Category: Uncategorized

Nice Cookies. Interesting title. I can’t say that I really knew what to expect, but the unique name was definitely interesting. Unfortunately most of my interest with this blog ended with the name.

Nineteen year old Stacy, blogs mainly about her boyfriend, school and shopping. She really seems to enjoy shopping. Which is fine. But not something I would really find myself being interested in reading much about.

This blog is relatively well-written, and an enjoyable read, to a degree. I read back through many of the archives, and found that many posts are so similar, it’s a little monotonous. Very few posts had any content that was overly meaningful or thought-provoking. I have a feeling that Stacy’s friends probably enjoy this site quite a bit, but as for a stranger happening upon it, I doubt that the content would have them coming back.

The design of this blog is nice enough. Different shades of purple, with white font. The font is quite small, but legible enough. The layout is fairly simple and clean, though I found that the link to the archives was in an odd spot. (At the very bottom of the page) The archives were set up in a very odd format, in my opinion, and I found myself wishing it was done in a more streamlined way, but to each their own.

Overall, this was a nice, light, friendly blog. It just didn’t have enough content to make me want to read more than was necessary to write a review. I wanted to get to know Stacy as a person, inside, and not simply read about where and what she ate, or what she bought recently. It seems that there’s definite promise, but the current content just isn’t enough, at the moment.
Nice Cookies

“Inside My Head”. Upon entering this weblog, my first impression was just o.k..
It was just one of those plain , boring “Blogspot”, templates which seem to be so popular now a days. The difference was, this template had some color to it, which made it look less drap (so to speak).

The entries are posted in the middle of the page, sectioned off very neatly. She has several links on the right hand side, some of a very interesting nature. There are several tidbits about the author posted there as well , in addition to “100 things”
link.

The title, “Inside My Head”, speaks for itself. It totally relates to the weblog. Jennifer(the author) is a wife and mother of 2. Almost each entry gives you an in depth look at the person behind the writing. Her posts do let you get inside her head.

Jennifer’s weblog was created around January, 2004. In her first couple of entries, she starts by introducing herself, and giving out a bit about herself. It ‘s like curling up with a good biography. The entries become more intriging as you keep reading , and you don’t want to put it down until it’s finished. Jennifer writes about her husband and when they first became married. She writes about having her children and as they grew older. She also writes about her father, her job, and her goals and dreams in life .

Jennifer’s weblog is worth paying a visit to. However, she does admit (in her own words), her page looks like a big mint. The color is basically a mint green. Well maybe Jennifer will work on the template in time.
But her entries make up for the lack of the template appearence. Jennifer’s weblog is one I know I will be book marking.Inside My Head

Rudderless opens to a clean, clutter free page with an easy to navigate list of links including an About page that tells us a little bit about Slim and Kiki, the authors of the site. Though the information is of the “likes/dislikes” variety and not really all that helpful to the new visitor. Kudos from me though, for un-clutter on the opening page.

I began to read the entries and at first was very impressed with a humorous story about air travel, which was cleverly written, and had me laughing out loud. But as I continued to read found that I was more than a bit disoriented as to who was writing the entries. If it was a long one, I had to scroll down to the end to see who posted it. This makes for some confusion when trying to get with the flow of what is being talked about. There are entries on all manner of subjects: raising a toddler, music, urban living, liberal political viewpoints, workplace incidents and a few book or movie critiques. The writing styles of the entries seemed irregular and I was struggling to find some coherent theme to them or a thread that ran through that I could follow, and finally gave it up.

While the entries are clearly written, and are occasionally interesting or humorous, I began to feel just a bit like I was at the mercy of someone clicking the channels with a TV remote. There was a disjointed quality to them that was exacerbated by not knowing who was writing, unless I wanted to scroll to the bottom and find out. And to add to the confusion, I ran across entries that had been written by someone else, as yet un-introduced. Frankly, I began to get a bit annoyed.

To be fair, if you are a fellow Urbanite you might find this blog of interest. But it did not hold mine for long. And I am sorry for it, because a few of the entries were SO well done, I was hoping for more of the same.

If I have any suggestions they would be: a little more cogent ‘About’ section, and if the author of each entry identified themselves in the heading, it would cut down on the confusion.

rudderless.org

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

Ahh… Yetzirah. I entered the page with a feeling of anticipation (one of those hunches you cannot quite understand). The name of course, had to belong to a woman. My hunch was right as a flowered site wallpaper greets the visitor. However, I found no title on the blog upon first entering. The overall design of the site I found to be rather “homely”. Kind of reminds you of Grandma’s kitchen and my first impression was that I’d be reading about the baking troubles of a cute grandmother. I felt the anticipation receding a little… And I began to think whether it would be worth the read. The site was easy enough to navigate, with calendars for archives and an index page, newest entry and first entry, links to take you back to the welcome page, links for sites she enjoys (only two though). I have to point out that there were no links to other blogs on her site that I could find. And the “friends” link in the side menu was broken.

My feeling of anticipation came back as I began reading the brief “about” middle bar. It displays a picture of a wood, beckoning us into Yetzirah’s forest. A brief description tells us she is Jewish, born in the fifties, married and with an obsession for writing. She calls herself a writer (and immediately the stakes are up, for when one calls himself or herself a “writer”, we readers begin to expect nothing if not good writing). Yetzirah goes on to explain the meaning of her name (a Kabbalistic term for a spritual world) and gently tickles our curiosity by announcing “chilling” posts on Pre Menopausal Syndrome, a make believe world called Bogwillow, her therapist (which she wants us to meet) and the inherent promise of a good time. Underneath this description we find her post highlights and that’s where I began to read. With a non-stop smile on my face.

Yetzirah’s post are nothing short of one’s expectations. They are witty, funny and never boring. Her highlights do her writing justice. I especially loved this post, where she describes a therapy session in her tub with all her writing devices (as she calls them); all imaginary characters, present in the tub with her. One cannot help but laugh at these characters: her therapist, a rubber ducky, the quirky residents of Bogwillow: Tilly, Milly, Chloe, Thaddeus of the Pack Rat fur hats, the Bogwillow Journal editor and The Oracle of Pupik (a hilarious omnipresent character). The interesting part is that they, at one point or another, represent Yetzirah’s Super Ego, Ego and Alter Ego. Talk about witty and insightful! Other highlights which I found funny where her “Consult the Oracle post”, where the Oracle of Pupik answers reader’s questions; her adventures trying on makeup for her son’s wedding; her Dr. Rubber Duckie therapy sessions; her very insightful (and downright hilarious) critique called “Catcher in the Rye…Reloaded” and I’m not even mentioning her Menopause rants. Hey, what more can I add? All her highlight posts are worth reading.

Regarding her “normal” posts, they range from gardening (she has her beloved peach trees and her blackberries) to her opinions on saved e-mails that occupy space on your hard drive to her troubles with a washing machine. Whatever Yetzirah writes of, you can be sure it will be worth a read and a laugh. I found her writing to be brilliant (in all honesty). A cute grandma that bakes cookies all day, she most definitely isn’t (not that there’s anything wrong with this).

Yetzirah is a sensitive, very out-of-the-ordinary woman with an ability to arouse your interest on even the most trivial things. A true writer with a writer’s soul… She is going into my list of favorites right away.

I give Yetzirah a 4.5 only because of the template which I just couldn’t find visually appealing (the flowers, the kitchen thing). I honestly think it does not do her blog justice. Had it not been for that, she would have received a 5. Nevertheless, her 4.5 comes through with a round of applause. And now my hands are sore, but hey, it was worth it.

Yetzirah