Author: admin

My first impression of the site was of a competent simple, professional effort. It has white text on a blue background with yellow titles. It looked good. The design was very simple. The name doesn’t suggest much and is not explained anywhere. There are a couple of blog related adverts and a simple previous posts side bar including an archive list. The list of previous posts ran by name and in posted order until you hit one then the archive list is lost and what appeared to be a randomly generated post list appears. This is guess work. I couldn’t really work out what was going on. The link to the latest post didn’t work from this menu despite several attempts at trying.

Kim sets out her agenda in her first post and it makes sense to use her words.
“(She will} attempt to enact essays, stories, speeches, quasi-plays, jokes, profundity, Creative Lyin’ Writin’, photo’s, seriouso observations, MP3’s, and general, overall stuff.”

The site is new, starting on 23 May 2004. The posting is prodigious however. She has posted over 27,000 words in one short week over several posts a day.

She has pretty much kept to her initial list plus some. Homework, amusing anecdotes about her work at a hospital and visits to the dentist and the gym, a eulogy, a patronising view on being homeless, her sons’ attempts at driving and a mix up over Jesus’ real name. Yeshua I believe. I like her punchy and at times vernacular writing style. There are some spelling mistakes, but hey. There was also an audio post which worked well.

She sounds like she is having a lot of fun getting this site together and it is still very much a new venture.

There are no links within posts or the use of a comments facility.

I have to be careful in summing up here as she is very much into the Right to Bear Arms and I don’t think she is referring to a disputed access way to a public house. She has posted a lot in the first week and a lot are long posts. Although a great deal of it is enjoyable, there is no end of words to wade through. I’m not sure I would have bothered if I hadn’t been reviewing the site as much as I enjoyed reading some of it. So my advice would be slow down…. However I think she is interesting enough and skilled enough to make an interesting web log here. I’d give it a 2.5 out of 5 for starters with the impression that things will get better over time.

Ktraveldan Network

The ‘Ktraveldan Network’ is a brand-new blog, started just two weeks ago by the author, Kim. It’s presented in a simple, two-column layout, with text on a solid blue background. There aren’t many bells or whistles visible — at first glance, the site gives the impression that the author is still fleshing things out.

For more information about Kim and the ‘Ktraveldan Network’, I took a look at the first post, from May 13. From that entry, I learned that Kim is an ‘obsessive’ and prolific writer, working towards getting her work published. Kim also explains that she’s currently a nurse (but likes writing better!), has been writing and journaling offline for over thirty years, and is thrilled to be expanding her audience via the weblog medium. It’s an appropriate intro to Kim’s thoughts and style, if a bit hectic.

Most of Kim’s posts take the form of a story or essay; they range from funny anecdotes to creative fiction to poignant personal recollections. The entries are sizable, and the sheer volume of words contributed in the site’s two weeks of existence is impressive — it’s easy to see that Kim isn’t kidding about writing ‘constantly… and without ceasing’!

As mentioned earlier, there are few features or extras evident on the ‘Ktraveldan Network’ site, apart from lists to previous posts and the archives. Kim lists her email address, but there’s no other way to interact with the author or share thoughts about the content — no comments, trackbacks, message boards, or guestbook here. For a site packed so full with the author’s ideas and thought-provoking stories, interactive options seem like a natural addition. My guess is that Kim simply hasn’t gotten around to such features yet — she’s recently tried out audio posting, so more innovations may be on the way soon.

All in all, I think the ‘Ktraveldan Network’ shows a lot of promise. Kim certainly has the stories — and the enthusiasm — to keep the content fresh and build an appreciative audience. It’s also seems, though, that this weblog is a work in progress at the moment — Kim has found her ‘voice’ through many years of writing, but may not have yet worked out how to get the most from her work in this medium. I’ll be interested to see the direction this site takes in the coming monthes; for now, I give the ‘Ktraveldan Network’ a 3 out of 5.Ktraveldan Network

Ktraveldan Network opens on a plain dark blue background with a simple table with Kim’s name, copyright and email. This background is very plain but it fits the website perfectly. There are no bells and whistles to distract you on the sidebars other than a simple archive function. There is one objective of this blog and that is focused on the main articles.

Ktraveldan Network is about Kim Riley’s life. She opens her forray into the blogging world by describing what this blog will be about, “On this stage I will attempt to enact essays, stories, speeches, quasi-plays, jokes, profunidty, Creative Lyin’ Writin’, photo’s, serious observations, MP3’s, and general, overall stuff. ” She also reveals why many of these stories have a bookish feel to them, “I am working on the rough draft to a book, as well as turning out short stories at a manic rate.”

She has a couple different lengthy articles on various aspects of adult life, (raising children, the addictions of the Home Shopping Network, job stories.) She mixes thoughtful ideas and commentary and humor quite well. When I was reading this blog it felt like reading a book on someone’s life. Generally that would not be appealing but Kim makes her articles very interesting and they capture the reader’s interest. This is a excellent blog to read on a rainy day or when you feel a little bored.

