Month: August 2005

Dutch Bennet Novel Series – Space Law made me wonder if this was going to be one of those blogs that is really just a break down of a novel. Especially since the author decided that his blog should be in the entertainment category. I couldn’t get this thought out of my head, so with that I went to read the blog.

The first thing I noticed was that I was looking at a blogger template. Your standard black background, white text, two-column, profile on the right, massive intro header atop the page template. While this template is a nice one (in all 31 flavors), it is clear to me how over used it is now. The profile section quickly drew my attention and I was told that this is the blog of Aaron Theil, author of The Dutch Bennet Novel Series. Again my fear of this blog actually being a novel came back, but I decided to finish reading the blog.

It turns out this is not a novel masquerading as a blog. It really is a blog. The author posts things just like a blog. Recently it is has been about promoting his book and where he will be for book signings, but the gems lie in his space posts. These posts brought me back to my childhood memories of wanting to be an astronaut.

The blog itself to me seems a bit scattered. Sure most everyday blogs do, but I would think that Aaron would have set out for a purpose with his blog. The goal of his blog is not clear at all. His topics of postings range from stuff about his books, to space information, to reviews of other books. Sure it is all intertwined into his passion of writing, but the blog doesn’t seem to be going in any particular direction and is instead just spinning the tires in hopes of catching some traction.

Personally the posts about space travel are interesting enough for me to come back and visit for. The rest of the blog I personally don’t find all that interesting. A blog of this nature needs to go some where. It needs to take me on a journey of sorts, but this one didn’t do that. I know that once Aaron figures out what exactly he wants to do with his blog, it will become quiet good. I hope that in six to nine months Aaron will come back and have us re-review his site to see the progress he has made.
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The first thing that caught me with this site was the name: The Church of Dysfunction. I expected this site to be a bit funny and a bit out there. I got that and a lot more.

When the site first loads I get a picture of Cartman holding a bible and a man in a standard uniform one would expect of a priest or man of the church to wear. It also says “Babblings of a Clerical Collar Wearin’, Pentecostal Helpdesk Technician.” which gives me a little bit more into the mind of the author.

After reading the site I almost wanted to classify this blog as a political blog. More like a politically incorrect blog. The author takes a situation that is going on in the world and puts a big “offensive” spin on it. While this was somewhat funny at first, it got old very quick. Each post read the same to me even though the topic changed. This was not good.

One thing I wish I saw more of was what I expected. Funny posts about the church and helpdesk stuff. Instead I was forced to read overly exaggerated humor on serious situations.

I gave this site just under an average rating because the site is well done. I couldn’t find anything wrong with it per se, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Maybe adding an about page to explain the goal of the site since the tagline clearly does not do it justice. So while this site wasn’t for me, try it out and see if it is for you.
The Church of Dysfunction

A nice, clean layout greeted me as I entered this blog for the first time. This is a very interesting person with an interesting blog and I think John really thinks about what it is he wants to convey through his blog before posting the entries.

Although, the audio .wav message just below his photo leaves a lot to be desired. John, think of something a little more humorous and try it again. From the looks of your blog, I’d say you can think of something much funnier.

I do like the colors and design however, I think it could be spruced up, possibly with a logo graphic. It appears as though very little thought went into the layout, which is fine but, I think the blog would be much more appealing and have greater reader value with a few tweaks of the layout.

Overall, I would probably recommend this blog to others but, it wouldn’t be #1 on the list.

The Church of Dysfunction