Archives for November 2007

If you are looking for a good political blog to sink your teeth, and your opinions into, you may want to have a look at the Take a Stand Against Liberals blog. I do offer a reader advisory warning on this spot however, if you are looking for a clean blog without profanity, this may not be the one for you. The blog is politically motivated with a definite stance and strongly voiced opinions and as such, does contain some language for the over 18 crowd. This language is not pervasive on the blog and only comes up now and again, but nonetheless, due to this content, the advisory is issued. However, if you are the type that this does not bother, you will probably love this blog, particularly if you enjoy hearing strong opinions. The blog offers a fresh voice with the purpose of ‘screwing politically correct b.s.’ and offers in its header a quote by Ronald Reagan: “It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.” The blogger with this fresh voice is known as Jenn of the Jungle and hails from California. She offers in her profile information that the blog is entirely her own opinions and invites you to either disagree or otherwise while at the same time noting that death threats are not welcome. She disclaims that the blog is not endorsed by anyone, other than of course her dog Liberty who may be running for President I 2008. You will get a great taste for this blog in just the first few bloggeries you get to read: Be Vewy Qwiet, We’re Huntin’ Tewwowists; Lieberman Tells it like it is; Charges Dismissed; More Idiocy in Coloradistan; Par Tay Another Dead Terrorist!; I Love I.C.E.; and Winning Hearts and Minds.

You will find navigation on this blog very simple. The header sports a patriotic banner supporting the troops with a blinking banner that throws out slogans such as “We stand with Israel”, “Defeat Islamo Fascism”, “Islam is not a religion of Peace”, and “Infidel Blogger” among many more like minded quips. The blog is cleanly laid out with black text on white background with many colors through ads and banners adding some pizazz to the blog without overwhelming it with distraction. Bloggeries are left marginalized and there is a right navigation system that contains ads, About Me page, Last Posts menu, Archives going back to September 2005, Links and Awards (such as Best Political Blog), Email me Info, and Blog Widget Buttons. The only thing I do not see in the navigation system is a categories menu, though I do see labels attached to each post. Labels for this blog include the like of ‘Screw Terrorists’, ‘Illegal Immigration’, ‘Bill Clinton is a tool’, ‘Indoctrination Centers’, and ‘Muslims take over the World’ to name a few.

I am going to go ahead and give this blog a 4.5/5. There is little that I can offer in the way of improvement as this blog is clearly doing very well. This is noted through its hits counter of over 170k and its well established readership that offers a running commentary on every post. The blog is neatly laid out and easy to navigate though I would suggest a categories menu for the right navigation system. The appearance scores also do well with relevant pictures adding meaning to every post. Likewise, the content is fresh and unique and offers a crisply written style that I think would be an enjoyable read to anyone, regardless of what way they swing politically. The only other suggestion I would add for this blog is that it make a move to its own domain. The readership could clearly sustain it, and the blogger would be able to retain permanent ownership of the obviously unique writing style. This is a definite recommend from this reviewer and will definitely get a bookmark from me.

-Chrissie

If you are looking for another site or blog that can offer you additional insight on how to make your blog even better than it already is, then you may want to check out Blog Duck. This site is a blog that provides blogging tips and ideas and is geared towards helping people become better bloggers. You will find here ideas, articles, and information perfect for either the novice or the expert blogger. The owner, CEO, and webmaster of Blog Duck is Brian Alrdich, and he has been around the blogging block for awhile and can offer you some know-hows on what has and has not worked for him. An example of this would be in his anecdote on how using the likeness of Blog mogul John Chow backfired on him. While Brian has some contributing authors working for him at Blog Duck, you can still get a true sense for his personal voice, and his involvement at Blog Duck through any of the recent bloggeries: Is Your Blog Worth it?, When I Used to Think It Was OK to Use John Chow’s Likeness, Get Blog Rushed Already, A Quick Review of RevieWOW, Think and Don’t Drink and Blog, Why Being a Cow is Better Than Being a Chow, and When Hardware Held Me Back.

