Since the age of about 6 or 7 I’d say, I’ve had glasses almost permanently attached to my face. The first thing I do in the morning is reach over and put them on, and the last thing I do at night before falling asleep is take them off. The only time I don’t wear [...]
Posts Tagged ‘blog reviews’
Blog Review: Thacko Photography
Posted By Dave on April 10th, 2009
Thacko Photography is the next site that I will cast my critical eye over. First of all, as an English teacher by trade, one of the things I notice first when I read an article are spelling and grammar mistakes. And this site is unfortunately full of them. By no means am I being critical about people who might have trouble with spelling, but all common internet browsers these days have either spell checkers built in or available as add-ons. Please leave a comment if you don’t have one of these and I will give you direct links to download one. It makes the site look a lot more professional, as writing “u” instead of “you” just looks lazy.
Right – enough about spelling and grammar and onto the site itself. This site is kind of a photoblog meets personal online journal and does a reasonable job of both. Articles, minus the spelling and grammar mistakes, are clean and concise, giving full descriptions of work that has been done on the car. One thing which could be a great help for people in the future might be to illustrate the work that is done on the cars. This means that not only will people be able to read about what you have done, but also that readers will be able to see exactly what you have done which might help them with the same modifications.
Quite a few things are mentioned that have happened on other sites or previously on this site, but there are no links to find those related posts. This is a good opportunity to keep users on your site looking at different articles, so they don’t just view the front page and move on.
The photos are very good but the site itself just needs a few finishing touches to it. Get a WordPress theme made for 1024×768 screens, get a spell checker for when writing posts and keep on snapping away with the camera!
Have a look at Thacko Photography here: http://www.thackophotography.com/
If you want your site reviewing here with no catches whatsoever, then leave a comment below or check out this post for full information
Posted in Reviews
Blog Review: I’m a Seoul Man in Tokyo
Posted By Dave on April 10th, 2009
Got a little time free today so decided to devote a few minutes to continue my “You Leave a Comment, I Review your Site” feature. Next up is Jon Allen’s nicely titled, “I’m a Seoul Man in Tokyo“. I don’t exactly go weak at the knees at a Blogger-produced blog, but they are popular so who am I to judge? Actually, I’m the person reviewing the site, and so I will!
Clean looking site with just a plain white background. Most people on a Problogger poll said they preferred a white backdrop for websites, but maybe a dash of colour wouldn’t go amiss here. One of the first links I will check out when I review these sites is the “About Me” section. It helps me to get to know the author of the site and who they are behind the posts. I was interested to read about how Jon went from the UK first to South Korea and now to Japan. The profile link just provided a list of further links to other sites. To use a fishing analogy, he’d got the bite on the profile summary on the front page, but then failed to reel in the catch in the full profile.
While the front page is easy to read, the sheer number of links on the right hand side can be pretty overwhelming. I counted over 200 text links ad that is before we start at the social networking links. While a number of links is good, readers tend to just start skim reading after the first 10-20 if nothing so exciting initially catches their eye.
Jon’s IT background is evident in his writing content, with the topics frequently covering technology in some aspect. But non-technical minded folk shouldn’t be scared as he does a good job at explaining things. There’s a lot of linking to other sites, but is sticking with the rest of the site and most of the time it is not so excessive. The rest of the articles mention recent and upcoming social events in the Tokyo area, and I can imagine is pretty useful for someone living in Japan’s capital.
The site has some good information on it, and probably just needs to cut down on the number of links. The categories are good, but consider putting the top 10 or so sites up there – the ones you really recommend to people. Oh, and a bit more info in your background profile. Nice work though, and I enjoyed reading through the articles.
Check out I’m a Seoul Man in Tokyo here: http://www.seoul-man.blogspot.com/
If you want your site reviewing here with no catches whatsoever, then leave a comment below or check out this post for full information.
