‘Mine Blogging’, I did wonder what on earth that could possibly mean, and as I write this I am still in the dark – bit like the template of this blog, dark. That’s not to say that it is a bad design, far from it – the reader is initially greeted with a fairly standard three column layout with a black background, white text and blue links. I can see the text clearly enough but I did wonder about those poor souls who may not have perfect vision. After much searching I finally found a small about me section at the bottom of the left hand column
“As the only child I have been my own companion and I guess this blog is another way of me talking to myself.
I’ve been told that I am pretty good at photography but I will let you be the judge after reviewing my photo albums.”
This is a personal blog in every essence of the word – here you will find a few personal entries, a few brief reviews of the latest movies or TV series and the odd really beautiful photo. The entries are generally one paragraph long with no word over use, but this suit’s the authors style. There is nothing mind blowing or deeply thought provoking but it is a gentle introduction to the life of an individual. Done well life stories can be addictive, done badly and they feel the reader wondering what all the fuss was about. I’d say this blog lies somewhere neatly in-between – there’s some interesting entries, some really good photography (yes Alex really is a good photographer – there is some stunning photography residing in the photoblog) and some additional bonuses residing in the right hand column.
The design as I said earlier is dark, very dark. It’s a black background with white text and pale blue links. I’m not a great fan of dark backgrounds, but this is clear enough to read and isn’t particularly hard on the eyes. There’s nothing to offend here, all the links work and it is easy to navigate. I particularly like the banner, simple and very effective, fitting the existing design very well.
A few bonuses to this site reside in the right hand column – some recommended links, links to recent images posted on this photoblog, all in addition to the current read list.
Mine Blogging is a personal weblog in every essence of the word – the entries are mostly personal in nature, events as they occur and such. They are generally short and to the point with no excess words – certainly suited to the material covered and the writing style. There is nothing offensive here, it’s a pleasant read but not something perhaps I would be drawn to on a regular basis – perhaps a once in a while read to check up on. What does really make this photoblog stand out from the crowd is the photography, and I firmly believe that Alex should make a bigger feature of this aspect of his site – it’s definitely his strong point.Mine Blogging