Category: Uncategorized

I like to judge what a blogs going to be about by the title. I know, it’s a bad case of “judging a book by its cover” but it’s just something I do. So the judgements I had for Greg And Deb On The Web were:

1. It was a family blog.
2. It would be filled with anecdotes not interesting to anyone except family and close friends.
3. It would contain posts by both Greg and Deb in a sort of tennis match manner, with one person posting one day and the other the next.

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s not very often I do this, so treasure this moment. I was wrong. Except maybe for number 1. Yes, it is a “family” blog. But only in that Greg (who by the way, is the only one who posts on it, not Greg-and-Deb) does write about his family occasionally. Okay, he writes about his family a lot. But, nevertheless, it is interesting and funny enough, for an outsider like me, who doesn’t know them, to enjoy and appreciate.

Greg obviously has a sense of humour. Not forced, like a lot of other weblogs which “try” to be funny, but a genuine amused, slightly cynical way of looking at the world around him. He posts a lot about his daughters–Allie who is four and the baby Julia. Allie is an endless fund of humour, with her little bon mots.

Usually, when reviewing a weblog, I skim through the archives, dipping in occasionally to figure out more about the writer and where they are coming from. In this case, I sat and read through the entire archives (starting in July 2003) and before I knew it, I was hooked.

The layout is just that–a layout, in simple colours, uncluttered with a few links. It doesn’t detract at all from the writing, nor does it add anything to it.

Personally, now, not as a reviewer, but as someone who loves to discover fresh writing, this blog will be one I will be checking again and again. You should too.Greg & Deb on the Web

Just for Small Business is an information blog which offers resources and tips and examples to the backbone of most economies, those who run small businesses. The site is very simple visually, with a three column layout with the main content in the middle. As I scrolled down I noticed a few problems with the design, such as the ‘visit small biz boot camp box’ was overflowing into (and covering) the content (I’m browsing with Firefox), ho-hum.

The author, Denise O’Berry , has done a mountain of work with small businesses having, a small business online forum, a weekly Small Biz Strategies tip e-zine, plus she writes a syndicated small business column and publishes a small business newsletter. Phew. Clearly someone you should listen to!

The blog content contains great information for those in small business. I would think anyone running a business of any size could benefit from the wisdom and examples in this blog. It takes just a few minutes to read a month of entries. The information could potential make a major different in the success, of failure of one’s business. In one entry entitled, ‘Employees Aren’t Mind Readers’ Denise explains the importance of giving clear instructions to employees. In her example, an employee who couldn’t find a switch to turn off a machine pulled the plug out on the machine instead, which ruined the product inside by the next morning. Clearly this example underscores the importance of training staff and having reference material they can access if they need a question answered about how to do task ‘x’. Each entry has some timbit of useful information to share to help business owners in various areas such as staffing, planning, proposals, marketing, taxes etc.. The writing is straightforward and accessible for all readers, even those outside of business may find some benefit to reading this blog. Denise also reviews many books that focus on small business in her blog and offers photos of those books so readers can easily find them.

While not the most impressive site visually the solid content in ‘Just for Small Business’ makes this site an impressive resource for anyone interested in improving their bottom line. Even the casual non-business reader may enjoy some of the examples that Denise provides. Bottom line: An accessible, easy to read resource that should be mandatory reading for every small business owner.
Just for small business

To Philly, From Alaska, w/love. I liked this blog. It’s a simple blogger template, but it suits the writing style and content. The content is amusing, the pictures are breath-taking and the student’s fund raising plight inspiring.

I believe that David, the author of the blog & a teacher has done something that isn’t very common. His blog reflects that. His tale of the fermented fish is something that boggled my mind. His writing is easy to follow and well written.

David outlines life in simple terms, quite like the simple yet awesome photo’s of Alaska. The one cabin post office, the boardwalk that he has slid off but basically connects the whole town, the iq’mik which made him hurl and me laugh.

It’s definately a blog worth checking out. His entry’s tell of a whole different world to ours. Some are funny, some are serious and most are informative and make you want to find out more about this different way of living. I would have to say that this blog targets all age groups and is a must read. Go check it out.To Philly, From Alaska, w/love

The title of this blog brought a smile to my face. “Imdateless.com”. Doesn’t that just make you smile and think, “Wow, here comes another blog that might be absolutely funny and entertaining.” But this is not an absolute decision. Therefore, I kept my fingers crossed.

The layout wasn’t something that I particularly liked but I just loved the icon that the blog had. It was a stick-figure boy (or is it girl?) and it moves around as you move your mouse. Well, that was quite amusing.

Entry-wise, I was amazed and was quite teary-eyed after reading all the funny works of literature our dear author has written. It turned out to be a great blog with funny little news about our dear author. I’d have to say that some topics were random and I got lost reading through the pile a few times, but it was well worth it.

Overall, I loved it! I’m sure you all would too. Don’t let the title and the url intimidate you into not going because then you wouldn’t know what you’re missing. Or maybe you will since I just told all of you that wouldn’t know what you’d be missing. Ah, that was quite confusing. So, go visit the blog.The Imdateless.Com Website

When I first saw the name “cut rate parasite” it did not lend itself to a weblog I would care to read, but I persisted – more out of a degree of morbid curiosity than anything else. I was to be pleasantly surprised. “Cut-rate parasite” is, for the most part, a travel weblog run by an ex musician, ex journalist, and college professor. Now with that list of careers under his belt I felt the likelihood of a good read growing each second, and I was not to be disappointed.

The weblog has been in existence since October 2004, and can be described (essentially) by using his own words.

This blog mixes travel writing, irreverent looks at literature and severe simplifications of some literary theory that seems relevant to what I say now and then.

The content is extremely well written, and I found that once I had started reading my eyes were carried along the lines without effort. Maybe, in part, it is because I love to travel so much myself, and a lot of his journal reflects on his travel experiences, or maybe it is the simple fact that the author writes so very well. Either way this is a definite weblog I would return to check up on from time to time.

The design, or so it seems me, bares resemblance to the slightly generic blogspot templates – yellow background, with a white side column. But the site is clear, nicely laid out, easy to read, and does not detract unduly from the content. It is nice to see a writer concentrating on the stuff that really matters – the content, and merely putting forth a good plain design that is easy on the eye and simple to navigate.

All in all, I enjoyed reading “Cut rate parasite” immensely, despite my initial reservations. It is a real pleasure to read, and I would recommend to anyone, especially those who love to travel. A must read 5 site, a rare commodity.

Cut-rate parasite