Month: January 1970

I had no clue what to expect going into this site since the name is so simple, and the category given was Entertainment. Maybe it would be about movies, tv, music, partying, who knows. So let’s find out.

The page loads and it has a standard 3 column layout. Red left and right columns make up the navigation and other parts of the site, and a big white column in the center for the blog itself. At the top of the white column is a logo of sorts which doesn’t help explain the site at all as it is just a blue face with red hair in the middle of brendoman.com. But let’s have a look around and see what we can find out.

Immediately my eyes were drawn to the About Us page. This let me in on the fact that it was a group blog. This could be a good thing or it could be a bad thing. I am still not sure. So the about us page is just a photo of all the group members. Obviously they know each other outside of the blog which is cool. This can make for some interesting interaction between them on the blog itself.

So onto the blog itself: Yes it is a group blog. And guess what it is about? Movies, music, tv, and stuff they either did or plan on doing. Most of the site is devoted to movies and entertainment which is good to an extent. The problem I had with this is that they all seem to talk about the same thing over and over and over again. For instance, in the month of October there are 5 different posts for the movie Kill Bill. That seems like an awful lot. I am not even going to start on the number of posts about the number of LOTR posts.

Thankfully it isn’t just about movies. There are posts about tv shows, music, video games, daily life as I said. These posts serve as a distraction from the movies almost. This is very similar to that small subplot that just keeps popping up every now and then in a movie. It keeps the site from going down the drain quickly.

My biggest gripe is with the archives. The only page that has an original design is the front page. Every other page has the standard movabletype template. This is annoying. The template makes it very hard to read the archives as there is barely any formatting, and the difference between a headline and tagline and the body of a post are almost interchangeable. This needs to be fixed. Even if they just tweak the layout for the archive so that it is easier to read, that would be a good thing.

The group aspect of the weblog doesn’t really play into the site too much. There isn’t very much interaction between the people who post, which is probably due to the fact that they all know each other outside of the weblog. They all are obviously into the same things because without the taglines I wouldn’t really be able to tell you who posted what.

This site has a lot going for it, but unfortunately a lot needs to be worked on. I enjoyed my time here, but as I said, I would prefer if the design carried over to the archives, and I wish it would be possible to tell who posted what. An expanded about page would be really good to have too, but is not needed. So if you want to know about movies, music, and other entertainment stuff, this is worth the surf.
brendoman

It was a a very pastel site with a small text box in the middle. It sat nicely in the middle of my screen and it was a clutter free first screen. It looked very subtle with very subtle colours. A few links across the top and nothing else to distract from the main text box.

The weblog is relatively new, July this year, so there are not that many entries. We hear about the fact that Suha has lost her job, got a kitten and see what really lurks inside a prozac capsule! She is obviously a football fan, and makes reference to the ongoing progress of Switzerland. She is having an inner battle and speaks freely about it.

The design is very simple. There are a few links, archives are available. I have to say that I did find the archives slightly frustrating as when I selected one, I then had to reclick the archive button and go through the list again. I could not find a way to prevent this, but maybe I was using it all wrong! There is a gallery but you have to register to see larger images of the photos.

Overall, this site is very easy on the eyes. The actual text box is quite small so you need to have your finger ready on the scroll bar. There is plenty of facts about Suha and her honest writing gives a good insight into her mind. I wish her well with her stay in the clinic and think that this will make an interesting blog to read once it has matured alittle bit. HerStory

Sometimes when I go to a site there’s just something that draws me in. This time, with this blog I couldn’t shake off the odd feeling of deja vu. The site looks beautiful with the images of flowers along the top. I stopped by the profile and disclaimer to see what she had to say.

The blog itself goes back quite a few years. It’s always interesting, at least for me, to read where the blog began, and often what happened. Though I’ll admit, the first entry I actually read was the most current one, and I was easily captivated by this author. Trinity has a different way with words, and she shares her feelings, without holding back. I have to give it to an author; anyone who can talk about poor eating habits and body reactions in one entry has to be worth reading. Her entry on religion should awaken the masses, but probably won’t. I can’t help but understand where she’s coming from in her story of her “awakening.” So it finally hits me, why I’ve been to this blog before. Remembering Scott.