Blog Duck offers a clean design and layout making it very easy to navigate. Bloggeries are left marginalized and are black text on white background and links highlighted in blue. Though I have yet to understand the meaning of the duck theme, or the name of the blog, I think it’s cute and provides a unique feel to the blog. The header is in large bold lettering and includes a duck motif. Blog Duck contains two navigation systems, one in the right navigation bar, and a top navigation menu as well. In the top navigation menu you will find the Home link, About Blog Duck, Become an Author link, and a Contact Me section. In the right navigation system you find subscription buttons, a list of the 5 current blog authors that takes you to their own blogs or websites, a Categories Menu, Blogroll, Recent Readers widget, Recent Comments menu, and sponsors and ads. The categories menu is comprehensive and contains everything you would expect in a blog advice blog such as Alexa info, Google info, blogging, make money online, increase traffic, ideas, social bookmarks, reviews, speed linking, and many more.

I am going with a 4/5 on this one. I really enjoyed reading this blog and the blogger is definitely a credible source when it comes to advice and tips on blogging. I think the content has a unique personal voice that fellow bloggers will enjoy reading. The blog contains both sound advice with anecdotal speak so it is not only informative, but an enjoyable read. Blog Duck also scores well on navigation, appearance, and uniqueness criteria as all of these aspects make the blog a very easy read. My only complaint would be that there is not enough activity, and this is not to say I am complaining, but serves as a compliment to Blog Duck. The blog is well done, and would be much more successful with more frequent activity. This is the kind of blog that could retain a healthy readership, and would be more successful at that with more activity. Currently the last bloggery noted is October 19, and the bloggeries prior to that are coming in once every week or so. Simply put, we want more Blog Duck! The tips and advice are certainly well worth it.

-Chrissie

We are taking a look at another political blog, and this one is called Phronesisaical. This blog is about politics, philosophy, international affairs, and fruit. There are two main contributors to this blog, Helmut and Barba de Chiva. Helmut is a Professor of Philosophy and International Affairs and is located out of Washington D.C. Barba de Chiva is an English Professor writing out of Texas. Both of these bloggers offer a unique appeal and excellent writing as can be seen in any of their recent bloggeries: Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov at Columbia; Friday Dinner Party Conversation Stopper; Noncombatant Immunity, Blackwater, and the State Department; $1 Billion vs. $1.2 Trillion; Seas and Genes; Ian Hacking on Creationism; Brazil vs. Germany; La Franqueza; and William Faulkner.

The blog is fairly simple to navigate and offers a clean well-organized design. Bloggeries are left-marginalized and are black text on a light green background and links are highlighted in dark green. In the right navigation system you will find the contributors profile pages, ‘Phronesisaicality’ Menu, Bloggery Menu (perhaps a blog roll?), News and Commentary Menu, Magazines, Philosophy, Ethics, Policy, Policy Information and News, Development and Environment, Photography, Fruit Photography, mp3 Blogs, Miscellaneous, Previous Posts Menu, Archives going back to June 2005 and Blog Widgets. What I don’t see in blog navigation is a categories menu or labels attached to the posts, so I don’t think the blog is organized by category. I think this may help the blog given its healthy nature of topics and issues that it covers.

I will give this blog a 3.4/5. The blog is very well written and is updated almost daily, so it scores well for content and activity. I would suggest working with the length on some of the posts as they are currently very lengthy and can get difficult to read. I would either break these up into more frequent posts or perhaps adding pictures to each post to break up the length a little and make the reading go a little smoother. I also think the current location of the recent posts menu is not doing this menu any service. It is currently located at the very bottom of the right navigation system and would be very difficult to find if you didn’t spend a lot of time with the blog. I also think a deeper connection with the readership could be established if the contributors expanded on the purpose of the blog in the About Pages, or even define the term ‘Phronesisaical’ a little deeper. I don’t see any comments or hit counters, so I am not certain what the readership of the blog is. But I think this blog could reach a larger audience with these simple changes and I wish it the best of luck.

-Chrissie