Month: June 2001

The blogs at nosuch.org vary in length between brief comments and veritable essays. Though this makes for a welcome change of pace in my opinion, some readers might be put off by some of the grander posts. Quite a few of these blogs would easily have supported their own section under the heading “writings”. The decision to leave them in the master blog is a brave one that may go wrong if readers aren’t prepared to put the time in.



If you do make the effort to work through the posts, there are some very good pieces scattered around.



The site is well organised (except for the front page being too long – the scrollbar almost disappears), with links set to one side and the content in a nice, large, web-friendly typeface. The masthead is a little plain and dull, and upsets the balance the rest of the page works so hard to achieve.



This site is pushing a 4.0 rating, but doesn’t quite get there because of a few elements that don’t fit (as mentioned). Despite that, if you have a little spare time, this site is certainly one that I would recommend.Nosuch.org

Another interesting read from the growing numbers of teenage bloggers. Fortunately it doesn’t carry quite as ascetic a tongue as many of it’s peers, but there is a degree of teen bitchiness on the site. Not too much, though, just enough to keep the posts entertaining and amusing.



The design is good, and the colour scheme solid and attractive. The text could certainly do with being larger (the author likes it small), but otherwise the site is pleasant enough to behold.



The navigation doesn’t hold any particular structure, which is fine since the majority of the content is tied up in the blog.



The constant ascii smiles might grow tiresome for older readers, but since the site is aimed at a teenage audience, it is well suited.



Overall a good blog, with enough to keep even the most casual surfer satisfied.Grateful Days

The LA Examiner, an online newspaper of sorts for the Los Angeles area, suffers from two important problems.



Firstly, the design is too bland. Black and white is only a legitimate choice if it works (obviously enough) and here it doesn’t. This site needs an injection of colour to make it a little more readable.



Secondly, and this isn’t helped at all by the design, is the problem of information overload. There’s simply far too much on the front page. The blog, though fascinating and full of great articles, is too long for the front page alone to hold. There are also simply too many links running down either side of the content that distract attention away from the content.



This is a shame. The excellent news coverage offered by the site is let down by some ineffective design. If the links had been moved elsewhere, the posts trimmed down, and a more imaginative colour scheme used, this site would be fantastic for anyone interested in events around LA. After all, no-one thinks of LA as monochromatic. Or at least a smog-colour scheme should be used instead.LA Examiner

The photograph used as the masthead for this site immediately sets the tone for what is to follow: an artistically written blog that looks at the writer’s life as if seen reflected in a curved mirror. Fortunately this blog is far more eloquent than I am.



Elizabeth’s site is very creatively driven. The images used are mostly black and white, which, combined with a monochromatic design aesthetic, works a lot better than you would at first imagine.



Navigation is simple enough, and works well, although the layout doesn’t go very deep into the site. This doesn’t matter greatly, as the blog is the major focus of the site (it’s been running since may 2000).



The narrative is compelling, and the further you read into the site the more you begin to appreciate it. Though perhaps not quite on a par with bluishorange for sheer literary ability, this site pleases consistently enough to be visited often.burntsienna

This is a group blog with about twenty contributors, most of whom have their own websites.



The site achieves a good balance between interesting content and different writing styles, which is a good thing really considering just how many people are involved.



Other than the blog and archives, the main feature of the site is the ability to get involved yourself; if you are so inclined you can join the present team of writers and post to the site as well.



The design is okay, though fairly simple, and the colours not particularly imaginative. However, trying to decide on a colour scheme that would satisfy all of the writers is probably too much to ask for.



The site is still young, but certainly worth a visit.Index42