The design is functional. It works. Knowing how diaryland is about templates, there’s only so much available to each blogger. You’re only able to read the most recent entry when you get there. The archives all work function properly. Actually, the archives are actually laid out nicely, letting you see the actual date and the entry title. The colors are pleasing on the eyes with soft lavender’s and purples.

There’s a profile page, but you don’t get much about Trinity there. You find out some of Trinity’s favorite diarist’s are, as well as favorite books and things of that nature. The only disappointing thing is that there isn’t anything by way of who she actually is, or any personal tidbits that’ll give you a glimpse into who this author really is.

This blog is a good one, overall. It’s a little more personal that some people might want to read. Trinity tells you how it is in her opinion and she tells it well. There are a few grammatical and typo errors, but not enough to make a big stink about it. She tells a damn good story, and I’d highly recommend this blog to others.Trinity Sixty-Three – The Escapades of me

I was torn between whether or not to give this site 3.5 or 4 overall. So perhaps 3.75 then. My first impressions were good- I always like it when someone has sorted out their own domain name and some thought has gone in to the name and the design of the sight.

I have also just transferred my own blog over to Typepad, so am aware of its capabilities and it is fair to say that the author, Mark has made use of many of them. There is an “About Me” page, a couple of photo albums, books he is reading (though no reviews unfortunately) and the usual links to other sites. There is also a link to a blog entry which explains the reasoning behind the site itself. Some work has been put in to the design too- the template all looks very sleek and tasteful and includes its own customised title bar which finishes the effect off nicely.

Having decided the design was more than acceptable, I started ploughing through some of the content. Now Mark has only been blogging for a month or so but there is more than enough content here to keep readers busy for a while. Entries have been made every couple of days or so and some are pretty long, though on the main page, use has been made of the “Read more…” facility, which shortens entries for those who only want a sample. The posts have been divided in to categories, though I found the content mostly fell in to “family and friends”, “Christianity”, “economics” and “politics”, with the occasional movie review and observations on blogging. Now I don’t want to criticise the content too much because it is still early days, but I found that these four main topics were covered in great depth and often with humour, but for the reader who may not have an affinity with these subject areas, the weblog may be of little interest.

I guess the argument comes down to “Is a weblog written for the author or its readers?” and if it is for the readers, does it matter if only a small group may find the subject matter engaging? Well I don’t know, other than if the author wants to appeal to more readers, perhaps he could employ a greater subject area in to his posts. A few more links to other sites may improve things too.

On the other hand, I enjoyed the witty observations on blogging, found in Baby Blogger Blathers and the generally relaxed style in which other entries were written. Including photos of the family was helpful too, as I occasionally found it tricky to keep up with who was who in Mark’s family!

In conclusion then, this is a great blog if you want to experience someone else’s life and viewpoints in depth, but may be might not appeal to those with other beliefs and interests, or the casual browser. Technically sound though.Earthly Passions

I couldn’t help but drop my jaw when I saw this site. It’s actually quite beautifully designed, and while a blog isn’t only what it looks like I’d like to have hopes that the content will complement the design.



As I always tend to do, I started to read this blog from the humble beginnings. I’ve read many good blogs, I’ve stumbled along many other’s that are mediocre blogs, and a number of really bad blogs. This one falls, without a doubt in my mind, into the good blogs category. The first few entries draw in the reader. You find out much more about the author and the tiny bits of his life. The entries read like short stories with an ending that is short and sweet. It leaves you pondering, wondering what you’ll read next. This author’s entries are scattered with all kinds of subjects and while his mind wanders, he generally stays on topic. His entries are interesting and keep the reader involved.



As I said earlier, the design is beautiful. I had no problem being able to manuever through the site and read everything I needed to. The archives all work, and that’s always a good thing. The grey’s work well with the content of the site. This is also a blog that’s designed to be able to be viewed in lower resolutions as well as higher resolutions.

The author offers a small about me with general information. Nothing extravagant, but informative. He also offers some pictures so you can see who you’re reading about. He has a few webrings that he’s a part of and few outgoing links, but not many. There’s not a lot of extras, but the content definately make up for it.

This blog is not meant for the overly religious or homophobic. He talks about cute boys and various different people he’s in “love” with. This author definately talks about his life, often in details, and sometimes in metaphors. He open and candid with his reader and the reader should approach this blog with the same openness. Go, read, and enjoy it for what it’s meant to be, a glimpse into the life of another.And the Universe Giggled