Posted in Reviews
Blog Review: michael john grist
Posted By Dave on April 3rd, 2009
Now this is a website I like, and I’m very pleased that Michael asked me to take a look at it. Michael john grist is a perfect example of why I wanted to do these reviews: to introduce people to excellent sites that they may have otherwise missed. I pretty much like everything about this site, from the design to the content to the lack of a Google Friend Connect box. So let’s see if we can pick up on some of the highlights.
The design of the site is relatively simple, once again showing that less is, very often in the case of these sites, more. Subscription links are visible at the top of every page but are not intrusive in any way, and the Amazon affiliate links appear as being helpful rather than there in order to make a few yen on the side. Header and footer bars are kept to a bare minimum, and even the sidebar is kept well out of the way, and showing only the information that is important to the site.
The content is also onto a winner in my book, with topics covering happenings in Tokyo, photos of ruins around Japan, and futuristic/fantasy style artwork. There is background text to all the articles (although the talk can sometimes seem to go completely off-topic), but the site has a photo-blog feel to it. This guy has some talent with a camera though, and knows where to go to get the good photos. A visit to the ruins of the Kemigawa Transmission Station in Tochigi is a good example of a place that is not immediately that interesting, but looking at the photos of different aspects of the site fascinated me. The only thing that could have made it a little better would have been a bit more of an insight into the place itself in the writing, although that may not have been too easy to get.
I’m also a big fan of fantasy artwork in general, and looking at some of the pictures Michael features takes me back to the days when I would engross myself in the artwork of Luis Royo and H.R. Giger. Shots are tastefully chosen and then links provided to the original source of the photos.
I am going to finish the review here because the more time you spend reading this review is less time looking at the photos of Japan and a world beyond over on Michael’s site. Do yourself a favour and have a look.
Check out michael john grist at: http://www.michaeljohngrist.com.
If you want your site reviewing here with no catches whatsoever, then leave a comment below or check out this post for full information.
Posted in Reviews
Blog Review: BFG’s Blog
Posted By Dave on April 1st, 2009
Function over form but retaining a classy look. That’s how I would I would describe IT professional Andy Johnson’s “BFG’s Blog“. He has opted for an image-free environment on the whole, and while it goes slightly against the trend of websites trying to use as much Flash and javascript as is physically possible, it makes for a refreshing change.
One of the first things you notice is the highlighted “See what google sees…” box. Pretty much useless but I have to confess I did click the link for a few seconds to turn the stylesheet off, before turning it back on and continuing my look into the page. I might think about moving the RSS link from the footer of the page up here though – could get you a few more subscribers.
The site is 3 years old, although it actually seems to have experienced a 2 and half year hiatus between April 2006 and October 2008. Updates seem to be pretty frequent now though. The site is focused on technical news and commentary, although also includes a few other topics too. The news is kept brief and more time is spent on his commentary on the stories themselves. Links in stories are kept to a minimum and there are none of those social networking links that accompany the vast majority of personal online journals these days. As Andy is going for a minimalistic look though, this is definitely not a minus point here.
Being out of the UK, this is probably a not a site I would subscribe to and be coming back to again and again, but I like the fact that the site bucks the current webpage design trend. Here would normally be where I say the site needs a logo or something to create site/brand awareness, but with pictures being kept out of the site that it’s not really necessary. Check the site it, if for nothing else then to show you how a site doesn’t need flashy graphics and lots of scripts to get its point across.
Head over to BFG’s Blog here: http://blog.bfg9000.co.uk
If you want your site reviewing here with no catches whatsoever, then leave a comment below or check out this post for full information.
Posted in Reviews
Blog Review: The Soul of Japan
Posted By Dave on March 30th, 2009
Have to admit, my initial reaction to the loading of The Soul of Japan homepage was not a good one. A marginally not safe for work photograph at the top of the page with the first article, and then 4 copies of another work-unsafe picture featuring along the rest of the homepage. As a site which uses Blogspot as its homepage, I was surprised I didn’t receive the warning that images on this site may not be safe for some web users. But, willing to take this as an oversight, I headed on into the rest of the site.
