Blog Reviews by Bloggeries » Cultural

Avi Greens blog Tel-Chai Nation – Review

chrissie — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:49:08 +0000

If you are looking to broaden your cultural scope on what is happening across the pond, you may want to have a look at Avi Green’s blog Tel-Chai Nation . The blog is authored by Avi Green and is a testament of ‘one proud Zionist resident on the state of the nation and abroad’. Avi was born in America in 1974 but moved to Israel in 1983 and writes about his strong belief in the public’s right to knowledge and accuracy in the facts on the nation he lives in. You can see what sparks his heart on these issues through his recent bloggeries: 9-11, Israel and America; Appeal in Al-Durah Case to take place today; 9/11: Never Forget; Dismantle the UN’s So-Called “Human Rights Council”; A Terrorists Disguised as Bin Laden?; Fatah Goons Beat up Students and Journalists; When does PC-ness Become Total Insanity?; Fascists in our Midst; and Pipe Bomb Boys had Bullets.

The blog is not going to score well on navigation as it stands right now. There are some serious formatting issues that have taken out the navigation systems and reformatted everything to the bottom of the page. Currently the blog is black text on white background and it is difficult to tell where one post ends or begins. The bottom of the page contains all of the material that is generally found in the navigation bars: About Page, Recent Posts Menu, Contact Information, Archives in a pull down menu format, and a variety of various pull down menus connecting you to other bloggers in the same niche. I currently don’t see any categories menu though I do note each bloggerie contains labels. Most bloggeries also contain a variety of relevant pictures which, if the blog was formatted properly would definitely add to the appeal in each post.

I am going with a 2.5 for this one, as the navigation and formatting issues make this a very difficult blog to read as it stands right now. This formatting affects the appearance of the blog so it really hurts the mark. Content is good and the writing is user friendly for the topic which makes the posts more appealing. The blog is definitely one in a unique niche that would appeal to a broad spectrum as well. I would also move some of the AdSense around once the formatting has been re-established as right now it seems to be a little distracting. Overall however, the blog needs to take care of these formatting issues if it wants to sustain its readership.

-Chrissie

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Paradise Philippines – Blog Review

chrissie — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 15:05:07 +0000

Here is another blog that will have you counting down the days to your next vacation, it is Paradise Philippines. This blog you will find to be an informational resource about the Pearl of the Orient of Asia known as the Republic of the Philippines. The blogger clearly shows the significance of the meaning of the word Paradise in terms of this native country by referring to the paradise of not only the beauty of the environment, but also of the people as well. The blogger is using Paradise Phililppines as a resource for places to visit or stay, information on schools and transportation, as well as dining and vacation get-aways information. The blogger hopes to show you the best of what the Philippines has to offer which you can see through any of the recent bloggeries: Travel to Cebu, Ilocos Norte, Philippine Fiesta, Philippine Travel Guide, Doing Business in the Philippines, Wowowee, Metro Manila Guide, Offshore Retirement – Philippines, and Online Marketing.

The site is very easy to navigate and contains a wealth of information and navigation systems that will make your stay in Paradise Philippines very pleasant. Bloggeries are black text on white background with links highlighted in blue. There is a very simple grey and black geometric print header that contains the blog title. You will find posts right marginalized with a left navigation bar, and you will also find a top navigation bar as well. In the top bar are the links to Home, About, Advertisements, Contact Us, Photo Gallery, Places of Interest, Services, and the Sitemap. In the left navigation system you find a Recent Posts Menu, Blogroll, Archives, and Categories Menu that contains everything on Philippine life that you will want to know. You will find links there to Business, Entertainment, Government, News, Recreation, Society, Events, and so much more.

I will go with a 3 for this blog but think with a few minor changes it could do very well. The blog scores well for navigation and uniqueness criteria but needs some work with content and appearance. I think the blog would benefit from some pictures associated with every post, just to add additional appeal to the bloggeries. The blog does have pictures on most posts from what I can tell, but the bloggeries are fairly lengthy and pictures would break up the blog posts a little bit more and sustain the readers interest for longer periods. The blog is currently updated at about a rate from every couple of days to every couple of weeks and could use some more frequent posting. A suggestion to combat this would be to break down the longer posts into smaller posts and spread them out over a few days. Overall however, this blog provides exactly what it intends to and would be an excellent resource for anyone researching the Philippines.

