Category: Uncategorized

Caffeine_Sparks is a very new blog on the block. It’s only been around for about a month, and the author has some major work to do.

One thing going for the blog is the author’s writing style. It’s very introspective writing, but well-written and thought out nonetheless. “Liberty”, as she calls herself, starts out every post with a short, simple sentence and then elaborates. I think this works very well for the subject matter she writes on. As for the actual subject matter? Well, it’s a little choppy. Because the posts are so introspective, it’s very hard to tell what Liberty is talking about sometimes, or it’s just hard for the reader to really care. One constant subject for Liberty is Jerome, who she usually refers to as “HIM”. She has a serious love-hate relationship with HIM, and so spends a lot of words moaning about it.

There’s not much else we can find out about Liberty from Caffeine_Sparks. There is no “About Me” page, no posts explaining any of her persona. She could be 17, or she could be 27. There’s really no way of knowing. Some added content to Caffeine_Sparks would be appreciated.

The layout is from a standard template at Blogskins, a much overused palette of pond-algae green. There’s really no originality, and the pleas of “RATE ME!” on various blog compilation sites at the top of the screen really don’t do much to improve the look of Caffeine_Sparks.

I would say that given more time, Liberty could do some great work with Caffeine_Sparks and transform it into a great blog. Until then, I can’t reccomend it.

Editors Note: Becuase of the infancy of this weblog, the writer was forced to dock a lot of points off of the rating.caffeine_sparks

I hate making a big deal out of the design of a weblog, because quite frankly, that’s not what I’m reviewing a site for. The design of this site, however, was the first impression that stuck with me, and it wasn’t a very good one at that. The layout appears to be just several tables slapped up next to each other in order to make everything fit snuggly. Each table has a different colored border, and within each table, you’ll typically find all sorts of different colors of text. The design is NOT something I hope sticks around for a while, but I was very much hoping the reading of the weblog could make up for the design I just couldn’t find myself liking.

The weblog at first appears to still be a fairly new one, with archives only dating back as far as February 21 that I could find. I get the feeling, however, that once the “new design”, which I believe is now the current one, rolled out perhaps there were some archives lost in the shuffle.

There were several entries in a row that ended exactly the same. The author posted everyone on the well being of the family cats, the weather, and the condition of the family Honda. For a week straight.

In more recent entries over the past couple of weeks, the posts seem to be getting a bit more in depth and cover more news than just the weather. The improvement I’ve noticed just over the few entries available to read leave me to believe that this weblog has the potential of getting better and better as times goes on.

Spelling is something I find myself being extremely picky about, whether on a review of a weblog or even when publishing to my own. It only takes a few minutes to run an a few sentences through any type of spell check, and everyone always benefits from correctly spelled words. Spell check could definitely have been utilized at Riftlands Café and it wouldn’t have hurt anything at all.

Riftlands Café has a cute little “about us” section, where not only do you get to read a brief paragraph about the main people involved with this site, but there’s also a photo of each of the family members posted there – a very nice touch for a personal weblog.

One big thing I liked about this site was how complete it is. It’s not “just a weblog”. The authors of the site take pride in it and like to make sure everything’s accounted for – the about the authors section, about the site, tons of photos in different galleries of all types. Very fun addition to the site itself, again making Riftlands Café more than “just a weblog”.

Riftlands Café – it’s a site that I probably won’t be back to visit, but it’s one that could very easily draw regular readers that may already know the folks behind the weblog. It was just a little hard for me to find myself on the edge of my seat waiting for the next entry to be made just to keep the readers posted about the condition of the cats or the weather.

Riftlands Cafe

Nothing really spoke out to me when I opened up Lilli Marleen. I wasn’t sure what the site was going to be about because the design gave no clues, and neither did the title. But as always, you can’t judge a book by its cover, and I started to read.

The weblog itself was actually very informative. In the general scheme of weblogs, this one actually gave you places to search online about a variety of topics. Lilli Marleen isn’t a native English speaker, she’s German, but I wouldn’t have even noticed if she didn’t post this little note: “As you might see soon, english is not my mothertongue… So – my deepest apologies adressed to the English Language for not worshipping her better.” That line definitely gave me a chuckle as well as the rest of this site. Scattered around the site are Lilli’s opinions, and you can really get a feel for who she is.