As a personal online journal who’s point is “is to unify the things that make Japan great”, there seems to be a lot of talk on this site about the author’s sex life and his encounters with Japanese women. The ubiquitous Google Friend Connect section is here in one of the two very busy sidebars, which contain links to a huge number of blogging websites. Some of the sidebar features are nice, although the tag links are a little tedious (the vast majority of tag links which extend for page after page have only one or two related articles). I think a link to tags like that would be much better when the site is relatively focused and with many articles containing the same tags.
The layout is the standard Blogspot one, although with almost 5 pages of more social networking and blog links at the bottom. I’m not sure whether it was just an issue with the Firefox browser, but here is definitely a case where the old adage of “less is more” could be used.
Credit is given for showing the author’s books that are available, although I think an Amazon affiliate link here would have been a great way to create some web traffic and interest in them. It’s not so often people will take the time to highlight and copy an ISBN number, then open another window and paste it into a search engine, looking for the book. If they have a direct link though, they will click it straight away.
Have to admit, I’m not entirely sold on this site. Maybe it’s just the initial impression I got when I visited the page (a picture of the Japanese Emperor next to a picture of a near-naked female behind) or maybe the huge number of networking site links that fill the side and bottom of the page. Have a look if you like, although I’m afraid to say this one doesn’t carry my recommendation.
Check out The Soul of Japan here: http://www.thesoulofjapan.blogspot.com
If you want your site reviewing here with no catches whatsoever, then leave a comment below or check out this post for full information.
Posted in Reviews
Blog Review: GoddessCarlie.com
Posted By Dave on March 30th, 2009
Just the one website review for you this weekend. Yes, I must apologise for having something marginally resembling a social life! But enough of that, and more on Carlie Kimm’s site, quite modestly entitled GoddessCarlie.com! This is a little different from the usual blogs from people in Japan talking about their life here; Carlie is living Down Under but blogs about Japan, and in particular about Japanese TVs and dramas.
The site is pretty well established, having been created back in January 2007. Once again, Google Friend Connect is being used, highlighting the huge number of friends I don’t have. Someone who uses this please enlighten me as to its benefits as I would like to hear why people are using it. Nice layout to the page though, and the “Currently Reading” section is something a little different, but a double-edged sword I feel. On the one hand, it’s refreshing to see the books, and when you click on them seeing a review of them. Inside the review itself is an Amazon affiliate link, although you do wonder if this might be an opportunity missed to not have a direct Amazon link in the sidebar when you click on the book icon. That’s swings and roundabouts though, and credit to Carlie for not being the greedy capitalist! My only comment on the layout is that maybe the RSS button at the top right of the page maybe doesn’t need to be there, considering that the first thing you see directly below that is another RSS button.
One thing I do like about this site and which is pretty unique from what I’ve seen is the “Got an Idea for an Article?” section in the sidebar. This is a great way to get user feedback, especially if you’ve got a decent reader base. Looking to the bottom of the page though, does anyone actually use a page’s tag cloud?
Couple of comments about the content of the site. While J-dramas are most definitely not my thing, that’s not going to bias my review of some articles which are very well written. They do always have a nice personal touch too.
Overall it’s a well-made and well-written site. Probably not a site I would personally subscribe to updates about, but the only reason for that is my general lack of interest in Japanese dramas. Can easily see why many people keep going to Carlie’s page though.
Check out GoddessCarlie.com here: http://www.goddesscarlie.com
If you want your site reviewing here with no catches whatsoever, then leave a comment below or check out this post for full information.
Blog Review: Tune In Tokyo
Posted By Dave on March 27th, 2009
Tune in Tokyo is a personal blog written by a pair of authors called Billy and Kaori. Should note that this site has an easily visible link so you can see who the authors are and make a connection with them. To quote from their site, “They’ve created this website to show their friends, family and anyone else who is interested what life is like in Tokyo from their perspective.” So let’s see what kind of a job they’ve done.
