Category: Uncategorized

When I traveled over to computer security I was expecting to read articles about current internet security problems. Instead I was disappointed. I ended up reading about how to setup a firewall, how to install anti-virus software, etc.

This site is a good site for the typical home computer user that doesn’t know anything about the dangers of being plugged into the internet. I would recommend most home users to check out this site for it tells you the useful information without the scare tactics tied to it. If you are an advanced computer user, this site is not for you…

The design was nice. It had a tan background with dark writing. Easy to read.

There is not that many posts right now, I would like to see more in the future. Maybe talk about issues that can put the non-computer person at risk. Like not locking down their wireless network they have setup at their house, or not updating their anti-virus software. I think information on phishing and pharming schemes would also be good information to give to the typical computer user.

Overall I would rate this site as a 3.5 for it is a good reference for the inexperienced computer user.
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This site has four posts. That’s it. September 9th, September 12th, September 13th, and November 14th – these are the days Jeff, the author, has posted on his weblog, Spaulding Bogosian.

For starters, I don’t know what or who Spaulding Bogosian is either. I tried Googling it, but only came up with a comment or two that Jeff, the author of this site, had left on a movie review website. Jeff lives in New Jersey, after some time in New York and a stint in the Midwest. He’s a stay-at-home dad for three boys. Moreover, once he gets on a soapbox, there’s really not much you can do to get him off – this is a great reason for him to have a weblog.

Design-wise, the site is hosted by Blog*Spot, and features one of the several popular Blogger templates. Jeff uses the pink version of this two-column layout. He keeps the information in his sidebar very limited – a link to his Blogger profile and his archives, listed by week and by title. Each post is very wordy, but to break up the monotony of so many paragraphs, Jeff throws in a picture of something that can somehow be tied to what he is writing – a dad (perhaps the author?) and three boys dressed up for Halloween, Martha Stewart, an indescribable image that caused me to laugh out loud, and my personal favorite, Dr. Sue Johanson from The Sunday Night Sex Show.

He covers topics that a lot of people can relate with. Thanks to his current lifestyle, he can easily write a humorous comparison to his life as a stay-at-home dad with that of a typical stay-at-home mom. It’s unquestionably worthy of note to read the take of a man’s opinion on so many things related to women, like most of his four posts are wont to do.

Obviously, the site is just getting off the ground. Once Jeff begins to post on a regular basis, I think traffic will increase for the site. As soon as that happens, it will be interesting to read the response to some of his opinions. Jeff does a good job implementing humor into his expressed opinions, but it’s the kind of humor that could easily offend some people and, on the other hand, just really crack someone up.

It’s hard to rate a site this early on in the game. From what I did read, I can see this site will be a hit once it finds it’s niche in the blogging world. Like I mentioned earlier, once Jeff starts writing consistently, there’s definitely an audience out there for him.
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I found myself enjoying this blog the more I read it. The blog itself is on a nice easy template, white background with black text and the comic sketches that were found around the blog itself, I found them fascinating and very cute. I really like the way Ellen has drawn up sketches of all her blog friends instead of just having the basic blog roll, it makes you want to have a look at what the other blogs are like & if the sketches relate.

My expectation of this blog was that it was going to be another personal blog about day to day life. Further reading though pleasantly surprised me. Ellen has given lots of thought to her blog and has “cards” that she uses to interact with her readers, which I think is a wonderful idea. Her posts are mostly personal entries, well written and quite easy to comprehend. She’s drawn some cartoons that she posts up every so often. I really enjoyed Ellen’s about me section written by her husband, it really gives a greater insight into the author from someone else’s perspective and again, I thought it was something that was different and interesting.

I found all the links to be working in the blog, the design does compliment that blog, the author’s writing more than makes up for having a white background and less clutter as I found the blog to be more than enough, as in, I believe that Ellen’s writing & entries are enjoyable enough that it doesn’t need to have a complex & brightly coloured background to detract.

I believe that this blog is something that Ellen might be writing for her own benefit. I found the link to her own “depression manual” an eye-opener. She’s a new mum, who is staying at home and dealing with life as it comes day by day and reporting it with humour. I found Ellen’s blog an interesting read, whether that is because I found her struggles and daily gripes and humorous entries perked my interest or if it was just because of those cute cartoon drawings. It is definitely worth a look at. So what are you waiting for? Go look!
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My initial thought into this blog was simple; this blog is going to be about helping others. The blog has an initial thought at the very top and its theme is highlighted throughout the blog. “A public service weblog promoting ethics in action.” As I finished reading through the blog I found my initial thoughts to be correct.

The blog’s purpose is to give information to its readers about ways to help out in their community. It provides links and suggestions on many topics. Some of them include: What to do with that left over food after a group gathering or part, Consider class, Consider privacy… The list of helpful information goes on and on. Karama, the blog’s author, is very active in community service and her blog is just another part of her service. Karama informs the reader about things that she has been involved in to help others around the world and provides hyperlinks to those organizations.

The blog’s design is very simple. It has the main area of the site on the left column of the two column site. On the right is information typical to blogs: archives, links, about me… I would make a recommendation in this are. I would reorganize/clean up the right column. It appears to be unorganized and is distracting to the eyes of the reader.

I would recommend anyone to read this site. I am heavily involved in community service and understand the necessity of it. I feel the blog needs a little design work, but the content is sufficient and heavily informational to anyone interested in civil service. I rate this blog as a 3 due to some of the design concerns with the site. Overall it is a good read and it instigates its readers to help others.
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Business writers use the craziest naming conventions around (except for maybe the adult industry). Anyone who has browsed the local bookstore for business books will agree after having seen such titles as “The Mind Gym”, “The Money Diet”, “Freakonomics”, “Who moved My Cheese?”. These are all on Amazons top 5 right now, no kidding. So when I read Steve Majors title I wasn’t surprised, although when I logged on I was hoping to read about how I could make lots of money by being lazy, something I’m extremely proficient at, but was dismayed to find good, well written business advice instead.

Steve’s Bio includes a photo of himself and a summary of his business history. His methods are “lazy” which mean they require little overall relative effort as well as being involved in “no money down” business startups. I know what he is talking about having started a webhosting business myself. The best kinds of businesses are the ones that require very little effort and Steve specializes in real estate. He kind of looks like a typical accountant and apparently is a country music singer which conjures up an amusing image.

The Lazy Investor website has only occasional updates but the updates are long, thorough digests of advice including posts on business marketing, real estate investment and writing a business plan. Of course, he also promotes his own “boot camp” seminars and this is nicely segwayed (hey I just invented a word) via a rant about his injured leg. Despite the often dry subject matter Steve writes well both professionally and conversationally enough to not seem like you are reading from a textbook.

The site design and neat, tidy and a little boring. The logo features the author leaning against his own URL, arms folding looking real pro, and lazy since his shirt is not tucked in. The title header uses drop shadows and the site is a customized blogger template so everything screams cliche.

Steve Majors, The Lazy Investor, is a good website for anyone interested in gathering small business advice or interested generally in the practice of real estate investment. I can’t appraise the value of his advice as I’m not expert on the subject and really, too lazy to do the research, but he does seem to know what he is talking about. The site could use revamping but is easy enough to read and presumably makes good companion reading to his Lazy Investor workshops and literature. NULL