The design wasn’t anything I haven’t seen before, but it worked for this site. It’s set up with two columns, which leaves it easy to navigate. The posts are all on the right side in plain view, and there are links on the left-hand column. However, I had trouble opening up some of the more recent archives, but Lilli has posted on that factor and isn’t sure why they aren’t loading. She said, “So, I’m sorry if you’re looking for an entry… but since I don’t pay them – who am I to complain?” Yet another tongue-in-cheek tidbit by Lilli.

There is more to Lilli Marleen than the blog itself. Lilli has set up an entire page telling us about herself, and she still manages to have that fun, cheery, giggly vibe running through her About page. Also present are links to other blogs, but many of them are in German, so I wouldn’t suggest those sites to an English reader. Also, located throughout the blog are various Quizzilla quizzes, which I always find entertaining.

All in all, Lilli Marleen would be a good read for someone who likes a little variety in life. Variety is the spice of life, isn’t it? While the design isn’t earth-shattering, it is easy to read, and the entire blog has a pleasant atmosphere about it. I would suggest this site to anyone who has spare time to surf the net. I enjoyed my Lilli Marleen experience.Lilli Marleen

“Of or referring to the god Mercury” is the definition of “mercurial,” an interesting name with the description of “toxic.” This blog is somewhat plain in demeanor, but full of interesting links and content.

The blog is set up with different categories of links, ranging from Politics, Society and Environment to Books, Sex and Assorted. There are different images to help prepare the reader for what is to come with each post. The writer usually adds a little bit of their own opinions to the post, and even quotes parts to lure the reader into wanting more. I easily found myself venturing from the site to new and exciting things. If you find yourself looking through the archives, you’ll find longer entries that bring you closer to the author and the things they’re experiencing.

The blog is only posted by one author, or so I could see from the main site and browsing through some of the archives. It’s all things interesting or alluring to the author, but always on subjects that seem to have a bit of mass appeal.

Though the site can be a little bland with it’s lack of colors, it makes up for it in content. There are many interesting things to read on this blog, and the author points you in the right direction when searching for different kinds of links on varying diverse subjects.

The blog is categorized as news/links, however the author throws in a bit of personal flare to the mix as well. An interesting read for the random passerby, the daily reader might be more interested in learning more about the author if they wanted to come back. I might actually categorize this site as personal rather than news/links, as there is a bit of an intimate feel to this blog.Mercurial

Roger L. Simon, mystery writer, novelist, and winner of both the John Creasey Award (Crime Writers of Great Britain) and Mystery Writers of America Special Award, has a weblog! He started his blog as a means to promote his latest novel, Director’s Cut, but it has become a place of political observation with occasional morsels of miscellany.

The site was designed by Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs and is nice to look at and easy to navigate. You’ll find reviews of his work, book signing schedules, and some nice links in the right column of the homepage. At the top of the page are links to his `about’ page, books, films, pictures, and `words’.

If you aren’t familiar with the author, I recommend checking out his `about’ page first. It is well-crafted like all of his blog entries, and you get to see what he looked like as a child. In full cowboy attire. The `words’ section is full of reviews and commentary of Roger’s work in downloadable PDF file form. Worth checking out.

Anyone who followed the myriad `War Blogs’ floating around during the `Operation Iraqi Freedom’ days may have grown weary like I did of reading poorly thought-out opinions on it all. Fortunately, Roger reads a lot, and when he shares his views on the war, its aftermath, and anything else of a political nature, he has done his research. His entries are always germane, and he provides links and articles and quotes from diverse sources.

BLOGGING AND ITS USES (found in the April archives) was my favorite entry. I plan to shamelessly use his words: `I’m no Nostradamus. (In fact, Nostradamus was no Nostradamus.)’ in conversation as soon as I can. In Roger’s own words apropos his weblog: `For the first time in a long life of scribbling, I am writing with no one over my shoulder but you, dear reader–no editor, publisher, producer, executive, star, director, agent, underpaid development girl, studio elevator operator, etc.’ I rather like reading over his shoulder even though he’s hiding nothing.

Roger Simon’s weblog is always a good read. It is heavy on the political commentary, but always in an engaging way. And for those of you who don’t follow politics, there are some good entries about book signing events and a wonderful entry about his trip to Siberia. This weblog is decidedly worth bookmarking.Roger L. Simon