Month: January 1970

Sanity Helpline. I was wondering what I was getting myself into as I clicked on the hyperlink to this site. I had no idea, not even an inkling. As the site started coming into view (as I am on a notebook on dreaded dialup), I was noticing the unremarkable layout. Rather average I thought to myself. Then, as the words appeared, rather average fell on the floor and was replaced by phenominal.



First of all, I looked to the left for the all-important “about” link, but instead found “About Moi,” with some basics underneath. Basic but containing the requisite information. This was good. Then, below it was something I’ve not yet come across, and found it very amusing. “Current Available Topics.” Underneath this heading were four topics. Below the topics is an explanation of how the topics work, and what they’re used for, how they’re implemented, recommended, etc. VERY ingenious! That explained the first entry I read, entitled “Drilling.” Continuing through the blog, I found a writer that has a good wit, and writes engagingly, keeping the reader’s attention with funny little sayings here and there, or with his thought-provoking ideas. He goes from the trivial to the profound with equal comfort, and is able to pull both off successfully.



For me, this site is the perfect example of why one should not judge a book by it’s cover. If you go from blog to blog and only read them based on their design, you’d miss this one. There’s no flash or animation or anything truly remarkable about the design. This is your garden-variety blog design. The content, however, is top-notch 5-star white-cloth dining.



There are no links to anyone else here, and none are needed. If you come here, you’re not looking for anywhere else to go. This is a destination in the truest sense. The archives are at the bottom of the page, and are easy to find and navigate, too!



That he’s chronicling the life of his dog “Daisy” each week is a cute personal touch, as well as his other photographs (the cut finger one yucked me out, though). Destructo Man is a cartoon he draws and makes appearances here and there. While I can’t say I was a huge Destructo Man fan, I have to admit there was only one stip I’ve seen, so my opinion of him cannot be wholly trusted.



If you’re the kind of person that likes humor, good solid writing, wit, and a sincere glimpse into the life of a twenty-something young man, then this is a blog you’ll want to visit time after time. It’s very well done; content vs design is the name of the game here, and content wins hands down!



Due to the content, writing style, and the “available topics” list, I rated this site very highly. Had the design been better, this could have been a perfect blog.

sanity helpline

I don’t know what a BadSnid is… is it bad, or good? My first impression of the site was rather average. Nothing truly inspired in the design department, so I immediately set upon the content.



I was at first taken aback by the use of nicknames and phrases that are obviously from a different language and culture. This in and of itself is not a problem; I speak three languages, and have a multi-ethnic/multi-cultural family, so these things don’t bother me. But, they make it harder for me to understand and read. That said, I found the entries to be sweet and written in true journal format. I felt like I was reading a diary, which was a pleasant diversion from the news sites and the pontificators out there. (Those that feel their opinion on things are important to us; as if!) I think that I have a really good picture drawn in my mind of Bonita and her desires, dreams, and hopes (as well as some fears). The word “sweet” keeps coming back to me; this site was just very nice and made me feel a tad younger than I am.



There’s no “about” page which I would have really enjoyed, and in the case of the different language and culture, would actually have benefited me quite a bit. I’ve never given it thought before, but yet another reason for an “about” page is that not everyone is from the country the author is from. Perhaps knowing a bit of background information would give the readers something to base the entries off of, sort of a reference point.



All in all, I liked the site, although the design was average. A personal site in every sense of the word, for those looking to read some really sweet entries in a diary-like fashion will enjoy this blog.

BadSnid

My first impression of this site was “wow!” I love blue and black, and the layout is really visually appealing. Crisp graphics, easy to read, all make the site give off a great first impression.



Unfortunately, this isn’t much of a blog. I was expecting something a bit more based on the great layout and design, but it turned out to be basically a link and news site, which in and of itself isn’t a bad thing. It’s just not a blog.



The author writes well, however, and the links he finds to interesting news articles had me going to them, checking them out, and then returning for more. Reminded me of a sort-of one man mini fark.com.



I think the author would do a great blog if he decided to do one; he’s got the design part down pat, and his writing style is engaging. He has the “about” page I go on about, although it’s a bit light on the information that would let us know just that much more about him.



I’d love to rate the site higher, but this is the weblog review, not the web site design review. If there were more posts (daily, perhaps) and containing a bit of original content, we’d have a winner here.



(there are links to adult-related material from this site)ShadowEyes.org

The camel walking by the pyramids was interesting, and belied a maturity to the design of the site that would quickly be dispelled by the content.



Scared Ducky is the site of a 15 year old girl named Ellen (she may be 16 by now; it said her birthday was October 25th.) I found this on her “about page,” which as anyone who reads my reviews will know, means a lot. She writes well about herself, and it was a glimpse into my own adolescence reading her dreams, wishes, and aspirations. Looking back, they seem so trite, but when you’re a teenager, they’re so real you can taste them. Ellen conveys this through her words.



The content of the rest of the site is what I would consider typical 15 year old girl. Well written, mature at times, but falling back into the pettiness that accompanies being a teenager. The entire ordeal with some problems between her and another site’s author took up far too much time, space, and energy in my opinion, but that’s what being a teenager is all about. It is during the teen years that we learn to deal with balance.



The design is solid; the archives easy to find, the links are all laid out nicely, clearly, and concisely on the left margin. The content is clearly written, and easy to understand.



I recommend this site to anyone wanting to take a look into the mind of a 15 year old high school girl, to either see what makes her tick, or to be reminded of what it was like to be a teenager.

Scared Ducky

CityCynic.com or Anthony’s Weblog as it’s also called didn’t quite turn me on when the site loaded up. I thought everything seemed a bit crammed visually. Everything’s inside 3 narrow columns with the blog in the center column.



The first few posts I read were news related and contained links to articles giving me the impression this was a news link website, not a personal website. But I did find some personal stories and tidbits about Anthony’s life as a NYU student.



With posts about articles the news, Anthony also posts links to blog’s he has recently come across, weblog related information and even some little posts about what’s going on at school and in his life. At first, I wish his posts at first were longer, but then I liked the fact that his posts were short and just to the point and not filled with a lot of detail; might be because he is a journalism major.



His site also contains links to other sites, archive highlights and a bio section which is pretty brief. One thing I thought was cool is he’s part of an NYU blog clique and there were a fair amount of bloggers from the school which I liked.



CityCynic.com is a pretty good site that gives you both information about current news and also a little insight into the world of Anthony … it’s worth a browse.CityCynic.com