-Chrissie

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Italian Insights – Blog Review

chrissie — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:23:27 +0000

Have you ever been to Italy? Or are you one of those that has always wanted to but never really got the opportunity? If you take a minute to visit Italian Insight. You will come as close as you can to catching a fresh breath of Italian air without actually being there. David is your blogger and tour guide to all that is Italian on this website. He has recently moved back to the United States after having spent 20 years in Italy. He has worked and lived extensively all over Italy and his blog is designed to help you get the most out of any Italian experience you may have. This includes various aspects of vacationing and living in Italy from how to not be seen as a typical tourist to how to deal with security personnel. You can discover from David’s experiences all that Italy has to offer from food, wine, fashion, hotels, art, culture, and what he describes as the greatest people in the world. Have a look at some of his most recent bloggeries to see what I am talking about: Travel Tips – Medical Care while on Vacation in Italy, The Nights of San Lorenzo – Wine, Food, and Fireworks in the Squares of Italy, Barolo Ravera 2003 DOCG Elvio Cogno, Armani Prive – Women’s Fashion Fall Winter 2007 2008, Risotto with the flavor of Springtime – Risotto Primavera, Italian Garden Gnome Goes Missing – Save the Gnomes, and Fantini Club – Spa and Vacation Destinations to the Adriatic Riviera.

Navigation on this site is very straightforward and easily laid out. The posts are centralized with black posts on white background and there are both left and right navigation bars. In the left navigation bar you can find an archive pull-down menu where posts are sorted monthly, advertising, an Expats Italy Menu, and the Categories Menu. In the Categories Menu you will see how easily Italian information is sorted by Shopping, Fashion, Restaurants, Hotels, Recipes, Wine, and so much more. The right navigation system will give you the About Me page; advertising; Italian destinations, restaurants, cheese, and wine links; Blog Friends, book recommendations, and photo blog recommendations. Each posts is accompanied by relevant pictures that give a true feel for the Italian experience, and the blog is very appealing to read and look through.

This blog will get a 4.9/5 from me. I have no suggestions for this blogger, he seems to be doing an excellent job. The advertising is incorporated beautifully without being distracting. He also offers daily content that is excellently written and flows perfectly with his very easy navigation system. The blog is unique and appealing to the eye with all that it has to offer. I think this blog has excellent merits for both quality and quantity of his bloggeries, and would guess this blog will have continued success. If you are thinking about visiting Italy, or just want to know more about it, this blog comes highly recommended and is definitely one you want to bookmark.
-Chrissie

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Ireland from a Polish Perspective – Blog Review

chrissie — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 13:59:16 +0000

If you are looking for a bit of Irish politics or just some running commentary on life across the pond, take a look at MacKozer’s blog. Here you will find a look at Ireland from a Polish Perspective through MacKozer’s Irish Diary. MacKozer’s name is Krystian, but he is known in the blog world as MacKozer and his interests include Scotland, Ireland, Celtic culture, Archeology, and so much more. He is also a musician who plays the guitar and has very eclectic and well-rounded music tastes. But this is not just a random musicians blog’s on political rants. MacKozer also has a deep interest in archaeologist, specifically from the Iron Age in Poland, as well as interests in the Neolithic eras, Bronze Age, and early Medieval archeology. MacKozer’s writing is both intellectual and well rounded, and you can see this in any of his recent postings: 22 Years of Using Computers From 64KB to 1GM Ram, Irish Prisoners Overseas, Fall of the Kaczynski Coalition Government and New Elections in Poland – Expanding Subject Matter of My Blog, GAA at Croke Park, Konica Minolta A1 vs. Nokia N73 – Camera vs. Mobile Phone, and Exploitation.

You will find navigation on this blog very easy. Posts are left marginalized and there are two right navigation bars. Posts are standard black text on white background with a grayish border. The header contains a beautiful graphic background of what I presume is Irish Landscape that serves as a nice backdrop to the Ireland from a Polish Perspective header. There is a top navigation bar here that contains the Home Page to the blog, About Page, MacKozer’s CV, and a link to his photoblog. The left-sided navigation bar on the right contains a recent posts menu, blogroll, subscriptions options, and a healthy categories menu. The categories menu contains many Irish features such as Burren, Carlow, Clonmacnoise, Cork, Dublin, Ireland, Irish Creatures and so much more. The right sided navigation bar on the right contains the standard blog calendar and some AdSense banners.

