Month: February 2004

Random Scatter is a rather appropriate title for the vast majority of weblogs, but none more so than this weblog. The posting consistency is random, and it is scattered, but then that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Over-posting when there is very little of interest to say is a far worse crime in my opinion, and no one could accuse this blogger of such a crime. My first impressions on arriving at the site however were less complementary – its yet another generic blogger template, which has been altered so that the design itself has been thrown out at the right hand margin. These are fairly small things in the great scheme of things, and can be easily overlooked if the writing itself it good. With no about me page to indulge in I headed for the archives – always my first port of call when reviewing a weblog. Only I was to find there were none, the heading was there – in the right hand column, but there were no actual archives. So I scanned down to the bottom of the only available page I had to hand and began to read. Quite quickly I realised that the lack of archives was not in error, but was intentionally done. I did find the archives in the end, but only via a little creativity with links!

This blog has been in existence since September 2003 as far as I can see, but the posting is, as the title itself suggests, rather scattered and random. The author clearly only makes an entry when they have something to say – a real attribute. Visitors to “Random Scatter” would do well to look beyond the design and the lack of obvious archive links . This person writes well. Maybe every post didn’t hold my undying attention, but the vast majority did. There are so few posts that it won’t take the reader long, in fact the index page of this blog showcases the blog in its entirety anyway – but what you will find will be written well, be descriptive and , in the main, very interesting to read.

The design as I said is a generic blogger template, one of the old designs it seems as well. Its made worse by a couple of errors which throw the design out at the right hand margin. The colour scheme isn’t particular offensive, and it is readable.

It may be random and scattered, but this is as worthwhile a contribution to the blogosphere as any other weblog I have come across recently. Its largely well written and interesting to read, and what the design lacks in individuality is nicely made up by the personality of its owner shining through in every word. Maybe its not a weblog I would refer to on a daily basis, after all the posting consistency alone wouldn’t warrant such visits, but it is one I would refer to now and again to see what the author has to say. A thoroughly attractive 3.5Random Scatter

I am strangely drawn to the deep orange lettering on the pleasant green background here at Random Scatter. I like that the entries take up most of the width of the page. It’s book-like. No clutter, few links. I settle in for a read.

It says something for this blog that I didn’t feel compelled to find out something about who was writing, as I usually am wont to do. The style of the page is welcoming and calm, so I just started reading.

Random Scatter is a good title for this journal. The author proses about any number of random subjects, from politics to music awards ceremonies on TV and other social issues. I have read other blogs from authors who use their page as a way to clear out the cobwebs before they start the day. This author is of that ilk I think. We don’t get much mention of his personal life, but we do get a lot of his opinion of the state of the political world.

By his own admission, his blog is a collection of “curmudgeonly rants”. I would concur.
He seems to post irregularly as there are large gaps in time between posts. But this is not a problem because of the nature of the entries. Several of the posts are full of criticisms of public figures and the decisions they are making. The criticisms are of stock variety in my opinion and I read nothing novel here. And after about the 10th entry, they began to be a bit predictable. This became even more disappointing to me when I dug into his profile in one of the links provided, and found out that he has an impressive resume’, being a writer for corporations, and has authored two web based, on line novels. From someone with such credentials, I would expect more.

But, I don’t think he takes the blog all that seriously himself, which is cool, it’s HIS blog after all! The following quote describes his outlook:

“What the hey. It’s only a weblog, right? They’re a dime a dozen in the digital age. And it’s a heck of a good way to wake up the brain on a damp June morning… “

As mentioned before, he has a website link that tells us more about himself and works just fine, but the only way I was able to access the Archives was from the information provided on TWR newsboard. This won’t help the regular visitor much.

Overall I was underwhelmed by this weblog. It is like so many others I have read that take pot shots at public figures. Ho Hum. But I did run across a jewel or two. This being one of them: Wednesday , November 05, 2003 “Why a Weblog Anyway?”

It’s a disturbing story, told as a cautionary tale. But it also contains some valid points about getting published. More of this kind of writing, would have made for a much more enjoyable read.

Random Scatter

I have changed the category of “Random Scatter” from “Creative Writing” to “News/Links” because I think this more closely reflects the content. Not that there are many links to be found in the blog, but the content is mostly rants about politics/ current affairs/ popular culture. That’s not to say the writing is not creative or anything, but well, I am the reviewer and I can do what I like. This line of argument seems to be going nowhere anyhow.

So this is a blogspot blog. Standard template, though no advertising box (unless Norton has become clever enough to block it out on my PC) and um… no archives either. Just writing. A whole page of writing going back to September 2003, although to be fair, the whole lot could be read in about an hour.

