The Weblog Review

My first impression was, ‘interesting name.’ When I got to the blog, I
was presented with a nice unique layout. Scropio is all over this site, from the
name to the cute drawing on the design.

What I liked the most about the site was the poetry section. Loved the organisation, and the fact that you could see an exerpt of each poem. I also liked the section that tells you about scorpios. I would have liked to see more about the author in the about me section, especially about her personality and if she has some of those scorpio traits. Another interesting aspect of this blog is the “Free for all Fridays” or FFAF, where anyone can post entries on fridays by following a few simple steps. The visitors who posted really had some interesting things to say. This section is a hidden gem, because as it is now, you really wouldn’t know about this unless
you are looking through the archives. I would have loved to see a link in the
sidebar, so we could click and see entries from this category. What I believe could be improved upon is the posts in general. Apart from the Free for all Friday, the posts are very short without much details.

The design was unique and reflected the scorpio theme from the background to the graphic illustration of a young girl with a scorpio tail wrapped around her neck. The layout was the standard 2 column layout, with one column being her blog, and the other, sidebar, having the navigation, recent posts, comments, favorite links, blog roll … on and on it went, maybe too much information in one spot.

Overall, DizzyScorpio’s blog was good. The design was unique, the site is updated frequently and it has some interesting sections such as the poetry, about scorpios and FFAF. Making the posts longer and a bit more detailed will make it a great blog.dizzyscorpio

When I skimmed through “the bone”, beginning to nit pick at little details I wanted to point out in my review, the first thing I noticed was the abundance of quotations. Not necessarily profound or remarkable quotes from people worth quoting, just lots of quotes. I also noticed the use of the word “Huzzah!” more than once. It made me smile. I mean, how can you not smile when you imagine someone in front of his or her desktop exclaiming “Huzzah!”?

The layout was simple. An olive toned header, featuring the first and most notable quote paired with an off white background and a right side bar for links and the archive, which goes back to mid-2002. A bit unimaginative but clean and to the point. This blog is more about the entries than the design.

Christopher Rieder posts on many different subjects. He is very clear on his political views yet doesn’t force them upon his readers. He is very literary and it shows throw both the linguistics of his posts and the content of them as well. He also possesses a very unique taste of music. An example being that he thoroughly enjoys They Might Be Giants. When to me, that’s only the group that sings the annoyingly catchy theme song to Playhouse Disney’s new show “Higglytown Heroes”.

The weekend I spent reading his blog, his Sunday post was a critique of America’s patriotic songs. It was wonderfully written, and with experiences from his music class and other references to back up and point out his views. It wasn’t something I’d normally be interested in reading, and probably wouldn’t have read if I wasn’t reviewing, but it was amusing, and I’m glad I did.

Overall, I found this weblog to be dull, and not one that I would find myself revisiting. Yet, I can see how others would easily begin linking to it, and making it a daily read. It’s smart, well maintained, informative, and likeable. Yet to me, it’s just not very interesting. It’s one of those blogs where everyone who comes across it will probably have a different opinion. It’s definitely worth a visit in order to see what opinion you yourself will form.
the bone

One thing you’ll notice when you initially visit this blog is that it appears to be a nice little family oriented blog, maybe something geared toward updating family members on current events and such. After diving into some of the posts, it becomes obvious that this is far more than that, it’s very interesting, funny and well written.

I would venture to say that this blog is down-right hilarious at times but, that may be because I’m a parent myself and can totally relate to the things Greg and Deb post about. I see this weblog as being a tool to help them share some of their more interesting times in life with the world, or whomever wants to take a gander.

The design of this blog is soothing to the eyes and easily read. Spelling and grammar is top-notch and I think this blog is going into my favorites list. I would recommend this blog to anyone looking for a hearty laugh, especially people with young children…trust me, you’ll be able to relate to these folks!

Greg & Deb on the Web

I had a feeling from the moment I arrived at this site that I was going to love it. Being that I’m a bit slow, it took me a while to figure out what was going on with the web address,(http://dubyadubyadubyadotcom.com/) but when I finally caught it, I was even more assured that I had stumbled upon a gem. I liked the layout, simple, but not boring, easy on the eyes and not too busy. The header states “Mostly Healthy Mostly Harmless” and even though my analytical self would have liked to have seen a comma between ‘healthy’ and ‘mostly’, it gives you a good first impression of the site right away.

James Starritt is an amazing writer. His weblog is a mix of different things. Some days, it’s a journal where he records his daily antics, and those of his two cats (including one he suspects to have been injected with rabies on her last trip to the vet). Other times it’s where he rants and raves about his political views, which are refreshingly different and well delivered.There is a category of posts called ‘Childhood Chronicles’ where he reminisces about growing up, and I enjoyed going back to those days with him. I wonder if he speaks as well as he writes, because if so, I could listen to him babble at me for days on end. He has the ability to make you read through what looks to be a mile long post and wish that it wasn’t over.

The template is dark and plain, and it fits the site, being as it’s easier for you to concentrate on the great content, without being drawn over to the too-busy sidebar or blinking header and footers. There are links to other blogs, an extensive archive, and there’s the ability to sort through the site by whichever category blog you’d prefer to read.

James kept me entertained, interested, and amused throughout. Something that I noticed is that he’s from England, and moved to Wisconsin. And if you’ve seen the film Love Actually, you’ll realize that that’s where the character ‘Colin, God of Sex’ goes on his quest for more down to earth women. I just thought that was a funny coincidence and I wanted to point it out. His about me page is a great read, and offers insight and explanations about different things you may wonder about in his entries, and also about himself.

I felt that this was an awesome blog and the only reason I didn’t give it a 5 is because I am a camera whore and I would’ve liked to seen more photographs than I did. James Starritt has found a new daily reader in me, and I’m sure if you take the time to visit his blog yourself, that you will become one also.

Mosty Healthy Mostly Harmless

Initially, I found the site refreshingly simple. Not too many graphics or bells and whistles and no unnecessary features. I figured I would find a blog by someone who was knowledgable in the sport of soccer and someone who tends to keep up with the games and present the highlights as observed by them, and I did indeed find what I expected.

The blog is interesting and was easy to understand. It appears to be well written by someone who thoroughly enjoys the sport. Maybe I’m not that observant but, I still can’t find the name of the author, even in the “About The Author” section. I think the author does have a love for soccer and it shows through his posts.

I think the author is attempting to inform readers about current evens in soccer and present an opinionated view of the sport based on his experience. I do feel however, that there is much to be desired in the area of maintaining the blog. I observed several photos missing while surfing the blog and a desperate need for a graphic logo at the top of the blog. I think the design works for the topic but, it could be “spruced up” a bit to intrigue the reader to continue reading.

Overall, I think this blog is a good read and has plenty of potential for gaining many new readers with a little touch-up to the layout and making sure the photos are working properly.

Soccer Weblog