Author: admin

Initial instincts about a site can often be bad, or good, depending on the content and execution of the site. When I first came across soiledmypants I thought, “cute.” It’s a nice little design, with a picture of the author, I’m assuming, in the header.

The blog is a little confusing, but it doesn’t take too long to figure things out. If you visit the “vintage” link you’ll find a listing of all the archives for this blog. The blog itself, going back to the beginnings, looks as though it was started on another site. This particular version of the site was a continuation of something that once existed before. Where any of those writings are I’ll never know, but you first get introduced to the author in a very humorous light. The entries focus mainly on the daily thoughts of the author. They’re filled with lots of emotion about experiences. One of the most entertaining entries I read was about her trip to Los Angeles. It brought back a lot of my own memories of living there, and it was a pleasure to read.

The entries focus mainly on the ongoing struggles and successes of this author’s life. They’re well written considering she’s not English or American. There are a few typo’s but they’re easily overlooked when reading more of the entries. This blog is quite an entertaining read, however if you’re not interested in acting or improv then you might want to avoid some of the more recent entries that talk mainly of these things. This blog seems to be a means of self-discovery for the author, and I applaud her for doing just that.

The design of the blog works well enough. I enjoy the picture changes when you go to different pages of the site. I definately like the greens that are used as well. It’s simple, but easy on the eyes. One of the few downfalls I noticed were the links. The text pops. It’s hard to describe, but there’s a javascript that makes the words change spacing… a lot! When you hover the links turn red. It’s not so much that I dislike red, it just doesn’t go very well with the rest of the site in it’s hues of green. Some pages stop “popping” when you hover, and others continue doing this regardless. It’s not so much that it’s unpleasant to the eyes, it’s just visually distracting. The archives, as I mentioned are a little hard to find, but once you find them, there’s a lot to read. One last thing I noticed is the fact that this site is contained inside of frames. I have nothing against frames, as I use them myself, it just takes away the ability for people to link directly to a specific entry (thus is the reason why I didn’t just link you to the Los Angeles entry).

There’s a short bio of the author on this blog. There are also places to view the art, and acting, however when I tried to view these pages they wouldn’t load. There are loads of external links to blogs this author reads. You can comment on recent entries, but because of comment hosting with yaccs, the older entries are archived.

This blog is an entertaining read for the most part. I enjoyed the entries and archives I read but would like to see a little bit more from the author. She’s got quite the sense of humor which makes reading the “everyday” entries all the more interesting in the long run. She spent a lot of time on the design of this blog and I commend her for the accomplishments. She has big dreams and is beyond determined to reach each and every one of them. You read that in her entries and you feel her determination through her words. soiledmypants.com

One of the problems with political blogs is that the author’s bias frequently overshadows the actual issues being discussed. Normally, if you want to see a topic examined from all sides, you have to jump from conservative blogger to liberal blogger to libertarian blogger and back again. Begging To Differ solves that problem.

BDT is a collaborative blog with four authors: two conservatives (Steve and Greg) and two that lean a bit more to the left (Ramar and Mike). The “About” page reveals that the four met online in a Duke basketball forum. Eventually, their discussions turned towards politics and culture and the idea for a blog was born.

Although relatively new (the blog began in July of this year), Begging To Differ is already a substantial site. The authors are prolific and update frequently. Each displays a distinct voice and they are all passionate about their political beliefs. There’s something here for everyone, liberals and conservatives alike. The only requirement for enjoyment? Intelligence and knowledge of current events. BDT doesn’t pander to its readers or dumb down the discussion.

The design of the site is simple and pleasing. A three column layout in blue, grey, and white that looks good in the major browsers puts the focus where it ought to be: on the writing. It’s not the most original I’ve seen, but makes sense for a blog of this nature.

Some very pretty photographs appear here and there and lend a bit of flash to the blog. One of the newer features, the weekly BDT Sunday Comics, is a nice addition. It is a collection of samples from several online comics.

Overall, I found Begging To Differ a well-done political/news blog. The writing is witty and insightful (always a plus), and having such varying political views in one spot is refreshing. For the news from all sides, visit Begging To Differ. Begging To Differ

When I first arrived at The Bachelor Blog it took my eyes a few minutes to adjust. With a bright yellow background, blue links, and red and black text it’s a little harsh. The second thing I noticed was a large blurb at the top of the page announcing that The Bachelor Blog had recently been featured in Psychology Today magazine. I searched for some sort of biographical information on the author (an “About Me” page) but could find none, so I jumped over to the magazine write-up thinking it would give me some idea of what I was in for. What I read intrigued me. Psychology Today had the following to say:

Self-Absorbed single guy gives online dating (and bachelors and, for that matter, men in general) a very bad name. What women fear men are really like.

I wasn’t sure I would like what I was about to read but I figured that it had to be interesting. I’m not easily offended. I was pretty sure women were going to get some harsh treatment here, but that didn’t bother me. If it’s done right, written well, and above all funny, crude humor can make for a fantastic blog. I hoped that was what I would find in The Bachelor Blog.

I was wrong.

The Bachelor Blog is a site with an identity problem. It doesn’t know what it wants to be. It’s clear from reading through the archives (beginning in April of 2002) that the author is trying to present himself as some sort of player, stringing along multiple women by cheating, lying, and manipulating. He strives to create something cool and humorous (albeit coarse) and perhaps if he had a flair for writing, a decent sense of humor, or a spell checker, he could have pulled it off.

