The Weblog Review

No/w/here is a neat little blog, with fishes and all.

The site appealed to me automatically when the site loaded up with the banner of colorful, tropical fish and the fish, which also are used as breaks between the posts. It’s a crisp, simple, green layout and classy if you ask me.

The “about” section didn’t offer me much information about the writer. From the blog itself, I did get to learn more about her, who prefers to be referred to as “Anonymous B. Nowhere.”

She’s just recently returned back to school to be a science major who used to be a firefighter which she mentions in one of her most recent posts where she ended up help save a life from a fire, win a trip from a scratch off and ace a math test all in the same day. She’s quite vocal about things going on in the news and also stuff going on about on the web, especially the world of weblogging of course.

I got a good vibe from her through the site. She seems like a writer who’s true to herself in her writing and doesn’t feel the need to hide her feelings like some people do when publishing their thoughts online.

If you’re looking for a site that has sarcasm, wit and candid writing, then you might want to check out this site.
No/w/here

Quick, think of a 16 year old male and what do you think of? I am almost positive that at least one quality about your 16 year old that you thought of this one has.

Alex is your standard high school student. He has some interest in school stuff, and has your standard share of classes, and of course, likes video games, and his computer. Not to mention his liking of the NBA.

Most of the posts are just short little blurbs about what is going on that day in his life. Every now and then, he throws up a random link which leads to some interesting sites.

Unfortunately the program he uses to publish his weblog isn’t up to par for him. He had to take away his archives, and his comments for his site, which is somewhat harmful to a weblog to remove. He did put up 30 entries for me to read, but I still did not have access to the 1 year, 3 months worth of posts, I would like to have had. He is however, looking into using a different weblog tool, which he will hopefully get up and running soon.

He has a pretty sweet design going for his site. I really liked it, even though it is just black, white, and shades of gray, it works very well. There are plenty of external links which makes the site even more valuable.

Considering in one of the posts, the author mentioned how he has been on the web for almost four years, and this site he has kept open for the longest out of all of the ones he has had. The site, in time, will grow, just as the author will and should prove to be an interesting read if the author keeps the site running. My only complaint really was the lack of archives, which really adds a lot more to a site than I realized it would. Hopefully he will find some way to transfer all the old archives to his new tool that he decides to use.
enfusi0n

JohnZep.com opens up on a nice green background for the main page with a dark blue background for the actual text itself. It’s a nice color combination that made me go…wow, I kinda like it. Even better was the Hamster Cam! This is the first blog I have ever seen that has a webcam of any kind on it. This webcam is dedicated to his hamster named Fluffy. Granted I didn’t get to see Fluffy in action (and actually I paused and waited, refreshing my screen on a regular basis just for the chance that I could see Fluffy. But, no. My hopes were dashed.

When I first started reading the blog itself and delved into the archives I was kinda surprised that some of the entries were so short. Some were even just a few words. If anything I was thinking that this was one concise weblog. But I noticed something when I moved my mouse to venture to another portion of the blog — the dates are actually links to the longer, more in depth entries. I wish I had known this sooner…it would have saved me some time and frustration.

Now, when you actually delve into the entries themselves, they are a pretty cool read. You can tell that the author is a pretty laid back guy who is getting some fun out of life. Even better, this guy has movie reviews. Granted I might not agree with some of his assessments but I have to admit they were a fun read.

Design-wise, JohnZep.com is a clean site. With my only complaint being that it took me about five minutes to realize that the dates were links to the actual entries, I have to say that JohnZep.com will provide you with a nice clean ride. Well defined links that don’t lead you astray and a forum where you can vent your disgust, love, or something in between makes JohnZep.com a nice visit.

Now where the heck is Fluffy?JohnZep.com

Most blogs you read on the internet are not done by published writers, but just your average person who wants to express themselves. However, this site strays away from your “average” blog.

Aldo Alvarez is the executive editor and publisher of Blithe House Quarterly and has also written the book “Interesting Monsters” which was published in 2001. His site gives off a different feel than other sites; it gives you a glimpse of the life of a writer.


His blog contains stuff about what’s going on in his life at the moment, to emails and letters he receives from people who have read his book, to experiences about being gay to whatever else might be on his mind. I found his blog pretty entertaining and a nice change from other personal weblogs you find on the internet.

Other things you’ll find on the site are mostly centered and related to his book. The layout’s okay, though I got a little confused with the navigation.

What I liked most about this site is Aldo seemed quite social and open to questions and comments he receives from his readers. His writing comes off engaging, especially when he tells stories and things he’s experienced.

Overall, it’s a pretty good site.
Aa’s Blog : Aldo Alvarez

Question: What do you get when you take one part weblog, and one part professional writer?

Answer: You get Aa’s Blog.

This is a rather interesting blog to read. It doesn’t read like your normal blog, and it took me a while to figure out why that is. The main reason is because the author doesn’t update his site every day like most of our daily reads. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn’t. I think it all depends on his mood, and what he finds on the web.

A lot of his posts have links to sites outside of his, which can be either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your preference. By no means, is this a links/news site, it is just he likes to link a lot of different things.

The main focus of the weblog seems to be on his book. Of course, there are links to go buy his book on the page, which doesn’t hurt. Every time there is something new or interesting about his book, it is posted on his site. There are some personal posts through out the weblog, but I didn’t see them as being the main focus of his site.

The design of the site is nothing to brag home to mom about, but nor is it something that is horrible. It is an average design, 3 columns each with a specific purpose. The color scheme focuses on a green background with white and grey areas for the text to be on. This may a good thing, this may not. I was impartial to it.

Over all I think the site has a lot of potential. It would have been more interesting had the blog itself started during the “writing” process of the book, but maybe when the author starts work on his next book, we will be treated to the mind of the writer. This site is one to add to your bi-weekly read list, so go and enjoy.
Aa’s Blog : Aldo Alvarez