How To: Review Blog
I just wanna post this helpful article from my Tech Blog. Next time I will post on how to review a product, a movie etc.. Feel free to add if you think I missed a point.
HOW TO WRITE A BLOG REVIEW
Why are you writing this blog review? Are you paid to do so? Is it a blog review exchange? A required mechanics in a contest?
DESIGN
Obviously when you land in a page or a website, the first thing you will notice is the design. Here are some questions you need to answer:
- What kind of template the author is using?
- Is it easy to navigate around?
- Is the site clean? less clutter? or is so full that it can hurt the eyes?
- Is there any element in the design that is worth mentioning?
- Are elements like archive, where to contact the author visible?
- How would you rate the design? 1 from being an eyesore, 10 to being a work of art.
Theme and Content
Basically, you will now discuss what the site is all about. And here are some guide on how you can easily discuss it:
- What is the theme of the blog? Is it a personal blog? A tech blog? A humor Blog?
- Themes should be very apparent on the blog, you can easily tell it by just looking at the design,header, title and subtitle.
- What are the contents of the blog?
- Does it reflects the title and the header of the blog?
- Is it easy to read and easy to understand?
- How do you find the content? Is it worth your time to read it?
Writing Style And Grammar
Although not all blogger are good in grammar, this one should also be consider in your review. You don’t have to judge it thinking you are a newspaper editor.
- Are there too much error that it decrease the value of the article?
- Typo errors that are way too obvious and makes you think that the author does not even care.
- In writing style, you should take note of the fact that the article was easy to understand.
- Is it lively enough for you stop whatever you are doing and just read and read?
- Does it makes you feel like the author is just in front of you, telling you her/his story?
- Is the author very effective in relating to you the content of the website?
Trivia
Is there something about the blog and the author that is worth mentioning?
Recommendation
- Will you recommend your readers to visit the site?
- Will you be back on the site?
- Is it worth following?
My Home…In The Kitchen
I had a guessing game in my parenting blog and the first three who can guess it right will win a blog review from me. And where else to put the blog reviews but here! The first one who guess it right was my Marce Liz. She currently have 4 blogs (kid’s blog, relationship blog, food blog and a personal blog). I choose to review her food blog, My Home…In The Kitchen.
It was my first time to see this blog and I was awed by its design. I love green and brown and the shade of green and brown on this site is super cool to the eyes. Obviously, the design is intended for food blogging. The header and the side images reflects what the blog is all about. The template is a 3 column kind, 1.2.1 type. The 1.2.1 type is a3 column template where in the main column is in the center. Personally, I don’t like this type of template. It was hard to maintain the sidebars having equal lengths. But it looks good on the template of My Home…In The Kitchen.
The blog is all about food. The title says it all and even first time visitors can say right away that it is indeed a food blog. Each posts are supported with photos, like the latest entry about STEAK. And oh, the photos are well embed in the post (oy marce paano un? ang ganda). I like it! It gives a 3d effect on the photos. Aside from the inviting photos on the website, each articles are written in a friendly manner. It is as if, me and the author are in front of each other, and she talks lively about her kitchen. And as I read her every entry, I can almost see how her eyes becomes bigger if she was in shocked or how her tone alters in disbelief. Yes, that’s how she writes, you can almost hear her. The recipes in this site are well written. It is organized and it is easy to follow.
If yuo will ask if I will come back again, of course I will! Aside from I love the colors, I knew I can learn a lot from this site. Every mom who loves to cook should visit My Home…In The Kitchen.
Top Websites 2009
Are you not curious what are the top websites this year? Oh maybe not but for my heart’s content, I will post what I got from Alexa. The results are not shocking but I expect one of my site to be in the top ten. LOL …maybe next year..
-
Google
google.comEnables users to search the Web, Usenet, and images. Features include PageRank, caching and translation of results, and an option to find similar pages. The company’s focus is developing search technology.
-
Facebook
facebook.comA social utility that connects people, to keep up with friends, upload photos, share links and videos.
-
YouTube
youtube.comYouTube is a way to get your videos to the people who matter to you. Upload, tag and share your videos worldwide!
-
Blogger.com
blogger.comFree, automated weblog publishing tool that sends updates to a site via FTP.
I also consulted Mr Google and found out that one of the most researched topic is FACEBOOK. I bet people are busy playing Mafia or planting tomatoes in their farms.
Crayons n’ Pencil
Is it Christmas yet? No? I thought it was! OK I just got back from Crayons N’ Pencil and thought it was Christmas already. The template of the website is soo Christmas. It is like a Christmas gift wrapper and though it ifs a bit off, I find it adorable! The site has falling snows on its header and it is animated which gives the site a high entertaining value. I think I can just stare on the website’s header for hours and I won’t be bored. The use of a Christmas themed template is a wise move but I do hope the author will change it after the Christmas season.
Go head on the About page of the website and you will learn that is all about almost everything and anything. It cover topics about parenting, personal development and even about earning online. The site is born out of the author’s desire to write. And indeed the author’s love for writing is very obvious on the website. It has some advertisement but the loading is still fast. I really like the site because of its template (I might even dream about the snowflakes tonight). Oh, the author also participate in one of my favorite meme, Girls Talk!
A Certified Blogger
Blogging is a passion. When I started blogging, I knew that I would love it. I love writing and I love the social interaction I got from blogging. Some people blog for money and some for the sake of blogging. Some maybe like me who loves the challenge of it and enjoy the earning it gives. I still not consider myself as a certified blogger (I am still novice on blogging, eherm eherm) but I knew one who is. The Certified Pinoy Blogger that is. This is a website owned by a Filipino who is currently living in Singapore. In his site it says, that “the pinoy blogger dominates Singapore blogosphere” (or blogniverse, in my term). Clearly the author knew blogging for some time now. He is authoritative on his claim about blogging.
In technical aspects, it seems that he really is a pro when it comes to blogging. I am new on this one but I do my homework so I know what an seo friendly and the likes mean. The template of the website is very SEO friendly. I guess the author put much effort for that. The pages are well indexed too and key elements like where to contact the author in case you want to advertise on his site is visible. Lastly, the author utilize social networking sites for the site’s exposure. So I must say, that the title is very apt for the website.
