Category: Uncategorized

“Thoughts with God” – quite a name for a weblog, don’t you think?

As par for the course for me when it comes to reviewing a site, I took a quick peek at the “about” section of “Thoughts with God”. This is where I learned the author lives exactly 11.6 miles from me, just a few blocks from the Mississippi River. It’s kind of easy to find this out when the author (Jason Witt) leaves his mailing address in the “about” section. Yikes.

There are other brief paragraphs in the about section that give readers some background information as to why Jason’s decided to tackle this topic in a blog-format and where his opinions may have originated. I was more intrigued about the weblog once I read into more about Jason and the purpose behind this site.

The layout is a two-column WordPress template that hasn’t been changed at all, with the exception of a PayPal link at the top of the sidebar. Not counting the default initial post that WordPress automatically implements into every blog that uses their software, the site has just over fifty posts that begin at the end of August 2007.

Each post is several short paragraphs long dealing with things like how we’re effected by God on a daily basis and how people today measure up to the stories we’ve heard and read about the Garden of Eden. Obviously, the posts written for “Thoughts with God” don’t give off a “light reading material” vibe. Religion is a deep subject, and this weblog is no exception to that rule.

I can’t say I’ve read a lot of religion-themed blogs in my days of spending entirely too much time on the Internet, but I can’t say I’ve ever wanted to either. The posts in “Thoughts with God” are noticeably thought provoking, but as a self-titled skeptic, I can’t help but want more information. Are these thoughts just those of the author? Is there written material to back these opinions up? Technically, each post is very well written, and Jason does a great job expressing his opinions through writing.

Every weblog out there serves a purpose of some sort – informational, entertainment, or anything in between. “Thoughts with God” can perhaps provide some religious background to those people questioning religion, or just needing some reassurance on their current beliefs. This won’t be a weblog for everyone, but really, what weblog is?
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“Canvassing my Friends” is a blog created by graphic designer and painter Sarah Ritchie to showcase her wonderful art, and as she puts it: “….to make myself accountable, for my painting, to all my ‘friends’ on Facebook. One by one I will paint my way through my list of friends, using each person as the source of inspiration for one painting – their personality, life story, my memories, our interactions, etc.”

As someone who makes her living through her obvious artistic talents, it surprised me to read that Sarah has felt constrained by a bit of fear in allowing the painter inside of her to emerge. But of course, most creative people have self-doubts regarding their talent and are often reluctant to actively produce.

It is a credit to Sarah that she is confronting this fear, and is brave enough not only to admit it on her website but to push through it by actually producing as she has promised herself, her friends and–through her site–the whole world. At the moment there are nine canvases featured on “Canvassing my Friends”, each one of them inspired by a person in Sarah’s life. While this is Sarah’s way to hold herself accountable in her stated effort to produce more, one has to believe that the world is a better place for her having executed her plan as well.

This is an absolutely inspired format for a website! Just imagine how honored any of Sarah’s friends must feel to have a painting dedicated to them featured on this site. Apparently it’s working for Sarah too, as there are over 100 blog posts on “Canvassing my Friends” already, and the blog is only six months old. Keep going Sarah!

I also found Sarah’s musings on art and creation interesting; it’s a pleasure to read the thoughts of a creative person as they consider their world, and one gets the feeling that Sarah’s written expression of her thoughts on art history and related subjects informs and potentially expands the scope of her art.

Blogging lends itself very easily to presenting the fruits of a creative person’s labors, and it gives them a way to give meta-commentary on their art and their life at the same time. In this way a fuller picture of the artist emerges, one that complements the art without complicating it or diluting its impact. “Canvassing my Friends” is a perfect example of this, and also a reason why Facebook, wonderful as it is to help us reconnect and stay connected to friends, isn’t quite enough to adequately present the work of a person who has a lot more to reveal than what they had for dinner last night.

I hope Sarah continues painting–having created a perfect context in which to present her art, as tributes to/celebrations of friends, I suspect the momentum evident on this blog will continue.

One very small suggestion I would have for the site is to give us a larger photo of each of the canvasses: there are obviously deserving of it!NULL

The Handy Goddess is one of the best concepts for a website that we’ve had submitted for review at TheWeblogReview in a long time. Barbara, the site’s creator and the pink-helmeted head of handy-ness is to be complimented on its stellar execution as well.

One of the site’s taglines is “DIY at it’s most entertaining”, but this is a website that requires two tags to do it justice, and the second is “Campy, Playful, Funny & Constructive”. If you can’t imagine how all these qualities could be contained in one blog then read on.

Apparently Barbara is a mistress of all trades, with a background in fine art and a talent for humor and just about anything one would need done in the way of home improvement, up to and including bathroom renovations, advanced plumbing techniques, finishing furniture, and creating household crafts of every kind.

The site is in a blog format built on WordPress, but by including YouTube-hosted videos on virtually every post, Barbara has turned the site into a real multimedia gem, with very solid production values. Her presentation style in her videos is equal parts campy flirt and solid tips for anyone interested in DIY improvements around the home. Ever heard of that mix before? Neither have I!

I can’t imagine anyone pulling it off better than Barbara does. Lines like: “I guess we’ve got a stripped screw, it gone and lost all of its threads” become double entendre that somehow works in Barbara’s capable hands, but don’t laugh too hard or you’ll miss her instructions on disconnecting plumbing for a sink remodel!

When you have Barbara’s onscreen presence and you’re featuring subject matter that lends itself so well to video presentation, it’s a no-brainer. Site owners are recognizing the value of video not only for improving SEO and the usability of their websites but because video can serve as an additional funnel to your site, letting visitors discover a blogger’s YouTube channel even before they find their blog. For The Handy Goddess, video and pink tools are clearly a recipe for success!

The Handy Goddess works as both entertainment and DIY education, but in addition to that it should serve as encouragement to anyone who thinks they can’t create a website that will attract thousands of viewers by communicating their unique expertise and personality. Barbara has a lot more of these qualities than most though, and I’d highly recommend The Handy Goddess for home improvement tips and campy, playful entertainment.

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For a weblog that is basically made of all links, this guys has a really good site. He finds some of the best links out there and posts just a small comment about each one making it that much more enjoyable. Not much more to the site other than links to other sites.Off on a tangent

This girl has a good site. Updates are really often which is always a nice thing. The site itself is designed really nice and clean which I liked. She decided that she wants to do her own ratings and what not have you. She gives all people fruit. This is very original, and she is definitely making fun of the to quote her “Any 13 year old with Photoshop award”. Good site with ease of use.Jocelyn’s Page