As it is, the site is flat and lifeless. Instead of a boorishly funny take on the dating scene, The Bachelor Blog is just plain boring. The entries are poorly written with many misspellings and grammatical errors. A few mistakes here and there are no problem, but these occur so frequently and are so awkward that it makes many entries downright difficult to read. The never-ending procession of women runs together after a bit until you can’t tell any of them apart anymore, even though the Bachelor is kind enough to provide a guide to the rotating cast of characters.

The author designed the site himself and although it’s not the worst blog I’ve laid eyes on it could definitely stand a few improvements. The colors are harsh on the eyes and there are some long stretches where the author uses different fonts, colors, and font sizes for each entry. Combine these with the previously mentioned careless errors and boring subject matter and reading The Bachelor Blog becomes a frustrating experience.

If the author concentrated a little less on slapping himself on the back and a little more on crafting well-written posts, The Bachelor Blog could turn into something interesting. Until then, it’s merely one more wannabe in a sea of vastly superior blogs.The BachelorBlog

When I saw the title of The Millions: The First Ever Internet Bookstore Blog, I was intrigued. Anything to do with reading or books is, in my opinion, terrific. But what exactly is an online bookstore blog? I decided to start at the beginning and find out.

Launched in March of this year, The Millions began like many other blogs. The author, a young man named Max (an avid baseball fan and, I quickly discover, a prolific reader), lives in Los Angeles, co-owns a fledgling record label, and works at a bookstore. The first month of entries are typical blog fare: descriptions of parties he’s attended, a bit about his job, some excerpts from articles he’s written, etc. But very quickly the focus of The Millions narrows. The author has a passion for books, good books, and he thinks you should too. As he states in his manifesto (of sorts):

given that you and I will only be able to read a finite number of books in our lifetime, then we should try, as much as possible, to devote ourselves to reading only the ones that are worth reading, while bearing in mind that for every vapid, uninspiring book we read, we are bumping from our lifetime reading list a book that might give us a profound sort of joy

Slowly, the concept behind The Millions emerges and the tagline begins to make sense. Max explains that his dream is to one day own a real bookstore but until then he’ll settle for an online version. Books, old and new, are discussed in each entry. Included is a link to Amazon.com’s listing of the title. Each time someone clicks that link and buys a copy, Max get a small referrer’s fee. Thus the “internet bookstore” description.

It’s a good idea, and Max is sufficiently well read to pull it off. Although he occasionally comes off as a bit pompous, his genuine love of books and his ability to get the reader excited about them as well is what makes the site noteworthy.

The design of The Millions is a simple two-column layout in blue and orange. The site looks good in the major browsers, but the text is a bit on the small side at higher resolutions.

Ask A Book Question is a new feature at The Millions, and as the site grows I believe it will prove to be useful and fun. Send your question to the author and he will post it on the site, so that the blog audience may discuss it.

It will be interesting to see how this blog develops. If you love books, stop by The Millions and have a look around. Not only will you find up to date reviews and discussions of classic literature and what’s popular today, you’re also bound to find some titles you’ve never heard of before. It’s a solid addition to the world of literary blogs.The Millions (A Blog About Books) AKA Ask a Book Question

My initial thoughts about this site were that I would be entering the blog of a hippy and it would be all psychedalia and good karma- after all, mythic flow has that sense to it. This was certainly an erroneous assumption, but in all honesty I am not entirely sure what I found instead.

At first I thought the layout of the site was ridiculously simple, with just a titlebar and the posts, until I discovered substantial linkage starting at the bottom of the page (though to be fair, it starts at the side of the page in the archives). Unfortunately I could find no information about the author or what the point of the blog was amongst the many, many links to be found. I did find another blog by the same author, but I ignored it as I still hadn’t got the hang of this one. The archives could have been easier to navigate too, though this maybe the fault of the blogging system (the name of which I could not ascertain) and thus out of the author’s control. The template isn’t though, and it could do with a bit of rearranging really.

Anyway, being none the wiser from my intial poke around, I had no choice but to crack on with the posts themselves. My first impressions of the writing style were good- the articles were generally amusing and the subjects covered on the front page included sport, religion, blogging and the author’s Mum- a good combination I thought! Some links were included in the postings too which all seemed reasonably appropriate.

Once I got in to the archives though, I seemed to lose my way with it all somehow. Again, knowing nothing about the author to begin with, I could find little in the posts to establish what the whole “feel” of the blog was meant to be- a link to an author profile was sadly defunct. In strictly personal blogs this doesn’t matter as you simply learn about the author’s life as you go along, but there were very few personal entries to be found. Instead there were a lot of theological and political debates, all written in a very academic style. Some were interesting and engaging I admit and the comments helped, but I also must confess that still other’s went over my head completely and I missed the point altogether.

Unfortuantely I found this weblog too inaccessable to give it a higher score, both structurally and in regard to its content. It won’t take much to get it on track- but an About Me page is a must. Once it is clearer what the aims and direction of the weblog are, it will be more enjoyable to explore what are undoubtedly the interesting viewpoints of the author. At the moment though, it is just a collection of random and sometimes difficult posts waiting for a good home.mythic flow – methinks