The Weblog Review

Here is a site that knows what they are doing. I didn’t know what to expect from a name of shou? but who would? I try to not think too much of what I want a site to be when I first see it. So onto the review

The most recent posts on shou? are about what is going on in the Middle East. But it is not from the point of view of an American, as he is actually in the Middle East. He is reporting news of things that I have yet to hear about.

This is natural as most sites are talking about the ever-emerging war that is becoming. He writes very often about the Palestinian/Israel war and even acknowledges it his me section.

I must admit, that even though I don’t want to read about what’s going on, I was hooked immediately to his writing. His ability to convey feelings and emotions and what is going on is matched only by a select few. Major props to him and his work on his site.

shou?

What’s black and white and good all over?



*New Untitled Page*, otherwise known as NUP.



What is, perhaps, most impressive about this group weblog is that its creators and authors are teens, one of whom is only 13. NUP boasts a slick layout with interchangeable skins and it views exceptionally well in MSIE (NS does not correctly display the blog’s scrolling headlines). The navigation is reader-friendly and all links are valid. Overall format is clean and spare without appearing dull. NUP is an amazingly professional looking site, sure to provoke much envy among other group blogs.



The content an NUP varies from well-constructed and thoughtful rants to news clips to personal entries. With the exception of an occasional overuse of slang and a few typographical errors, the writing is crisp, concise, and entertaining. The writing is usually sophisticated enough to cause one to forget that the authors are, indeed, teenagers. Posts about school and daily life are as well-written and interesting as the more serious, current events related posts. Adult readers may bore of the adolescent issues often discussed, but there truly is something for everyone at NUP (the choice of featured headlines is highly amusing!) From site design to content, NUP is worthwhile study in a group blog that actually works.* New Untitled Page *

I love flash introductions, it makes the site you are viewing more exciting and enjoyable. In The Slippery Path, the intro flash is excelent, it is very well made and I love his graphic. I had a little trouble clicking on “Enter the Slippery Path” text in the flash introduction. It was a little too small, and I couldn’t quite hold my mouse over the text very steadily (maybe it’s just me) so I resorted to clicking on ‘Skip Intro’ when the introduction flash was done playing. I enjoyed reading his posts, they are basicaly short tidbits about his day. Things that took place, things he thought about, and things he saw. All around, very nice blog site.



I started looking around and noticed that the Journal page’s background color was different then the background color of every other page. Another thing I couldn’t help but notice was that the main table is a little ‘misaligned’ and it’s quite noticeable when you switch from page to page the main content table shifts a little to the left on other pages.



The background color on his graphics were also slightly off from the main content table’s background color, it’s not really noticeable, and you’ll live. The site has very nice photography sections in it, with pictures anywhere from flowers to destroyed trucks to a Van Gogh art gallery.



His site provides excelent and rather memorable quotes that everyone should read, they are very insightful into the lives of peoplr from the past, the present and quite possibly … the future. The Slippery Path

Between the Links creator Duncan Fitzgerald has compiled a massive amount of timely news links and tightly packed them into a one-stop-shop type of weblog. While the layout of this news blog is utilitarian and fairly unattractive (though it views equally well in MSIE 5.5 and NS 6.1), it is suitable and acceptable for this type of site. One will not necessarily visit Between the Links for its entertainment value and, most assuredly, not for visual stimulation. Instead, this news blog proves valuable for links to nearly every type of news and business site imaginable, from Bloomberg to the latest San Bernadino County, California Sheriff’s bookings. The links are categorized for easy navigation, which is a blessing considering the amount provided; and exploring the author’s choice of links can be pleasantly time consuming. If one is looking for an odd research or news site, it may very well be found at Between the Links.betweenthelinks.com

The various authors of FAC no Babble appear to be (teenaged?) friends who share an interest in what seems to be Anime based role-playing games. It is probable that this weblog serves as a private communications forum and, as a result, the content is of no great interest to anyone other than the blog participants. There are a few posts which detail daily life events; however, these entries are no more interesting than the rest of the content. Readers unfamiliar with the participants of FAC no Babble will quickly find themselves lost among references and commentary of no particular relevance to anyone other than the authors.



FAC no Blog does provide a link to the group’s homepage; unfortunately, this reviewer has been unable to successfully retrieve that page. It is possible that the group’s homepage may shed some much-needed light on the participants and the subjects about which they post. Without additional background information it is impossible to understand the concept behind FAC no Babble, let alone gain insight into the individual authors.



FAC no Babble utilizes a modified Blogger template that views better in MSIE than NS. Weekly archive links are incomplete and the brief bios of the participants are vague.



In short, FAC no Babble offers nothing to the casual reader and is a prime example of a private weblog needlessly made public. Move along, folks; there’s nothing to see here.FAC no Babble