“what might be read”, or wmbr from this point on, definitely goes for the less is more appeal with the layout and design aspect of the site. When the site loads, readers are greeted with a Photoshopped image of a man; one can assume it’s the author and may or may not be correct. There’s a white background, with black test in the weblog portion of the site. The internal links around the site are to the right side of the mystery man image, along with the archives, a “search the site” area, and a way for readers to instant message the author’s cell phone. Hyperlinks are in a dark gray color that can be distinguished from the text in the weblog entries, but can sometimes be confused with the titles for each post. However, his justification of using blacks, whites, and grays, according to this particular entry, is actually quite fitting.
As always when reviewing a site, I opted to read the “about” page first, do find out what the author was all about. This is where I found out that wmbr is a third go at the weblog from this author, who in time, has had to increase his level of anonymity when writing in his weblog. A somewhat obscure description of the author is also included on this page. The bio-type portion gives readers information about the author in a sentence by sentence manner. The author remains in his state of being anonymous, but yet manages to give us information that is quite specific to him.
Aside from the weblog, the author also willingly shares different songs, verses, and muses with the readers. Also handy for first time readers is a glossary section that, like with any glossary, gives definitions to words that may just be ones that only be found at wmbr. The author has these sections linked to the side for easy access.
The archives of wmbr begin in November 2001 and run somewhat regularly up until March 1, 2003, with the entries coming fewer and farther between nearing that date. The latest entry, made at the end of August, was the first for five months. Throughout these archives, readers get a chance to learn some personal information about the author. Every once in a great while, the author will participate in the classic weblogger memes like the Friday Five, which again, gives readers more insight into the casual persona of the author.
The poetic fashion that the author writes in primarily, however, is what causes this weblog to stand out from others. Words flow together in an almost effortless manner in so many of the entries. Descriptions of every day things bring out a different feeling in this weblog because the author’s descriptions are so precise. They’re based more on feelings and memories, than of sights and sounds. Visiting an unknown city isn’t like reading about all the kitschy tourist stories that most people right about. Instead, it’s like reading some type of free verse poetry full of original metaphors and similes and the rest of the terms you learn in high school English Literature classes.
wmbr is not a typical weblog that will strike the fancy of the average random reader. But from what I can tell, it’s not exactly meant to. The word choice by the author gives the entries a very strong feel. Perhaps as the author gets back into the routine of posting more often, things will begin to flow more consistently and wmbr might eventually become a site more people are familiar with. Until then, though, the archives are worth a one time perusal. This site will hit a chord with some people, but more than likely not the biggest portion of every day readers.