I am going with a 4.5 for this one. This blog scores well on most features. The content is intellectually written and engaging to the reader, even if the reader does not have a prior interest. The appearance of the blog is very appealing, and most posts contain either relevant pictures associated or a youtube video, thus adding appeal to the already interesting content. Activity is excellent as well, with what appears to be regular and daily postings. The navigation on the blog is very easy, and the blog itself is unique in its niche. The niche itself is doing quite well as over the course of my review the blog went from 69 to 71 readers in the feed, so the blog has a noted successful following and readership. That alone gives credibility to the blog. A suggestion I would make is to take advantage of this readership by monetizing the blog a little more effectively. It may be worth considering making the double right bars into one on either side of the blog postings to make the AdSense a little more incorporated into the overall theme of the blog, as now it sort of seems a little off in left field. Another thought would be removing the block at the top of the first post. It loads so fast it’s often the first thing a reader sees; monetization is good but best when done subtly. Perhaps leave just a sponsored line and move the “Ads by Google” rectangle box to the bottom of the first post instead of top? One could also make the ad box taller if moved to the bottom of the first post as it’s not occupying precious space on the first fold. That being said, overall the blog is doing very well, and there is little I could offer to the author other than wishes for continued success.

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- Chrissie

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Correr es mi Destino – My Life in Canada Under the Snow – Review

chrissie — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 13:59:48 +0000

If you enjoy reading personal blogs, then here is another that you want to take some time out for. The blog is called Correr es mi Destino which translated to English means “To Run is my Destiny”. The blog is also known as “My Life in Canada Under the Snow” and, among other things, contains a series of revelations on the author’s experiences as an immigrant to Canada. Juliette, though the blogosphere knows her affectionately as Zhu (珠), is the author and creator of this blog and interspersed with her Canadian musings, writes about her travels and experiences across the globe. Zhu is French and currently living in Canada’s capital as a Permanent Resident though she has traveled literally across the globe. You can tell her fortitude simply by her occupation, Zhu works in Ottawa and teaches French to government workers, not an occupation for the weak minded. She writes on just about anything that crosses her mind, and beautifully at that. Grab your beverage of choice and peruse some of her recent Bloggeries: Games without Frontiers, Morning Glory, Fighting for What, Neigbor – ino, La Desperecida, The Wall, The World for Dummies, Of a Blog Award, Sicko (s), and The 416 Escape.

Navigation on this blog is very simple. Posts are centered down the page with black text on a light blue background. Each post also contains relevant pictures to each post and the blog is very easy to look at and to read. Down the left border is an eclectic collection of art work and in the right navigation bar you will see very easy to find buttons for FA, Who Am I (About Me), Reviews of her Blog (all glowing), and a button to get to the home page. The Right bar also contains her profile, a pull down menu for Recent Posts that she has called “Previously On”. I am not sure if there is supposed to be a typo with this menu title, but the blog is so tongue in cheek it fits with the theme perfectly. You will also find a categories menu (known as ‘Done That’) containing categories such as Canadian Life, en Francais (posts in French), Immigration, Just Bloggin’, On the Road, Society, Travel, Working Girl, and 中文..Other interesting features in the left navigation bar include a time and date button, weather widget for her location in Ottawa, Blog Roll known as ‘Daily Blog Shot’, her Flickr Album, and a map of her visitors locations.

I am going with a 4.5 for this one. Zhu’s Life in Canada scores beautifully on all aspects. The blog has a very friendly appearance with nothing to distract from the content. In fact the appearance is extremely creative in and of itself which makes the navigation system incredibly easy. There is no advertising, as this blogger is blogging strictly for the love. Judging by her very active following she is very successful at it as well. Uniqueness scores are high as well, though this is a personal blog the range of the content is excellent and truly offers the perspective that the writer wishes to. The content is easy to read, and though it is a bit tongue in cheek, it is easily taken with a grain of salt and excellently written. The author is very good at expressing herself and her experiences. A look at the Bloggerie “Neigbor – ino” is an excellent example of this as it explains how easy it is to sleep in quiet Canada. The only place where this blog is not perfect is in daily postings. Simply put, we want more of Zhu. If you enjoy personal blogs, or hearing about global experiences, you will want to bookmark this one.

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- Chrissie

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