The Weblog Review

Rain-Angel first came across to me as a simple, well presented, no fuss no weblog, that’s inviting from the word go. The best thing about this site from the beginning was that on the right hand side it gave a brief spiel about who the author and her background. If there’s one thing that really annoys someone when entering a stranger weblog is not knowing anything about the person yet having to identify with what they post, Dara gives the reader good insight to who she is, her life and situation. It was a good start before I even set eyes on the blog.

The blog itself isn’t anything mind blowing, I didn’t really expect it to be, but it was interesting and I did enjoy reading it. Posts range from day to day activities, meeting new peoples, local activities and a lot about Dara herself, which may seem rather dull, but has been well written in forms of easy reading lists as either questions or flashbacks. Of particular interest was a ‘Where was I when?…’ (22 March) where the author gives us an insight to her life during different important developments at the time. Overall I was more than happy to keep reading.

The design made reading the weblog easy, nice font selection, font size and pleasing colour selection all contributed towards this. The blog also utilized the entire browser window and wasn’t hidden away in an annoying tiny text box that seems to be all the rage at the moment. Not burdened by too many graphics either the site loaded up promptly and there wasn’t a dead link in sight adding to the joy of the review.

Even though its far to say that there was no one particular area that stood out as amazing in the weblog, overall it was one of the better ones I have had the pleasure of reviewing. My only criticism is the timing between archiving which appears to be every 2 weeks for the main page making it rather long, though without graphics, download time is still minimum, so I can overlook this rather small annoyance. Other than that I couldn’t see much else wrong with the site. I give Rain-Angel a 4 out of 5 rating, two thumbs up and even a toe!

rain angel

Let’s get this out of the way first:
Melissa isn’t going to win any design
awards for Duplicity. The front page
is simple enough, but some of the
links (such as her profile) will whisk
you away to completely different
sites, and it can all get a little
confusing. Better be ready with that
back button if you want to see the
whole of duplicity.

But then, this is a diary site, so let’s
take a peek at the main attraction.
And I have to say I was pleasantly
surprised. Melissa writes very well,
intelligently and with a unique sense
of humor. Her entries are almost
always interesting and sometimes a
real pleasure to read, there’s plenty
here to reward persistence.

My main disappointment was not
being able to find a biography here. I
would have liked to learn a little more
about the girl whose life i was
exploring. There are pictures,
however, for the more voyeuristic
amongst you.

Duplicity is a diary first and foremost,
and if that is what you’re looking for,
you will not be disappointed. Just
don’t get lost.

Duplicity

Elegant, un-cluttered, easy to read, very blue. These were my first impressions of marcneedham.com. The design here really is first rate,
and a quick glance at the source code confirms that there is more javascript here than you could shake a stick at. A particularly large stick.
Marc is looking for work, and by God, if there are any potential employers out there, you need to contact this man. Right this instant. Go on!

On to the content then, and I’ll sum it up for you like this: I’ve never met
this man before in my life. But after visiting his site, I like him very much.
Marc’s blog is personal without alienating his audience, peppered
with an excellent standard of links. They made me laugh out loud on
several occasions, and believe me, that’s no easy feat. Marc’s a funny
guy. He’s also infuriatingly cute (but spoken for. Sorry ladies.)

Often with a personal site like this, I find I have no real interest in flicking
through picture galleries. But after reading Marc’s biography, I felt
obligated to view his pictures. I actually wanted to know more about
his life, and there’s no higher praise than that for a personal weblog.

I won’t spoil it for you by revealing any more details. But if you’re looking to
spend some pleasurable time learning about a man you’ve never
met before, I wholeheartedly recommend marcneedham.com.
And if you’re an employer looking for a talented web developer, your
search ends here. Excellent stuff.MarcBlog

Over 20 different high school girls have come together to create and constantly update a site about their favorite actor: Orlando Bloom.



The design is an attempt to be unique, as the scroll bar is on the left hand side of the screen. The graphics are perfect for the purpose of the site.



I had no idea who Orlando was, but soon found out he played a big role in Lord Of The Rings. The girls posting to this site apparently think he’s the best thing since sliced bread.



Some of the different girls that submit to the website use the words: “another pointless post” in their entries, and I couldn’t agree more.



The weblog is used as a message board for the members to post trivial things about Orlando – how cute he was in this movie, or how hot he looked on the cover of December’s issue of GQ.



It’s not exactly something that’s entertaining or easy to follow unless you’re part of the posting members of this weblog.Obsessin’ Over Orli

Troubled Diva is not the celebrity weblog of Mariah Carey. No, it’s far more interesting than that.



Instead, this is the weblog of Mike Atkinson, a 40 year old Brit, who has a light sense of humour and the ability to share it with the world. It’s not often that such a thing happens.



Another feature of the site is the “40 in 40 Days” project, a kind of midlife crisis that resulted in reasoned and introspective literary output instead of the purchase of a big red car. It’s a series of short, highly personal stories written as the author approached his 40th.



If you’re tired of vitriolic outbursts, teenie boppers, and hackers with unpronouncable aliases, pay a visit to this happy-go-lucky diva.



A refreshing change, and worthy of a full site instead of the over-subscribed blogspot program.troubled diva