Archives for July 2007

If you are a blogger, and I mean really, if you are reading this chances are good, then you definitely want to visit Blisslogs.  Blisslogs is a little place where you can pick up some blogging tips and learn from the author’s blogging experiences. It did not take me long to really like this blog, or in fact bookmark it. That being said, bloggers need to take note of this site if they want to improve, promote, or start their own blog. The author is all about helping to help you, and is even willing to provide you your own domain through blisslogs as well as some free blogging software. Further, he will not just help you build a blog, but help you work on monetizing that blog for a little extra side income. Have a look at any of his recent posts to see what I am talking about. Here you will find Goo Goo for Google Monday – Google Talk, BlissLogs is a Winner, Improve your Google PageRank in 4 Easy Steps, WordPress Wednesday – Timestamp your Posts, The Face Behind BlissLogs, Market and Analyze your Site for only $5, John Cow Contest, Blog Contests, Create your Blog Posts with a Free Editor, and many more.

One of the first things I noticed that I love about this blog is that within each post you will find a popularity ranking (of the post), a date and author stamp, tags, Digg and Email links, and then a section on Related Posts. I think the popularity rating is a great tool for both the reader and the author in terms of knowing what to write about. It also helps the reader determine the success of a particular post. I also like the Related Posts links. I find this really increases the readability of the blog, so that users spend less time on a blog searching for what they want to read about. I do not see this often on blogs, so needless to say, I was impressed.

Navigation on this site is so easy, it will not take you long to find what you are looking for. Posts are left marginalized with black text on white background. There is a top, right, and bottom navigation bar. In the top bar you can hit the Home link, read the About Me page, and Contact the author. In the right navigation bar you will find a Most Popular Posts Menu, Categories Menu, Recent Posts Menu, Archives, and the Blogroll. In the bottom navigation system you will find very similar menus, recent posts, archives, and etc. I am not seeing any advertising on the blog, so I am not too sure if this one is being monetized, or is one that is ‘all about the love’ of blogging.

I am going with a 5 for this one, which comes rare but deserved. The fact that I spent more time wandering and reading and bookmarking and taking notes (for my own blog) than reviewing was a pretty powerful indication to me that this blog is worth a subscription and bookmark for any blogger. The blog is chock full of information. The content is spectacularly written and extremely user friendly. And the blogger is really all about helping you succeed, you can’t ask for much better. On all accounts of activity, uniqueness, content, navigation, and appearance, it scores beautifully. The only suggestion I would make is the addition of some pictures here and there. I say this because I know what Internet readers are like, and visual is important and ties in well with good content. But as I have already mentioned, the content is fantastic, and the blog is extremely readable and very user friendly. You really need to check it out for yourself.

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– Chrissie

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If you are looking for another source of information to meet your online dating needs, you may want to check out E-Chat Host . This is a blog dedicated to online dating tips as well as the latest news and reviews in the world of online dating. There is little to say about the author as this blog does not contain an about me page, but you can guage the effectiveness of the tips yourself by having a look at some of the recent posts: Masterseek – New Business Search Engine, Mommy Makeover, Earn for Blogging, Kissing tips for First Timers, and 46 Facts about Women. Some of the tips are tongue in cheek, no pun intended, so take them with a grain of salt. And if there is something missing here that you would like to see in the world of online dating, the author does have a section where you can ask questions.

Before I say much about navigation, I should mention this is another site best viewed with Mozilla Firefox as opposed to Internet Explorer. You will see some funky formatting through IE that is not there through Firefox. The posts themselves are left marginalized and the blog contains two right navigation bars. Posts are standard black text on white background, and they do come with relevant pictures, but I am wondering if the pictures are ad content. The right navigation bar contains a menu for latest articles or recent posts, but it is empty, and though I see recent posts, I am not too sure why that hasn’t been updated. The navigation bars also contain a list of other dating sites, advertising upon advertising, a links list, and if you scroll right to the bottom you will find a very perfunctory about me page. The archive menu is found in the right navigation bars as well. Here you will find 81 posts through all of 2007. I do notice the frequency of activity picking up however with currently what appears to be very close to daily posting.

This site is getting a 2.1 from me, far too busy with the advertising. If the site was proficient in other areas, the advertising would not take away from the overall review as much. In fact, there seems to be more advertising than content which definitely takes from the appeal of the blog. The content also seems to be lacking originality as almost every site has the source listed for it, so I am not sure if the blogger is actually even blogging, or simply passing on information from other sources. The about me page also is practically nonexistent other than stating there in fact IS an about me page. Also, the obvious issue with the latest article menu can not go unnoticed. Again, for things like this it is better to put nothing at all rather than advertise a lack of content. I am not an online dater, but if I ever were one, I certainly wouldn’t remember this site unless some serious changes had been made to it.

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– Chrissie

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If you are a girl blogger, you may want to have a look at this site: ChickTech. This site is a technology blog from a woman’s perspective, and it covers topics such as women-oriented tech products, techn news, building websites and blogs, and other tips that will teach you how to make money online. The site was launched in April this year by Jennifer Mattern who is an online business owner, freelance writer, and a former Technology Editor. Added to this site is a wealth of information that Jennifer offers for her radio talk show – Chick Tech Talk. So you can not only get information for chicks via the blog, but also get news on her talk show, or find out how to become a regular listener. If you are new to blogging or marketing online, you will find a lot of useful information in any of her recent posts: How to Become a Professional Blogger – Listen Live July 18th, More Easy to Use Blog headline templates, Chick Tech Talk cancelled for this week, 7 More Easy to Use Blog Headline Templates, 11 Easy to Use Blog Headline Templates, Writing and Marketing E-Books with Dee Power, Good News on the Scraper Front, Run an Online Magazine with WordPress, and Best Non-Blog/Magazine Style WordPress Themes.

The site is updated fairly regularly and its navigation and appearance are straightforward in standard blog format. There are both a left and right navigation bar with posts centered down the page. There is also a noted, but not overwhelming pink element to the blog which adds to the appeal of the marketed niche. In the left navigation bar you will find archives menu and the categories menu. The categories you will find there are Best Woman Webmaster Nominees, Blogging, Blogroll, Chick Tech Talk, Chick Tech Blog, Content Creation, Creating Websites, Internet Marketing, Interviews, Jenn’s Whims, Link Building, Making Money Online, Resources, Tech Gadgets, Tech News, and so much more. In the right navigation bar you will find the standard blog calendar and the meta links for the blog.

I am giving this one a 3.5, though, even though it is a clean and well written blog, there are some elements missing that I like to see. The blog is fairly new, so it is hard to determine what the readership is, although it does have a following of some sorts as witnessed by a smattering of comments. I would like to see more pictures included in the blog, just to spice up the main page a little more. There are a few there now, but for all intents and purposes it has the appearance of standard text blog. I also don’t see a recent posts menu, which would be invaluable to the readership if they are looking for something specific. The only other thing I noticed was that the About page sort of marketed this is having some gadget/tech information for women, and the site primarily strikes me as an Internet Marketing blog. Currently there are only 3 posts over the course of its blog life that offer technology/gadget related information. So I wouldn’t mind seeing some more content to that respect. Otherwise however, I think this blog is doing well in its youth, the appearance, navigation, and uniqueness of the blog will certainly ensure it stands out amongst others. The content as well is very well written and user-friendly for the technology challenged woman. I think this concept is a great idea, and with some growth I think this blog has a good enough niche that it will do very well.

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– Chrissie

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