The Weblog Review

My first impression on entering Mediaburn was that although the site looked clean and easy on the eye, it also looked like every other Radio UserLand weblog out there. But the simple design still looked good enough to make me want to stay a while and look around.

The description given on the Mediaburn site says, “Mediaburn is a free-form, independent resource for news, information, music and the arts.” It certainly was free-form. The news doesn’t focus on one subject, such as technology. Instead, the links and short posts varied from being about politics, to weblogs to films/movies, either chosen by the site director or sent in by readers. Although I liked this variety it did mean that Mediaburn couldn’t be used as a source alone to gather your daily news. However, it is obviously already being taken seriously as one source of news due to the option to translate the site into various languages.

I felt that the layout and navigation were not as effective as they could be. The archives were difficult to navigate because you could only go back one month at a time, and then you could only go through each month one day at a time, which became hard work and often caused me to give up looking for a particular day’s news. The site could do with a little more organisation, such as sorting the news into fields.

From the positive comments of current Mediaburn users, and the evidence that the site has grown since it began, such as the increased frequencey of entries, I think that this weblog is worth keeping an eye on, as it looks set to become a prominent site in the future.The Mediaburn Radio Weblog

A self-confessed Egomaniac with an ego approximately the size of Denmark (my guess is that it fluctuates depending on situations), Rhys talks loud and long on his blog, never letting you forget that you are reading HIS BLOG. What, you can’t tell with a name like ‘The Art of Rhys-isms’?

How obsessed with himself is he, you ask? Well, not very much, actually. Just to the extent that he posts his academic results on his blog and compares himself with David Beckham to conclude that they are both leading fashion icons. Sample this sentence from one of his posts: “However, I have never, ever failed anything in my life. Not being arrogent (honest), but my record is flawless.” Occassionally irritating self-promotion aside, Rhys’s posts are actually quite a delight to read, what with his dramatic way of telling stories and usage of ample sarcasm. I found the ‘random’ pictures that come with posts a quirky and welcomed touch.

What makes the site better than average is, well, quantity. Most of Rhys’s posts are lengthy, but most importantly, there are a lot of side features on the site, including downloadable games designed by – who else – Rhys, a glossary explaining names and locations that appear frequently in his blog (comes in handy, but I couldn’t find Roland), a list of what Rhys is reading/watching/playing/listening to, and a message board, among others. At first glance, all these cramped together in a page may seem messy and over-crowded to some readers (Blogspot users, perhaps?), but once you get over the feeling of being overwhelmed, you’ll notice that everything is in order. Navigation is easy and the design is simple, plus there is a color theme; which means that it’s good. Perhaps the only complaint might be that there are too many links to click on?

To put it simply, ‘The Art of Rhys-isms’ is an interesting read. If you are looking for emo journals with plenty of angst and emotions, you can skip this. However if you enjoy Dave Barry-style rantings that causes you to read with an exasperated smile, this is the place.

The Art of Rhys-isms

If the Art of Rhys-isms were a movie, it would star Jackie Chan – it’s a rollercoaster of site, intensely personal and an addictive guilty pleasure. Never mind the misspellings or the occasionally reckless grammar: your host, Rhys Wynn, is Graham Norton on speed and too much fun to ignore.

The site initially appears too busy and jumbled with its jam-packed frames and intense banner. (I’m tempted to raise funds for him to get rid of the annoying Blogspot ad banner, though I suspect he’d put the money towards a pint.) However, once you get to know Rhys you’ll realize quickly that this blog IS him.

A Welsh programming student at the University of Liverpool, Rhys frequently posts stream-of-consciousness missives about his exams, his latest games, his quotidian trips to the pubs and so forth. The casual nature of these posts plus a section devoted to extraordinarily detailed biographical information about him result in a nearly instantaneous feeling of familarity towards Rhys and his mates. Add to that Rhys’ charming Welsh/Liverpudlian slang and you’re hooked, ready to forgive the occasional assaults on traditional English.

This is hardly a political or newsy blog. If anything, Rhys might delve into the specifics of certain games or programming tricks, but for the most part you’re with him as he goes about his day and night as a student and you’re happy to be there. It’s not a perfect blog, either; as mentioned above, the grammar and spelling are often dodgy and the site is cluttered and assaultive. However, it is one of those rare sites which totally embodies its author. It never overreaches or tries to be something it isn’t – and more pointedly, it’s ridiculously fun to read. The Art of Rhys-isms

Affordable Justice lends itself to a law or justice related blog in my mind, and so I was quite surprised initially when I arrived at the site. Its true meaning in this case may well be lost on me, I’m a Brit with no knowledge of the LA scene as it goes, and Affordable Justice is in every essence of the word a personal journal.

Primarily the content of this journal is as you would expect a conglomeration of everyday occurrences, with occasional perused links, interesting examples of writing and references to the music scene in LA in which the author plays a part. To be entirely honest I did find some of the entries a little hard to follow, the author isn’t too keen with his shift key and there is the obvious barrier between UK and US English.

The author writes a little about himself at the very start of his blog – back in May 2002. Which may not be great with the details but does provide the reader with some information on his background. Other details are dropped in the course of the journal, meetings with his Dad and so on.

Design Wise the site is a mixed bag. The first thing I noticed when I arrived at the site was the background, which in itself is a stunning image. Replicated across the screen in the form of a background is too much, and makes the site hard to follow. The design itself is primarily based on a generic blogger template, with the addition of the background and some very minor layout changes. It’s structured and easy to navigate.

As a journal in itself it doesn’t really capture my interest as well as it could. The background distracts from the content significantly and not being part of the whole LA scene leaves me a little at a loss with the culture and language. It may well be interesting for those who are a part of the same world, especially the LA music scene in which the author seems to be a part of – particular interest comes from his experiences as a “Tour Manager”. If he were to be a little more explicit in this area it could really heighten the overall surfing experience. Still, as it stands a 2.5. Some interesting references but no real come back factor.

affordable justice

It was the title of the site that drew me, Reminisces on a life lived promised a personal journal full of life experience, and that is exactly what it delivered. The design of the site is based on a generic blog template, but in their favour it is one of the better ones and is actually quite pleasing to the eye.

The nature of the entries is as you would expect, primarily about the everyday occurrences the author faces as and when they happen. But they are well written, interesting to read, beautifully to the point and honest. These sorts of journals can go horribly wrong even for those who live the most exciting lives, but the author carries this off very well. His style of writing is easy to follow.

There isn’t a great “about me” section, although there is a brief posting in the initial entries containing some fairly basic information. I think with this type of journal learning a little about the author can really add to the personality of the site. However, the entries are such that reading the journal itself can give the reader such a vast amount of information about the author’s personality this isn’t absolutely essential.

The design of the site is a generic blogger template so I can’t really comment too explicitly about that. It is one of the better templates, is clear and well structured and so allows for easy navigation of the site. Not many individual touches have been added to the site, the links section is somewhat short although this is to be expected for such a young site…

I found that web address a little long, certainly not one you would like to type from memory, and personally I would look into condensing that a little more if possible.

If you enjoy reading about everyday life experiences of a 26 year old male that this site is worth your time. It received a 3.5 from me because I found it well written, and fitted well within its title. A little individuality tailored into this site would certainly heighten the surfing experience, because this is what the site offers – reminiscent writings of an individual’s experiences in life.

Reminisces on a life lived