Archive for the 'Boating and Aquatics' Category

July 18th, 2007

A Kona Hawaii Scuba Diver and Dive Operator Blabbers On - Blog Review

Well if this blog doesn’t make you want to up and get another hobby, I don’t know what will. This blog is called “A Kona Hawaii Scuba Diver Blabbers On” and while it sounds kind of rambly and not relevant to you, don’t let that keep you from looking. This blog is a nice little getaway to the island of Kailua-Kona if you can not get there yourself. Steve is the author of this blog and he is a Kona Scuba Instructor and Dive Charter operator. His blog is a little bit of ramblings of his experiences in both of these fields. If you have no interest in these fields, you will still want to have a look at some of the stunning photography he has listed on this site, you will feel like you are in Hawaii just from the site’s photos. His previous posts will give you an excellent example of that: “I found this unusual fish the other week…”, “Woke up at 4AM to a full moon over Hawaii this morning…”, “Woo hoo!! Oregon State University Beavers just win 2nd consecutive college world series!!”, “Wanna Dive’s New Dive boat is coming along”, “Hawaii’s otters have been migrating apparently”, “Been getting some rain lately” and so much more. In fact, the full moon post has an actual picture of the full moon he writes about. It is just breathtaking, as are the many other pictures but you have to go see them yourself.

Scuba Diving Kona Hawaii  Navigation on this site could not be simpler. The posts are centered down a background that is very Hawaiian. The main background is a pretty royal blue wavy pattern, and the centered background is a forest green with yellow text. There is a right navigation bar that includes a links menu, archive menu, links menu specific to the area of Kona, and a diving poll. There is also some advertising here, and I love the way Steve advertises. It is completely categorized into sections like Guide Books for example, so you almost can’t even tell it is advertising. He also has an animal of the day in the right nav bar which today, is a beautiful Argentine Grey Fox. And if you don’t quite yet feel the full Hawaiian jive, then you can check out the date and time stamp set in Kona time to give yourself a bit of setting. I really like the way he uses his voice in his writing as well, he signs off almost every post personally, for example – Later, Steve. So you get a true personal voice from this author and his experiences. I would not mind seeing more of an about page, though, the blog is so personal the entire blog almost functions as one in itself. The pictures are gorgeous, and relevant, and they are in just the right amount.

This blog will get a 4 from me, it is clearly doing well and my hat goes off to Steve’s longeivity. The blog has been around for years! I would suggest some more regular posting, as they are coming in about once weekly. Though it is clear this blogger is very busy, maybe just a dive tip of the day thrown in here and there would help. I also wouldn’t mind seeing a category menu which would also help bring in targetted technorati traffic more effectively. There are enough topics just from the posts on the main page that would allow for different categories, and it would organize the blog a little more. Otherwise, I think the blog is a fantastic one, and one of my favorite sporting blogs I have seen yet. I hope this blog does very well, so far it is on the right track.

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- Chrissie

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July 15th, 2007

Boating on Lake Winnebago - Fox River and Wolf River Wisconsin USA - Blog Review

If you have an interest in boating, you may want to stop in and take a look a unique blog  about Boating on Lake Winnebago, Fox River, and Wolf River Wisconsin, USA. The blog is written by Doug and Lisa who hail from Oshkosh, WI. These bloggers blog about their boating hobby and use the Lake Winnebago, Fox River, and Wolf River in the state of Wisconsin. They focus their blog on places to go in the area, things to do, safety and other boating topics. Their boat is named SeaRay Sundancer “Holiday” Port – Slip #2A. Take a look at any of their recent posts to get a true feel for their boating experiences: Tri-County Powerboat Alliance Brat Fry August 4, 2007; Only 5 of 300 washed their boat after lake Winnebago event; Tri-county Powerboat Alliance Annual Wolf River Cleanup; VHS Confirmed in Lake Winnebago; Questions and answers on Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS); Notice: Menasha Lock Closed as of May 12, 2007; and Menasha Lock to being opening for 2007 Boating Season May 11. As is immediately felt upon seeing this blog, bloggers Doug and Lisa really cater to the local crowds and provide them with the ins and outs of the boating life in Wisconsin.

Boating on Lake Winnebago Navigation on this site is very straightforward. Posts are left marginalized and there is a right sided navigation bar. In the navigation bar you will find a categories menu, and an archive menu. I really liked the archive menu. For the month of June the feature has been added that dates archived entries and provides a link to each post in the archives. There is a link to the profile listed as well here. Some features I would like to see in the right navigation bar would include more information in the profile page. For a blog as personal as this, the authors should put some additional information about themselves to give their blog a more personal voice. The categories feature however is very comprehensive and includes the categories Lake Winnebago information, Marine Safety, Local boating websites, Boating events, Marine technology, local boating destinations, lake Winnebago boating, Please help, Boating safely crossing big water on a small budget, and Wisconsin boating Wolf River.

I really enjoyed reading this blog and getting to know the niche a little more than I did. However I need to go with a 2.4 on this blog just because it is missing some vital information and not updated nearly enough. I would like to see more in the profile page, and I would like to see some more activity. The last post on this blog was in the middle of June and I think this being boating season would be an ideal time to keep this blog active. I also think some of the posts are a bit lengthy, and perhaps breaking them up over a few days would make the posts easier to read, and as well, add content for daily posting if the bloggers are having problems looking for topics. Overall however, the blog is a great blog for its niche, and very informative with relevant pictures and information. I think its readers, presumably fellow hobbyists, more than likely get a lot out of it.

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- Chrissie

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