Blog Reviews by Bloggeries

Well even though summer is over, it is never too late to start planning that next vacation, particularly when you add a brew of children to the mix. If you have ever wondered how to plan that perfect family vacation, you may want to check out the Vacationing with Kids blog. Here you will meet Joanne, the author of this blog, who loves to travel with her family but notes that traveling with children presents its own set of challenges. The blog discusses affordable family vacation spots, how to deal with it when one of the brew gets ill, vacation safety, and much more. The blog also has a very personal tone to it so you will get to know Joanne and her family a little bit more, even when they are not in vacation mode. To get some new vacation ideas, check out any of Joanne’s recent bloggeries: Pot Luck, School, Wild Girls, Slumber Party Time, Busy Times, Summer’s Almost Over Bash, My Feet!, Our Pool, Fun Inexpenseive Outings, Almost School Time, and Going to School.

The blog is very easy to navigate, bloggeries are right marginalized and there is a very handy left navigation system. Posts are black text on grayish blue background and links are highlighted in orange. In the left navigation system you will find the about page, family blog link, subscription links, archives going back to November 2006, links menu, business links menu, recommended reading and an extensive categories menu. The categories menu contains all sorts of great vacation ideas such as Affordable Vacations, Disney Planning, Family Vacation Ideas, Food for Vacation, Horseback Riding Fun, MUST HAVE TIPS, Sick Kids on Vacation, Ski Vacation Fun, and Vacation Safety. I don’t see any pictures associated with the bloggeries, and it would be my first recommendation. Otherwise however you will find navigation extremely simple with this blog.

I will go with a 3/5 for this blog. I think the blog needs some ‘oomph’ when it comes to appearance issues. For a vacation blog I think pictures would really appeal to the readership and give more voice to the places Joanne writes about. I also think the AdSense should be incorporated a little differently as seeing it in the middle of some posts is extremely distracting. The blog scores well on content however, the true personal voice to the writing style is definitely appealing in this kind of blog. I also think the niche is unique enough to appeal to a wide demographic – parents! Activity scores are a little low with posts coming in every few days to a week in between, and this blog may fare a little better if it had some new content on a regular basis.

-Chrissie

Bloggeries is going to now review a personal blog that is called Blogging Away in Sosualand (FANTASYLand). The author of this blog is known as Escott, and you can find his blog at . Blogger Escott is retired from the real estate business in the United States and is currently enjoying his retirement by the beach on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic in Sosua. His blog discusses real estate, investing, culture, adjusting to it, travel, and women. In his spare time during his retirement, he opened a restaurant and bar. The description of his blog is that of “wild times of an American living, investing, and playing a third world country where the electric sometimes works, the women are hot, and there is money to be made!”. You can get to know Escott and the Dominican a little bit better through any of his recent bloggeries: Herbert and my favorite sister in Cabrera, My favorite Sister, Cleaning up my computer, Where the River meets the Ocean,  Dominican Style Sunday at the River with the sisters and family, and My New Digs and My New Neighbors.

You will find navigation on Escott’s blog very simple. Bloggeries are right marginalized with posts being blue text on a gray background on one of the blogspot themes. There is a left navigation system that contains some AdSense, an “Areas of the DR that I Love” menu, archives menu with recent posts containing direct links, and links to other aread that Escott is involved with. Each post also contains a myriad of relevant pictures that add to the element of the personal voice in the blog. The blog is very obviously a personal one, and the blogger connects with his readers by adding pictoral representations of every aspect of his life. The reader also has the opportunity to get to know the blogger well through the diverse topic range included in the blog. I don’t see a categories menu in the blog, and given the wide range of topics it includes, it may benefit from one.

I will go with a 3.3/5 on this blog. The blog scores average marks on just about every count. There is nothing wrong with the blog per se, but a few tweaks here and there may make the difference between an average and a great personal blog. The first suggestion would be that the AdSense at the top of the left navigation system be moved a little farther down as the advertising tends to distract from the meat of the blog. Appearance scores are average and the blog does well in the uniqueness category. Activity could use some work as currently the blogging is not very frequent and right now ranges from every couple of days to a week or two in between postings. I also think the content is well done and offers and excellent personal voice to the blog, but there seems to be an excessive use of exclamation points. Overall however, I think this is a fun personal blog that if nothing else, made me want to take a vacation!

- Chrissie

Today we are going to look at a personal blog that chronicles the life of a Canadian student studying in South Korea. Have a look at Almost Urban: Canadian Student Living in South Korea at where you will not only get to meet Henry Finn, but learn a little bit about South Korean culture as you read his personal blog. Henry Finn is a third-year or junior student from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada who majors in economics and minors in East Asian studies. He is currently on exchange with Soon Chun Hyang University in Asan, South Korea. Henry intends on not just blogging about his experiences, but will be publishing his blog through Blurb to make a book that chronicles his life as an exchange student. Henry’s blog contains a little bit of everything, and you can get a true taste for his experiences from some of the most recent bloggeries: City Hall Hip-Hop/Pop Concert in Seoul Video Collection, McDonald’s McCafe Drinks Menu in Hong Kong, Myanmar Embassy in Seoul, Hotel Reservations Online, TVNGEL Girls on the KTX High Speed Train, Haeundae Beach in Pusan, Night out in Pusan, Short Trip to Daegu, English Paradise Camp Talent Show Finalists, and Car Angel Christian Charity.

You will find navigation on this blog very simple. Posts are left marginalized with black text on white background and links highlighted in a bright blue color. Many of the bloggeries come with relevant pictures appropriate to the post. In the right navigation bar you will find Henry Finn’s profile page, subscription links, an About Page, Recent Posts Menu, and various menus for travel or favorite links. You will also find archives dating back to when Henry first became an exchange student in June 2006, as well as a blidget for one of his companion blogs the Hallyu Technology Blog that contains quality Korean technology news. I did not see a categories menu in this blog, though I do note there are some labels attached to each post.

I will give this blog a 3.4/5 It is a fairly straightforward personal blog, but it could use some readership. I think the niche is interesting enough that it could attract a healthy following which would enhance its chances of publication if it went into a book. The navigation and appearance scores are standard which is typical for a personal journal style blog. The content was well written and would get additional points if the posting was done on a daily basis. Overall I found this to be a very interesting read and think others will as well. I think discovering those little things about other cultures are just fascinating and I know I am not alone in that thought process. I definitely give this blog a thumbs up to anyone that is considering a trip to South Korea.

-Chrissie