I could post up a URL to show you how to view the archives on a month by month basis, (one of my fellow reviewers has enough familiarity with Blogger to be able to do this) but in actual fact the author has removed said links to said archives deliberately, so I don’t see why I should help him out really. This whole system of posting everything on the main page works now because there isn’t that much content, but in the future, this could get to be a very big front page. The author claims that, well he only posts every now and again and he is editing his posts anyway to take out the ones he doesn’t like, so what the hell.

(START RANT) Editing posts and removing ones you don’t like is wrong. Very wrong. There is no rulebook on blogging to say this is illegal or anything, but I just don’t like it. In my opinion, weblogs should reflect everything about a person, good and bad. The only exception to this rule in my case has been ex-girlfriends and employers asking for content to be removed, and then only at a push. (/END RANT)

The author also doesn’t have any comments. Putting in sentences like “If anyone’s listening I’d welcome comments.“ without providing a comments facility is slightly futile. Also the content is opinionated and the lovely thing about opinions is that they can be disagreed with… but only if the author allows comments.

So having completely slated the technicalities of his blog, I would like to praise the content. The content is great- all his posts are literate, argued well and sometimes funny. He makes observations about politics mostly, but also music, TV and technology. He is quite “right on” about his views but I found this refreshing. Anyone who uses the word “curmudgeonly“ can’t be all bad. I like this author, I like his writing, I just don’t like his blogspot blog.

Well, I guess it comes back to form over content. The content is great but the form is not so great. I reckon if he makes the effort with the technical aspects of his weblog and continues writing the kind of stuff he is writing, this could become a regular of mine.
Random Scatter

First I want to say that I love when people give their opinions and are not afraid to speak their mind. That’s what I got out of reading “Queerly Canadian”. A blog written by Jen who is a lesbian from Canada.

When I first approached her blog, I really didn’t know what to expect. After the page finished loading, I was greeted with your basic, standard blog, but with a touch of color added.But it was A very nice lay-out and very easy to read. Jen has a 2 column page with her entries posted in the center and her links , archives, ect. on the right hand side. She also has an “About Me ” page which I like to see because it tells you a bit more about the author.She has a couple of pics on the right hand side as well.

I started to read her main page, and as I continued to read, I thought to myself, “damn” Jen sounds a lot like me.On her first post on the main page, she was ranting about a woman she had heard/seen on a video who was basically degrading homosexuality.From what I gathered from Jen’s entry, if she doesn’t like an opinion, she will let you know it.She will stand up for what she believes in. As I started digging through her archives, I saw the other side of Jen. She talks about her daughter and the funny things that she says at times for a 5 year old. Those entries brought a smile to my face. On one of her entries , she has a lot of quizzes, which can be really fun.I did notice that she did have a couple of broken links in her archives, but nothing major.

Jen also has a love for music and actually plays guitar. She is a big fan of the “Idigo Girls”. I really enjoyed reading her entries.After you get so far into them, you feel as if you know the real person. If you’ve ever read her entries, you will know what 1 am talking about.

So to sum this all up, I think Jen is a potentially good writer. You can basically understand where she is coming from. Her blog is a good one to visit.Queerly Canadian

Despite the use of various shades of green I found the design of this site instantly appealing, technically speaking it should not work, but there is nothing offensive here. It’s easy on the eye, clear to read and above all quite appealing. There is a brief introduction to the author in the right hand menu, which is continued in more details on this page. I found both interesting and enlightening, and feel they prepared me well for what I would find in the weblog itself.

Guppy Child is a well established weblog, having been in existence since May 2001. The first few posts are as enlightening as the site / author biography – in particular that the site is that of a teen still in high school. But this is no ordinary teen, there is no typical teen lingo here – in fact quite the contrary, what a reader will find here are well written thought out entries which in the main would appeal to a wider audience than the typical teen blog. Sidhe writes very well in fact, and I quickly find myself scanning through her archives with varying levels of interest. I enjoyed her style tremendously, on occasion she writes so well you feel almost as though you are an observer watching the events of her life play out. To say I am impressed by what I read here is an understatement, this is a weblog with real potential for the future.

A straightforward two column template in green with no real design problems. It’s easy on the eye, clear enough to read and navigate, and is individually tailored to suit both it’s author and the content. OK, so green may not be to everyone’s tastes and technically it shouldn’t work as well as it does, but I find the effect quite appealing.

Guppy Child may technically be a teen blog but I firmly believe that it has a much wider appeal than a mere teen audience. Sidhe writes well, her posts are frequently enlightening and eye opening, encompassing the very best of personal journaling online. All in all this is a must read for anyone who appreciates a well written life blog, who is willing to look beyond her age and actually read what she has to say. A glimmer of hope in teen weblogs, a definite 5.0Guppychild.com