The Weblog Review

Ibidem is Latin for “in the same place,” and usually shortened to “ibid.” in footnotes to say “go see that place I just referred to earlier”. Which is appropriate for this weblog, since it’s got links a-plenty. Jesus Gil is a U.S. expat journalist living in Madrid, Spain. His blog is links to news about global politics, culture, religion, the occasional meme, and of course soccer. (His blog’s URL is a tribute to Madrid’s soccer — er, football — team. I also take it that “Jesus Gil” is a pseudonym, and that he is not the same Jesus Gil who is the president of said team and who was recently jailed for forgery and embezzlement.)

Ibidem has a variety of news sources, with many (not surprisingly) from Europe, and so has links to articles that I wouldn’t ordinarily find. His coverage of the recent tanker spill off Spain was really good. As with most news blogs, I enjoy ibidem most when it’s got commentary on the news, as well as the links. He’s got interesting opinions and it would enrich the site if he shared them more often. Occasionally there will be a more personal essay, such as his advice on tipping in Spain or a conversation with his son about skeletons that gets him thinking about innocence and imagination.

The design is functional, but nothing special. It’s not going to win any awards. But it’s legible and appropriate for the site. Ibidem includes a lengthy list of general blogs and another of religious blogs, especially Catholic ones. He has comments, a search function (using Atomz, which I use too — it’s easy!), a Daypop search bar, and on online referral log (using this script — for an alternate one try yaywastaken). He also has the “links open new windows” checkbox from randomwalks which really should be standard on all blogs.

In all, I’d say Ibidem is worth checking out for its interesting perspective on the news. Plus, where else are you going to read about Madrid’s soccer team?Ibidem

I am oddly attracted to The Bad One Says… the minute the site loads on my PC. I have no idea why – I hate orange. But the blog has a clean design and looks easy to read. Maybe I was just sucked in through the hallway on the logo graphic.

Drew, the writer of The Bad One Says…, seems inordinately preoccupied with sex, porn, and nudity on the internet. Most of his entries are either about his foibles trying to pick up chicks in chat rooms or about the correct etiquette of it all. There aren’t very many entries, but there seem to be an upswing of posting activities this month. Most of November’s entries are very, very short. There are a few funny entries which I don’t think were meant to be funny – like the writer’s discussion of a camgirl relationship gone bad. There’s a lot of unintentional irony going on.

Like I said, I really like the design of The Bad One Says…. After reading the entirety of the blog entries the design doesn’t seem to match up with the writing. However, the current design’s navigation is easy. There is a great search feature located on the Archives page, but it isn’t immediately find-able. I recommend putting the search feature on the main index page. I also recommend an “About Me” type of page.

I probably would not go back for another read of The Bad One Says…. The writing didn’t grab me, and I’m not really into the whole webcam/chatroom virtual sex scene.
The Bad One says…

With such an eye-catcher of a caption like “This is what Orgasms Look Like” and what appears to be a three-character rendition of the subject matter, cute really cute, one wonders what would inspire a person to scar an otherwise half-decent blog with such a nasty title. Kworb’s average, boring blog? I don’t think so.

You see, I like many people who like to discover new and interesting blogs on the Internet are sometimes offended or just plainly irked by these actions. Maybe boring, but my guess is
that most first-time visitors have a look at this statement and just leave. Well, since I am
a reviewer it is my job to hang around and have a look. Too bad all the others have already left, because they will miss some interesting stuff.

Like the poetry, the short stories, and all the pictures. Tons and tons of stuff. Artistic stuff. Personally I am a poetry lover, yet unlike the usual personal drab one finds elsewhere, these pieces are especially refreshing and quite original. My favorites are “Black and white,” “Rainwatcher” and “Antarctica.” Not bad for a seventeen year-old male planning on studying Econometrics in The Netherlands. I recommend checking these pieces out if nothing else.

