Month: January 1970

They have a pug. A pug! I want a pug too! Finnster is so cute!

Oh? Oh. Ahem. I’m supposed to be reviewing the blog, aren’t I? Okay. 11 out of 5. Because they have a pug.

Just kidding. Here’s the proper review:

When I first arrived at All Day & All Night I was slightly disturbed by the expanse of bright yellow that slashed across my screen. Frowning, I waited as the header graphic loaded (pretty, colourful, not overdone) and then waited a few moments more for the blog to appear. It seems my initial concerns were unnecessary.

The overall design of the blog is a bit plain, on a familiar layout (though slightly tweaked) but well presented and very easy to read. The yellow is not as bright as I first thought and it was easy on the eyes to get through much of the entries. There was nowhere to leave comments for any of the entries though – I have no idea if this is because there was no facility for comments or if the facility was down (as is often the case with out-sourced commenting/feedback systems). I’d have to say that the blog is actually quite minimalist in the little extras that come in the side column. There are a few tidbits as to what music the writer is enjoying and what books she’s been reading. There’s what I assume is supposed to be a random picture of the pug which is subject to change and a relatively conservative smattering of links to other places on the World Wide Web. Overall, I think the blog could benefit from a slight redesign, but it’s not offensive as it is now.

About the blog content itself; Erin is not what I consider to be a frantic blogger. Unlike some, she seems to write just when she has something amusing or thoughtful to say, this means that there’s a span of about 10 days or more between some entries, but that’s okay.

The blog was actually started in March 2003, and since there was no “About Me” details on the blog in plain sight, I skipped to the first entries in hopes of finding out why the blog was started, if not who was actually doing the writing. I was instantly intrigued by the information I found in that entry that I went and grabbed myself a cup of tea, the cookies I got from my secret santa and read everything. Fortunately the blog isn’t all that long and Erin isn’t a wordy person, so it was relatively easy to get through in one sitting. But I giggled and chortled and nodded my way through the whole thing, grinning at the antics of the pug and his owner who hale from somewhere near the George Washington Bridge.

You won’t find any rants about politics or or world injustices at All Day & All Night. What you will find though, is some great little posts about the life and times of Erin – and more specifically, Finnster the M.P.P.P (Mega Pampered Puppy Pug, I think I got that right…)

Personally I think it was worth reading the whole blog for this one entry. Precious! Thanks so much for sharing, Erin!All Day & All Nite

Butterfly Dani is a beautifully laid out blog, its tasteful simplicity to the extreme with just enough color to make it pleasing to look out without detracting from the content in any way, shape or form. There is no about me page as such but there is a ‘100 things’ page which is especially informative on the person behind the blog.

Archives go back to March 2003 and the vast majority of her postings are personal journal entries, about life in general, be it college, work or everyday occurrences. But this is not someone who will shy away from putting forward an opinion on everything from politics to religion as well. Most of the posts are short and to the point, not a word wasted, and I think in this particular circumstance it does her credit. She has a good writing style, does not mince with words and comes to her point effectively. Her writing style is in fact much like her design, well structured and beautifully set out.

The design of the blog itself does the author credit, and quite clearly it is one she has put a lot of effort into. Not only is it beautifully laid out but there are no broken links. However, initial appraisal was done viewing the site on my 1024 x 768 browser, when I looked again using my 800 x 600 browser there was some overlapping – particularly the right hand column which overlapped the center. It’s an unfortunate flaw in an otherwise beautifully simple layout.

I enjoyed my visit to Dani’s site, her writing is beautiful and the content despite being largely personal was on the most part very interesting. The design is well laid out and suits the content very well, and except for the overlapping on a small screen resolution was well edited and flawless. You will find no broken links here. The rating was particularly difficult to appraise here because although I enjoyed my visit I am not sure it would be a site that would draw me back on a regular basis. Bearing in mind the overlapping I believe this site is a good 4 still, because I consider it to be one of the better blog ‘journals’, full of well written and well documented life experiences. If you enjoy connecting with an author on a personal level then this is probably the blog for you.

Update : Dani does have javascript inplanted in her template which loads the correct css file appropriate to user’s screen resolution. butterfly dani

This is the fourth review to date of “The Art of Rhy-isms” and, having read the previous three reviews I am not sure if I really have anything new to add. However, I will see what I can do.

Now although this is a Blogspot blog complete with adverts, the author has clearly put a lot of work in to his site. He has his own template which is good (though not outstanding it has to be said) and ALOT of sidebar paraphernalia. It took me a good half hour or so to plough through the “About Me” stuff, his own online dictionary and the games he has written himself. He has also put up his favourite posts on to a separate page, which is a nice touch really and as there is alot of content in the blog, this is a good way of getting a feel for it and seeing the edited highlights.