The dark colour scheme at the top of the page works well and the logo is simple, but functional. I do like the scrolling stories, although looking at the content on those stories it makes you think it might just be a collection of Youtube videos brought together from the web. That would be a little harsh, but it was my first thought.
As you scroll down the frontpage though, things do start to get a little sparse. There are two sidebars on this site (left and right) but only the left one is used, and only displays a small number of links. I’m not sure how long this site has been going, so it might still be in the production phase. If not though, then something really needs to go on the right hand sidebar. I’d personally consider moving the Recent Comments heading over there from the footer, along with the Tags section. Once again we see the Google Friend Connect (am starting to realise it must just be me with no friends and so no need for this!), but it’s part of the footer bar and so works much better in the site design than placing it as a bar that is constantly visible along the bottom.
The individual posts have the social networking site integration with simple and easy to identify icon links. The posts also have a “printer friendly” link at the top, which allows you to see the post only. It is quite a novel feature but I would question the need for this for most posts, and especially considering the layout (using Firefox 3) at the bottom of this printer friendly page where the social networking links are listed vertically.
The content is a mixed bunch. This is a personal thing, but I’m not a huge fan of posts pretty much comprising of a Youtube video only. There are some decent articles there (posts in the shopping category came to mind), but it can be a little hit and miss.
I do like this site, and I think it has a lot of potential to grow, (hopefully into the sidebars!) My main advice to the site would be, if you’re trying to show things from your perspective, then have a few more opinion pieces in there, with a few of your own pictures if possible. Personally taken photos, even if just taken on a mobile phone and posted up, add a lot to stories. But keep doing what you’re doing on the whole and get as much content up as you can. If you write it, they will come!
Check out Tune in Tokyo here: http://www.tune-in-tokyo.com
If you want your site reviewing here with no catches whatsoever, then leave a comment below or check out this post for full information.
Posted in Reviews
Blog Review: The Nihon Sun
Posted By Dave on March 27th, 2009
My first thought when the homepage of The Nihon Sun opened was “I like the layout of this page.” Functional, no distractions, clear fonts and very easy to read gives a very good impression and makes you want to look more. However, my second thought was “What is Google Friend Connect doing at the bottom of the page?” And this little bar appears at the bottom of every page. Now it maybe that I just don’t have any friends to connect with, but I’m not a fan of these things. It’s not too big a distraction, but I think if they are going to go anywhere on the site, it should be in the sidebar where you can scroll to or past it as you wish.
This is a personal online journal which has been online since October 2008. With personal sites like this I always think it is nice to have an author profile so you can feel a connection with the site and the webmaster. Unfortuately this site does not seem to have one readily available. There are some very nice photos on here, and from viewing the first few articles I thought this was just a photoblog, with a few supporting sentences around the pictures. That isn’t a bad thing, but can be a little deceptive. When I clicked on the article, “Traditional Japanese Attire or Publicity Stunt”, I was expecting a discussion of the topic rather than a picture and brief background of where it was taken. Not a huge negative though – it just depends on what you are expecting when you follow the links.
The resources and reading room contains some good information about visiting Japan, although some articles do seem to have a few too many links for my liking. Whereas I mentioned on my JapanSoc review the only social networking integration was with Twitter, this site supports Twitter, StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us and Digg.
My advice to this site would be to keep the layout as it’s really catchy in a day and age where people just seem to try to cram as much information as they can onto a frontpage, but move or lose the Friend Connect. Will probably keep checking back on this site over the next month or so and see how the content develops. Could turn into a nice little resource though.
Check out The Nihon Sun here: http://www.nihonsun.com
If you want your site reviewing here with no catches whatsoever, then leave a comment below or check out this post for full information.
Posted in Reviews
