, the colour scheme doesnt set the world on fire, and the java mouse trail drove me mad, I hate them.

There is nothing here to keep me coming back to this site, apart from the fact that I like Sue. Unfortunately I have to be objective and I cant see any reason to recommend this blog to anyone other than the writers family and friends. This site would benefit greatly from a lot more posts, and some links to things that the writer is looking at. I give it a poor 2.

Hi Dave

This is another plain looking blog, with mostly white text on a black

background. Obviously this person does not see the need to do much

in the way of presentational design work. And that’s no bad thing, in

itself, but it does lead me to wonder if the content of the blog will

be somewhat banal. The subtitle, “Ramblings of a Bemused

Anthrophile”, along with the brief introductory blurb, do not

encourage me, but do not put me off, either.

Having now read a good number of entries, on the current page and at

fairly random points in the archives, I find it’s not too bad a blog.

It’s an online diary, to some degree, but not limited to just being a

record of what happens each day. Some entries are a little amusing,

and generally, Deb, the author, has a chatty, familiar style.

However, it seems that it’s a blog that has to be read and followed

for everything to be clear. A lack of any pages summarising

information about Deb doesn’t help. A full set of archives, though,

does.

Deb writes about herself and her life, in which high school and

musicals seem to feature quite strongly. She sounds like someone with

quite an active and varied life, both in and out of school, though her

rambly style (as promised in her subtitle) does leave me a bit unclear

as to the contexts of some activities and relationships. It’s

certainly a personal blog, and with the usual mix of entries found in

such blogs.

There is nothing more to say about the site itself, as it’s just the

blog with archives. But some background information on Deb would

really not go amiss.

Overall, there is nothing particularly special about this blog, and

nothing particularly bad, either. It is just what it is: a personal

blog. Some readers will enjoy it, and some just won’t be interested.

looking for answers from the great beyond…

Jon, a.k.a. Apollo, comes off immediately as an individual who knows how he’s been wired, and knows how to work life to its advantages. He seems to be somewhat addicted to almost all things pop-culture. A couple entries here and there gave off a vibe of energy, intelligence, and sometimes self-depricating humor (the best kind, in my book). I’d say that his writing style resembles one you’d get if you crossed living out a character from the movie “Swingers” with the daily rants of Bridget Jones, of “Bridget Jones’ Diary” by Helen Fielding.

The design is clean, and looks good in IE. Simple three-column layout, with the entries in the middle, sandwiched by a sidebar of links on the right, and what looks to be a collection of ‘pop’-y stock photos on the left.

As it turns out, Jon was born in Taiwan, dwells in San Diego, and has been to many points in between. His ‘about’ page is very detailed and candid, providing the reader with a good idea of his interests, lifestyle, and human qualities. Anyone who can appreciate the merits of A Tribe Called Quest, “Death of A Salesman”, “The Wizard Of Oz”, and poking into people’s point of catharsis–all equally–has my vote as a being pretty well-rounded individual.

The blog itself is a personal one. Its entries, whether they be glimpses on daily life, recapping movies he just saw, or touching on his feelings after a night of clubbing, reveal a person who most people his age (24) are likely to relate to i.e., he enjoys hip-hop, video games and many sundry materialistic things, maybe a bit too much. However, I actually found myself wanting to read more, so I went further on into the archives.

Although a small amount of entries are more personal, leaning toward the mundane (talking about cleaning his apartment, dying his hair, etc.,) most of the entries seemed to command my attention. They made me want to take MORE action beyond thinking ‘oh that was a cute story, or joke’, and then moving on to a different site. I say this because he really takes in all that is around him and examines it to its fullest, and his writing reflects this. I imagine he is the kind of person who doesn’t rest a lot in order to not miss a minute. I guess that’s what caused me to want to read more, and I imagine that others come back for more as well.

Although Jon’s sometimes emotionally ‘up’ and ‘down’, throughout his entries, he manages to keep the reader interested, and has us venturing out into the other websites he has, including a blog portal he’s working on, a site for his friends and family to read and view pictures, and his former dance group’s site. He was nearby the area during the WTC attacks on September 11th and gives great insight on just what was going through him and his friends at the time. For me, these entries made reading Inner Life all the more worthwhile.

I think the author has sort of summed up his blog without really realizing it by saying, “…as much as you can rely on [Blogger] to keep updated on people’s lives, remember that is only a tool towards discovering someone’s innards.”

Definitely take a moment to ‘discover the innards’ here. I have, and am likely to continue. innerlife