As I mentioned previously there are no links, pictures, blog rolls on the sidebars. Yet this does not hurt Ktraveldan Network at all. I believe rather it makes Ktraveldan Network stand out and easier to read. The focus is on the articles and nothing else. The background is excellent and the page design is simple and easy. Kim obviously subscribes to the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) school of web design and it makes all the difference when reading Ktraveldan Network.

What a blog. This is a true web log and I must say this is well written. When one reads this blog you feel like each article is a chapter in a bestseller. Even if female life isn’t one of your favorite subjects Kim Riley makes it seem interesting and fun. You will enjoy your time at Ktraveldan Network, I did.Ktraveldan Network

Hmm. No graphics, no pictures, no links, plain design – just text. I guess the writing better be good. The blog is written by a woman named Kim Hemmingway, so I was optimistic.

The Ktraveldan Network is a new blog written by an obsessive writer (who says she has writings dating back close to 30 years! And I certainly don’t doubt that one iota ). ‘I must write! Give me a pen, or give me death!’ She seems excited to have found blogging as a medium to dump her many, many thoughts, stories, essays and words into. Her goal is ultimately to be a published writer and after reading KN I’m sure it will happen.

You don’t have to read many of Kim’s entries to recognize there is something special here. Every entry has a point, a passion, a flavour, a take, a message… and the entries are all wrapped with her introspective and enjoyable narrative. Every entry, in some way, shows off the craft of a good writer. Kim’s writing is very witty, articulate, entertaining and full of atmosphere. It is quite apparent that writing for her is a well honed craft. She is one of the best story-tellers I have read online in a blog (or anywhere for that matter). There would be far too many quotes included here if I was to share with you the many lines that brought a smile to my face. But here is one of many, that shows a very honest writer, ‘They say little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice? I am made of butter, Crisco, and Twinkies.‘. She also has more serious reflections such as “Status Seekers” which ponders our materialistic society, or the touching ‘Waving Goodbye’. She also has threatened her readers with audio blogs… I listened to the one on the site, and she has some lofty ideas for her blog and her website, with more audio blogs coming and possibly a section with her massive .wav collection. Good luck with them Kim!

I think it would be nice to be able to leave comments and assist her friend Kathy in critiquing her writing. Clearly she wants the feedback. There would be lots of opportunity, especially with entries such as “right to Bear arms” which I would have $0.02 to share.

In spite of the very average esthetic of Ktraveldan Network the writing pulls the grade of this site way up. A remarkable writer with a remarkable insight into human behaviour. I enjoyed reading KN. This is one blog I will undoubtedly visit numerous times, I highly recommend you do the same if you enjoy a good read. Hemmingway? Quite possibly.
Ktraveldan Network

The name confused me. It still does a little. hath i a soul, wonder’d hath i
then saw, ihath. This is a poem sent to the author which explains the title – more of that later.

My first impressions on entering the site were of a sober looking web log. It’s very tidy. The design is uncluttered. A right hand side panel with previous posts, contacts and archives. A couple of ads at the bottom and some site statistics links. She includes adverts for her favourite books and CDs. One of the links in the contacts section didn’t work. The colour scheme is pleasant but in colours I can’t really identify through colour blindness. Oranges and browns I think. The text is readable.

Journeying around the site is straight forward enough although there isn’t a home page icon which is unhelpful. The banner contains a hint of Arabian Nights and Shehrazad’s need to tell one more story each night in order to stay alive. This is confirmed by one of the posts. There is a recently added comments section and a sparse use of links and pictures which work and are relevant to her writing.

The author of the site, Elen, is a thirty something computer programmer and resident of Vancouver, Canada. She is Iraqi and has lived in Kuwait, Israel and Scotland. She is married to a Palestinian and of Czech descent. This heritage and experience informs and drives the content of her posts.

Elen is self aware and her posts detail her experiences as an Iraqi woman in the various cultures she has lived in. The spectre of Saddam haunts her. This cultural melting pot could be an anthropologists dream.

Her web log has been in existence since last Halloween and she has posted thirty six times since. Her posts are generally long, well thought out and reasonably well written. They are often anecdotal or in a reportage style. However she has become a little more opinionated of late especially concerning the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. Her recently added comment facility has seen a backlash to some of her more anti American viewpoints.

Some of Elen’s writing has been published and is noted as such, but I would not put this in the Creative Writing category. It is very much a personal journey. Now back to that title. Ihath is the voyage of uncovering, discovering and discarding. Losing yourself to find the real you and live.

I enjoyed reading all of the posts here and would recommend the blog to all open minded folk – it is probably a no go area for any lurking xenophobes. I feel it is worth a four out of five.
ihath-losing myself