As I think the scores reflect so far (ranging from 2 to 4.5) this is probably the kind of blog people will either love or hate. The author (very proudly) does not go in for the big issues of life, especially politics, but instead comments on his own life, the laughs he has with his mates and a few games/ movie reviews. Deep this blog isn’t.

However, there are some (fairly) amusing posts and like I say, if you do get on with the style of writing and content there is plenty to keep you occupied. However, the subject matter can get a bit repetitive (i.e. drinking, socialising, foortball and “funny things I said”, with the occasional reference to the college course he is doing). If you want to get an idea of what the average twenty year old gets up to in the UK then this cannot be faulted – he obviously enjoys the weblog as do his friends and regular readers. There are a lot of photos throughout the posts too, which also add a visual element. His slightly arrogant attitude gets a bit wearing after a while though and the rants he occasionally has are often merely resentful, vitriolic and poorly argued.

I have given this weblog 4 out of 5 for the shear effort which has been put in to it. However, due to the occasionally self centred nature of the content (whether it is meant to be taken tongue in cheek or not) and the rather limited subject matter, he still hasn’t got that all elusive 5 out of 5 I am afraid. Keep trying Rhys!The Art of Rhys-isms

My first impressions of “The joy of being me” were positive, and things only got better from there. Apart from having her own domain name (always a good sign in my opinion) she also has her own personalized layout which is simple, functional and looks great- really compliments the blog well. It was nice to be able to see all of the sidebar stuff without having to do any scrolling (at least in 1024 x 768). She has also embraced new technology and has two videos of her bungee jumping, as well as a 24 hour webcam and real time chat facility for when the authoress is there (she wasn’t when I visited.) Looking back through the archives, the webcams have been used quite a bit, even for seeing who came “trick or treating” on Halloween by rigging it up outside the front door. I also liked the way that her blog links actually showed an image of the blog being linked to.

Ok, so the design/layout/optional extras were all exceptional, appropriate and tasteful. So with all this going on for her, could the content measure up too? Well yes, surprisingly it does. The authoress is an oldtimer amongst bloggers, with archives going back to January 2002 (though this didn’t seem to be the beginning of the blog). All her postings are of a personal nature, fairly short and easy to read. This makes the blog easily accessible and a light read.

Although the subject matter doesn’t vary much from the day to day life stuff, there are sufficient updates for the reader to get really caught up with things. Her life is pretty varied and she also waxes lyrical about her views on the bigger issues too, which make it even more engaging. Before I knew it I found myself two months in to the archives and still wanting to read further. I don’t know what it is about unpretetious blogs that simply relate the day to day life stuff but I find them absolutely fascinating if they are written with any real honesty, which this one is. It is like being a voyeur I suppose- it taps the same vein as reality TV shows do, though without anyone playing up to the cameras.

I thought this blog embodies for me what blogging should be about, at least personal blogging. Some people may get bored here if they are looking for the more factual or “themed” kind of blogs, but for those of you who simply want to get a view on someone else’s world, this would be a great place to start.The joy of being me

Before I even got to the site I laughed. What can I say? I love the word drivel. Once I got to the site, all I was thinking was My Big Fat Greek Wedding (check out the pics on the right, they’re classic). So while this is another blogspot blog, which before I started reviewing I was none to fond of, this is another well done blog. The pictures throughout the site are a welcome personal touch to an otherwise standard design.

The writing in My Drivel is a good mix of posts about current life, news, fun quizzes, and stories from the writers past interjected with pictures for those with a short attention span (such as myself). The posts were written with a lot of feeling and even more humour. I think almost every post had me chuckle. Early on in the blog there are very few posts, which was explained in the About Me page. This brings me to what I think is the coolest reason to have a blog – so family (kids, grandkids) can hear stories of their family they may otherwise never hear, and based on what I read – they should hear.

The design was a standard blogger template, easy to read and nothing over the top. All the links within the posts work, although just a side note, I think all bloggers should warn readers of pop up ads on links they post – something I myself am guilty of when I get the link with a pop up blocking browser. The thing I found weird, was there were no permalinks, It wasn’t a detrimental thing at all, just strange. That being said, there weren’t a lot of “features” on the site. The About Me page however is a must read. I howled laughing at it. It reminded me of the banter between me and my best friend.

Overall, this site was a joy to read. I love blogs that can make me laugh, and as well make me understand. I felt as though I knew the characters enough to follow a story, and the pics of his cute kids didn’t hurt. My Drivel