The B-Zone has a clean, attractive layout — the format is pretty standard, with a main column for entries and a sidebar for ‘extras’ (like a tagboard, blogroll, and links to the archives). But the author, Bjoern, has done some work to give his site a personal touch, with a menu tab, photo ‘buttons’, and wallpaper that looks like… well, wallpaper, actually. The overall effect lends the site an inviting, professional feel.
So, on to the content. From Bjoern’s About Me page, I learned — among other things — that he’s an IT consultant living in Hamburg, Germany. I dug into the archives for a look at his life. Much of the content centers around his job, his musical loves, and significant events in his personal life. It’s pretty standard fare for a personal weblog, but Bjoern manages to spice up many of his entries with interesting photos and links to local sites and people. Some of his recent entries read and look more like magazine features; he appears to be experimenting with using photos and commentary to augment his personal stories, with considerable success.
In addition to the blog itself, Bjoern offers a few extras of note — several pages of original photo art, a guestbook, links to songs that he’s written, even a page of his own downloadable freeware. Some of the sections (those on ‘Coding’ and ‘Music’, for instance) are still under construction and light on content, but I appreciate his commitment to offering a variety of content on the site. It’s a nice touch.
All in all, ‘The B-Zone’ is a very attractive and interesting personal site. Those of us not familiar with Germany can gain a glimpse into the life of a young professional there, while Bjoern’s friends, music fans, and technophiles may also find something of interest. If you’re looking for ‘bits, bytes, birds, bollocks and booze’, as the tagline says, then check out ‘The B-Zone’. It’s well worth the visit. I rate the site 4.5 out of 5.The B-Zone