Category: Uncategorized

JohnZep.com opens up on a nice green background for the main page with a dark blue background for the actual text itself. It’s a nice color combination that made me go…wow, I kinda like it. Even better was the Hamster Cam! This is the first blog I have ever seen that has a webcam of any kind on it. This webcam is dedicated to his hamster named Fluffy. Granted I didn’t get to see Fluffy in action (and actually I paused and waited, refreshing my screen on a regular basis just for the chance that I could see Fluffy. But, no. My hopes were dashed.

When I first started reading the blog itself and delved into the archives I was kinda surprised that some of the entries were so short. Some were even just a few words. If anything I was thinking that this was one concise weblog. But I noticed something when I moved my mouse to venture to another portion of the blog — the dates are actually links to the longer, more in depth entries. I wish I had known this sooner…it would have saved me some time and frustration.

Now, when you actually delve into the entries themselves, they are a pretty cool read. You can tell that the author is a pretty laid back guy who is getting some fun out of life. Even better, this guy has movie reviews. Granted I might not agree with some of his assessments but I have to admit they were a fun read.

Design-wise, JohnZep.com is a clean site. With my only complaint being that it took me about five minutes to realize that the dates were links to the actual entries, I have to say that JohnZep.com will provide you with a nice clean ride. Well defined links that don’t lead you astray and a forum where you can vent your disgust, love, or something in between makes JohnZep.com a nice visit.

Now where the heck is Fluffy?JohnZep.com

Putting this site into a category was rather hard to do. It could be classified as a political site (more on this later), it could be considered an educational site, but the Personal category best describes this site.

First thing I must say is that this site is not for everyone. So why did I give it a rating of a 5 if it is not for everyone? Very simple; this is by far one of the best sites I have ever read. I can connect with a lot of the ideas and views that are published on this weblog. And I know that if I didn’t agree with something, I wouldn’t have a cheap shot taken at me in the comments after I would leave one.

So of course, we must talk about the weblog itself. The author, Jody, is trying to become a screen writer and a film maker. He has worked as a social worker, and has experienced quite a bit that life has to offer.

His posts are typically about some “hot topic” in the media. Current discussions involve the Catholic Church and all of that jazz. His stances on topics are very similar to mine, of being open to many different ideas, and then after weighing all the different arguments for all sides of the debate, then he makes a decision. It is very clear, that Jody is very well educated, and proves so in how he goes about writing his posts.

He likes to take posts in his comments and turn them into main posts, rather than have a huge discussion in his comments. I think he does this because the comments left are not your typical comments like “Wow, nice post.” and that sort of stuff. Instead, they are debates, on his views which of course can be very lengthy.

The design of the site is simple. It is of course, just a blogger template, but it isn’t an over used one. At first, I thought it was an original design because so few people are using the template. It is almost as if the template was designed for this site. That is how well it fits with the weblog.

Over all I had an interesting time at Naked Writing. The views are not for the weak of heart, and as I said before, this site isn’t for everyone. I could relate to a lot of the information provided because of classes that I am currently taking, and how I view different things in life. I try not to put any political view into writing a review, but when a site like this one comes around, you almost have no choice. So if you are open to many different things, then you may or may not enjoy this site. However, if you are a conservative, then you should not visit this site, as your views will not be shared with this site. As stated above, where this site should be categorized, was difficult, but personal is where it stands, because, just like this site, it is just one person’s view.
Naked Writing

To tell the truth, I visited http://honyaks.crazyrocket.net a few times, hoping there would be something new to draw me in on each visit, but there wasn’t. I’m not saying this blog is terrible, because it isn’t, but there is nothing there, no spark, no extra allure that differentiates this blog from the multitude already out there.



The writing is technically pretty good– there are no horrendous spelling or grammar errors, and it is coherent and somewhat amusing, but for a site that’s slogan is “a site of style and humor for the uncool,” it is sadly lacking in both regards.



Most entries have at least one link with commentary, and the commentary simply isn’t that funny. Even when it is straightforward, the writing is not particularly interesting.



The blog also lacks style in web design. It uses a Moveable Type template that while easily navigable, further quagmires it with the blogging masses. It also lacks any other pages to entice the reader, and I had a hard time staying interested.



In short, http://honyaks.crazyrocket.net is nothing special. But it could be, if some more personality were shown.
Chemo Warfare

This website is not so much a blog as a general webpage with a bit of info on it. David is a webdesigner, so on his main page you find links to his resume, his portfolio, and his skills. That’s all well and good if I was looking for a webdesigner, but I was looking for a blog. And I didn’t find one.



The design of the site is fine enough – although I would think a web designer would have a site filled with all kinds of cool things that only designers can do. But it looked like a site that I could build (which isn’t saying much).



He does provide a link to his “thoughts”, but as opposed to finding out more about David McDonald, all I saw were links to other sites with a brief description of each site. Nothing really personal could be found here.



If you are looking for a blog (meaning an online journal or diary), I wouldn’t suggest you visit this one. If you are interesting in just surfing and looking at people’s homepages then by all means, go ahead and look.

David

The most surprising thing to me about InkBlog is that fact that it is so chockful of great posts, and yet no one bothers to comment and give feedback to this wonderful writer. I’m elated that she kept on going though – keeping up with this blog for almost two full years so far.

The design of the site is simple and clean – a basic BloggerPro template, including courier fonts (which at first bothered me but once I got used to it I kind of liked). Color scheme was also simple – which helped me stay involved with the excellent writing at the site. Add in a healthy mix of links and this is a well-designed site that offers no frills but lots of good content.

Too often I see blogs that just don’t have a lot of content even though they’ve been around a while. This one raises the bar – the author has a wide variety of interests, whether she’s telling personal stories or providing commentary on world events. Reading through her archives was a complete pleasure and enabled me to get to know the author despite no real “about me” information.

I’ll probably become a regular reader at this blog and will also feel free to comment and let her know she’s appreciated. You should do the same!InkBlog