So what’s the final verdict? Change the title, please. Something with the word “Kworb” in it. Something more decent. And get rid of the three-character symbols of the you-know-what. That way you will certainly attract more worthy blog reviewers (like myself). This blog is an okay visit, better yet if you are into half-decent poetry. But in the end, it is nothing out of the ordinary.This Is What Orgasms Look Like

This is certainly one good blog for true runners worth their salt everywhere. Runners looking for up close and personal information about their hobby as well as those enthusiastic sporters kind looking to find out what a verbose colleague has to say about running in his very own words. Unfortunately, there are not that many blogs out there dedicated to sport, especially the art of running, so this is a refreshing change of pace. It is all about the wonderful sport of running and more, about all aspects related to it in one way or another. Good design, attractive setup with colors that match, balanced entries with just enough information in the sidebars to distract one only very slightly from the main core of the matter: running, running and more running. As the author of this blog says: “don’t walk away from your problems, running is quicker.” He is right, right on the mark. On your mark, get set, go!

You see here alot about running, but not everything. As a self-proclaimed “general manager specialist” of his very own Running Shop, this is what one would expect. Even the normal entries have a tinge of running mania to them, each written in the tone of someone whose life centers around running. For example: overcoming hardships, waiting in anticipation, pulling a muscle in the buttock, hating it when not being able to run for one reason or another. There are also entries covering interesting subjects like what he thinks is the purpose of running, why people do that to themselves, the good ideas you come up with when running, and when running takes the back seat due to aggravating injuries. Yet the bothersome injuries must be overcome in the end in order to continue on the road to success.

Especially original is the so-called “Pain of the Month” link which as the name implies gives schematic information about some ache or injury that can afflict runners everywhere. The priformis muscle gets pulled, trigger points scintillating pain, and the good old sciatic nerve which gets pinched the wrong way. Ouch. Good and educational stuff here. Other running-related links are few but worth the visit, the picture gallery is incomplete, and the inspirational picture is a little too small to get inspired about (wouldn’t it be nice to make it click-able and zoom it?).

While this is a relatively new blog which just started in October of this year, I have the impression that it is has potential and will be growing soon. All the runners I have ever known have been very enthusiastic about their sport, just like this runner turned blogger. While the hit count is still relatively small, I expect that once the real runners out there get a taste of this site they will come running in droves. This is a good blog which needs to grow, with the determination of a long-distance marathon runner. This blog gets an above-average rating from me, but could do with some improvements as it grows and becomes more and more successful. Blogging is one long marathon.runnerblog

Mr. Breakfast, Mr. Lunch, and Mr. Dinner – those are our author’s mice. Only Mr. Lunch is still alive. Their introduction to Mr. Dinner and the demise of the other two lasted only two weeks. This is the kind of weblog I like. Not because there were dying rodents, but because the author lets us into her life without expecting us to keep track of absolutely everyone she runs into or socializes with on a daily basis.

The weblog is written in a fashion that I would call casual conversational. With any one of Erin’s entries, you could almost walk up to a random person on the bus or someone you’re stuck on an elevator with and just share something without having to go into too much background information. This is perfect in a weblog!

I’m a smart girl, but I still had to look in the dictionary to find out what “petulant” meant. And pairing it with the word “scream” (which obviously is part of the URL of this weblog) is a discreet way of letting viewers know they may be in store for some ranting, sarcasm, and often sharp sense of humor – all of which makes this a very fun weblog to read.

The layout is nice. It’s a template available for download at Miz Graphics, but out of all the prefab templates I’ve ever seen, this one is ideal for this site. The graphic at the top is perfect for it. The colors are also nice, and the Erin, our author, does a nice job of filling in the tables to the right with information that helps the reader learn more about her.

As far as the technical aspect of the site goes, some of the hyperlinks aren’t referenced correctly. And there were JavaScript errors. I got hit 36 of them before this site loaded. I hate that so much. If the great writing and fun attitude of the site wouldn’t have been so prevalent, then I wouldn’t have been able to continue reading. Seriously.

Yes, Erin may just be “One Girl Talking”, but she’s one girl that has a weblog I’ll be back to visit.

one girl talking