The Weblog Review

At first, I didn’t think this blog was one I’d like. It had a very basic title, and usually I tend to go for the blogs that have really off-the-wall title. However, I’m willing to give it a chance because any blogger that notices spelling and grammar as much as I do does catch my attention.

This blog has a very basic design, but that’s just fine. There are Google ads, as so many blogs seem to have lately, but I didn’t even notice them at first. Steph is a member of a few blogrings, which I suppose are great if you’re into those sorts of things. I personally am not, but I don’t mind seeing them so much.

The entries really are something else. I enjoyed reading the humorous accounts of Steph’s children, and I can’t help but smile as I read through them. There are many different instances when this “Blogging Mommy” references her kids in a comedic way, and I love every one.

There aren’t too many extras. The sidebar has got some links and stuff, some of which in the form of graphic buttons, but other than that (and the hiding Google ads) there isn’t too much to clutter the site. This is great, since cramped and cluttered blogs can often distract from the writing, and we wouldn’t want to distract from the posts on this site.

All in all, this is a very good blog, and I’ve already added it to my list of feeds I read. There’s just so much I like about this blog, and so little I dislike. Take the time to check it out for yourself… you won’t be disappointed.NULL

I click the link to get to mooncolors and I notice that this isn’t a regular word blog… it’s a photoblog. A quite nice one, however. There was only one post that I saw up, but with a little scrolling I find the archives area where I can view one other photo at a time.

The pictures are beautiful. They’re taken and edited to look like they were painted (at least that’s what I gathered; there wasn’t much description to them) and done quite well. There aren’t very many posts, and there’s practically nothing to read except for the rare comment or two on pictures, and most of the pictures aren’t explained at all other than the title given to them.

The layout is very simple, black and purple, and the only extras there are to speak of are links, either internal or links to the photographer’s Cafe Press site for the most part. There’s a blog band in the top for Make Poverty History… I guess the blogger is somewhat of an activist.

Basically, there isn’t really enough content on this site to discern it as being good or bad. It’s definitely just starting out and could potentially become a wonderful photoblog if it stays up, but for now there really isn’t enough to keep anyone hooked.NULL

When I first arrived at this blog, I was slightly confused. The first post is in Swedish… the rest of the posts on the page are in English, but the fact that the first one wasn’t caught me off guard and started the review off on a bad foot.

We get to the second post, since I lack the ability to read the first, and it’s skewed over to the right so I have to scroll to read it. This could by chance be just my browser and resolution (since I’m in Opera, which isn’t a commonly used browser, and I don’t have my resolution set at what most people do), but it made it slightly irritating. Then he starts the entry by telling us what he’s going to be blogging about in that entry. Bad… don’t start with summaries.

The design isn’t very aesthetically pleasing. The entries aren’t lined up at all, and there are three separate instances of Google ads. There’s a floating-like banner ad at the top of the page, part of which is covered by Google ads and another part is covering up what I’m assuming is the navigation.

There are way too many extras on this blog, too. There’s no reason to have clusters of 80×15 banners mixed in with links (that’s right… clusters. Not groups; random clusters at the bottom of the page…) Along with the Google ads and various javascript links, this blog is way too busy.

In conclusion, I really wanted to like this blog, since it seems I’ve been really harsh on blogs lately (many low scores coming out, it seems), but I just couldn’t. I may be being too nice by giving this blog a 1 out of 5.NULL

The very first or rather the latest post I read on the weblog caught my attention. I thought the post was funny and continued reading through the other posts. My efforts were definitely not wasted.

The weblog is mostly about funny situations, funny anecdotes or just things found funny. You can also find some posts more of a personal nature which you can still find funny. The humor in the posts are inherent in the writing style. So you will find even the mundane posts interesting and worth reading through. The writing is not confined to any particular topic but encompasses a variety of topics.

The design of the site is good. It is well designed with few irregularities. The links and other imbedded scripts are on one side and are pretty organized. There’s even a tagboard where one can leave messages.

This is one site I am going to give full marks for ingenuity and wit and of course keeping the reader interested. If you are looking for something funny to read to start the day, or during the day or to end the day, this is definitely one site for you.NULL

2withspirit.com… I expected this blog, from the title alone, to be in regards to 2 people; a couple maybe. And it is. Once the blog loaded the initial impression I got was that it was a woman writing. Mainly due to the layout of the blog itself and the cursive text. I didn’t know what to expect from the written text until I clicked on the “about” link.

I wasn’t far from wrong. The blog is actually about a woman, who has lost her husband to a high speed car chase by the police. It’s quite interesting reading. In so much as the author, in her blog, goes through all the raw emotions that are usually associated with sudden death of someone close, and it’s quite touching. The entries are well written, the writing is sometimes scattered and sometimes well thought out. But I put down the raw emotion behind the writing to the sometimes scattered entries.

I believe that the basis of this weblog is an outlet for the author, for her emotions, her thoughts as well as her crusade. She has achieved many good things through her persistence, her never ending belief and it is refreshing to see a person be able to make a difference, even when it means that the person is constantly challenged at her beliefs and, at times, thought she wasn’t making a difference.

The template that the author uses does compliment her writing style, it compliments the blog content. The links all work, except on the about page, where there is the link to listen to something. I couldn’t get that to work. I don’t know if that is because I use Opera as a browser or not.

I had a hard time writing this review, only because I believe that police are there to do a job and they did their job, unfortunately it resulted in a loss of life, but everyone makes choices, those left behind usually have to live with them. Also because the author has, with her crusade, pointed out some holes in the police department that should be straightened out. Overall, this blog I believe is sometimes different. It offers a different view of what we view of the “role” of police officers, even if it is the lack of role after the incident. Definitely a blog worth checking out. I do hope that the author finds the peace that she deserves. 2 With Spirit