Category: Uncategorized

Shucking oysters, shelling peas – I seriously had no idea what I was going to be reading; I only knew I have a strong distaste for both oysters and peas, so this could be a horrifying time of reading a blog.

The first thing I had to do was start at the beginning of this blog and see why it all started and where it’s gone since then. March of this past year is when the site first started, but the only other two months listed within the archives along the sidebar are June and July. There were 61 posts written on March 7th according to the archives, so it sounds like maybe this blog had a home elsewhere before finding itself on Blogspot.

Being hosted on the infamous Blogspot usually means the layout will be one of their templates that have been provided, and this site was no exception to that rule. It’s an easy to navigate layout, though, so finding the things you need is simple.

Quite simply put, this blog is about food. There are a few various other topics thrown in from time to time – a U.S./Italy soccer game or a cute tale of the author’s parents’ dogs and their distaste for American rawhides – but overall, this is going to be a site for those folks we refer to around here as foodies.

It’s hard for me to relate to a blog that goes into great detail about either recipes or the quality of food that the writers have sampled in various restaurants. I’m a creature of habit when it comes to ordering things in any restaurant, and I find Velveeta Shells & Cheese an acceptable meal from time to time.

The author does manage to make an effort in keeping the attention of people not as into such fine food as myself. There’s a post that’s full of YouTube videos, including a link to The Geeky Gourmet, which is definitely on my line of kitchen-work. My friends are going to be so impressed when I serve sake in a cup made out of a cucumber. Maybe more scared than impressed actually…

Overall, this site won’t appeal to every random blog surfer. However, if a random blog surfer happens to have suggestions on how to bake quail in champagne or has an interest in whipping up an authentic Italian stewed squid recipe coming straight from the author’s mother-in-law, this will be a place they can add to their bookmarks. The site is very good at what it’s meant to be good at – food.
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I’ve been blogging for years. I think it’s safe to say I’ve been posting my personal life online since 1998. Anytime I can find a site that will offer me tips towards blogging, I become leery. Nine times out of ten, that site is going to be full of tips on how to get-rich-quick while blogging, and I’m not a big fan of that. I was very relieved when I read the “about” section of the blog and found out that Sharon, the author, was focusing on “bloggers who just want to express themselves, connect with others, and have fun”.

The best thing to do with this site is to dive right in. The archives are listed on the right sidebar and date back to May 2004. I had to do some creative navigating in order to find the beginning, because when I picked the May 2004 option from the drop down menu, I got a pesky 404 message. Other than that, the site is very easy to navigate. The sidebars provide readers with several options of reading through the archives, as well as other site-related links where readers can discover even more information Sharon has included. The layout she’s chosen for the site is simple and aesthetically clean which is always a welcome site to any website.

As I read through the archives and followed a link or two, it seemed like this blog was initially created as a learning tool as the author familiarized herself with how to change things on her personal blog. A learning project that turns into something helpful for everyone on the internet? What an awesome concept!

Through the first year or two of the blog, Sharon does her best to post intermittently, but the Blogging Blog seemed to take a backseat to other blogging projects. Once the site was turned into a group-blog, the posts became more varied, slightly more consistent, and really helped this weblog gain some value.

My biggest, and possibly only, complaint about Blogging Blog is its inconsistency. Each post is full of information on the topic at hand, but the posts come too infrequently, in my opinion. I’ve added this to my RSS Reader of choice, and when I see it’s been updated, it’ll be a nice surprise. I hope it slowly becomes a more frequently updated blog, instead of just a handful of times per month.

This blog is a great idea. People new to the blogging world start their own weblog on a daily basis, and a site where they can find “tips, tools, ant toys for the personal blogger”. Those people will luck out when they find this site.
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I’m taking just a little bit of editorial license in calling Mirror Image a blog, as it is really a website without the series of posts that blogs normally have. But why not include such an excellent website in TheWeblogReview.com listings?

Peter Shah is an amateur British astronomer who has about US$32,000 pounds of astronomy equipment set up in a shed in his garden. Incredibly, he has produced photographs with his 8-inch telescope, despite the often cloudy British skies, that have been favorably compared with photos from the multi-billion dollar Hubble space telescope.

The Mirror Image site is Shah’s repository of breathtakingly beautiful photographs which are the product of his relatively humble infrastructure. The photos are of extremely high quality, with endless detail that the eye can peruse for minutes at a time. I’m no astronomy expert, but beauty like this needs no expertise whatsoever to appreciate. On the contrary, anyone would find it totally accessible.

As I gazed at my favorite photo of the Andromeda galaxy, produced with an exposure time of two half hours, I thought “If Shaw is smart he will sell his images in various media as soon as possible, because they are absolutely worthy of it.”

The site is an example of how powerful personal publishing can be, and for we who visit sites like this, it shows again how rich the benefits of surfing the Internet can be, looking for sites created by people who are passionate about their interests and talented at conveying their enthusiasm.NULL

Jesse Gersten is a comedian based in New England, and his blog is a well-done, professional introduction to his humor, his upcoming dates and his career. As you explore the site it becomes apparent that Jesse is a very funny guy, but I was also impressed by his savvy approach to marketing himself on the Internet by integrating social media with his website, and the overall quality of his site.

Recent blog posts cover Jesse’s suspicion that his cat may in fact be Italian, and a hilarious account of a recent show he did in Connecticut. Jesse doesn’t pull any punches with his humor and everyone seems to be fair game but like most really good comedians he’s not afraid to expose himself and his own foibles as well.

For anyone interested in creating a big break for themselves in show business, Jesse Gersten’s blog is an example of how an artist or performer themselves can really take the bull by the horns and establish their brand.

By actively using his website to give the world a taste of what his comedy is all about, Jesse has a way of connecting with his audience–and potential audience–beyond shows that he does. I’ll bet that many performers starting out are not willing to go the extra mile that Jesse does go with his site, and it is to his credit that he pours extra energy and talent into his online presence. It just might make all the difference in the long run.

The Jesse Gersten blog is built on WordPress using what appears to be a customized theme, and the whole site is executed very professionally. In addition to being a comedian that you’ll be interested to see if he comes to your town, Jesse’s website is full of laughter, generously shared. Definitely go take a look.NULL

We have all seen blogs and websites that feature wide ranges of products for sale, but one e-commerce website that takes on aspects of a dynamic blog as well but still fulfills the function of displaying an incredibly large product line, is magidglove.com, which is a work gloves, disposable gloves, and leather work gloves supplier.

If you have assumed that showcasing a wide range of products on a website’s home page locks you into a boring collection of thumbnail images, do yourself a favor and take a look at this particular site.

Everything that construction workers and contractors need in the way of garments, gloves, safety eyewear and face protection is offered by this company and again presented in such a way that features products without cluttering the page and sending visitors to the website away.

By taking a modular approach to the design the Magid company was able to fit listings of new products, bestsellers and even a shopping cart and a sign-up sheet for their newsletter. In my opinion even if you don’t currently have a need for industrial garments and safety eyewear you could still get a lot out of this website if you are a web designer tasked with combining a lot of information with really engaging design.

We are seeing more and more websites that have taken the plunge into what I would call modern design after the uninteresting and monotonous design simplicity of the 1990s; to get an idea of where we’re headed go take a look at magidglove.com.
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