chrissie

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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If you are one of those funky fashionistas that would rather wear something unique and distinct, you may want to check out Cluny Grey’s Jewelry Blog. Cluny is a former instructor of college English and Humanities and has turned into a jewelry designer. Her blog is about designing and creating one of a kind pieces and on the blog she offers her other sites where you can see more of her jewelry featured. Get a taste for some of her distinct art in jewelry from some of her recent posts which include A little Lapis; A preview of the New Fall Colors; Rubies: Divinely Decadent; In the Pink…Drusies Too!; Coral, coral, and a new computer!; Sapphire and computer woes!; What’s New? Gold, Bangles, Ankles, and Coral; Earrings: Neglected but necessary; Emeralds: The May Birthstone; and Swarovski, Charoite, and Coral Earrings.

This is not the easiest blog that I have had to navigate. Posts are left marginalized with a right navigation system. The appearance is a black background with light green text for posts which, I will admit, is not the easiest on the eyes. I understand this look is to make the pictures stand out a little more, and the effect is noticed, but it makes for difficult reading. The right navigation system has the about me page, blog roll, and a host of ads. I also notice each post has quite a few tags attached, but I do not see a categories menu so I would suggest sorting the tags into categories to make navigation go easier. The links menu also needs some work as there is an “edit-me” link that is not meant for readers that should be removed.

I will go with a 3 here with highest marks going towards content. Though even here some posts are as much as a week apart and regular viewings or featured weekly pieces may add to the activity. I really do not like the black background, I have seen blogs where the black really works, but here it is really just making the ads jump off the page which is distracting from the content. I would suggest making the text white if this background does stay, and using AdSense tools to blend in the ads a little bit with the black background. Overall however, the content is well written, and judging by comments the blog definitely has a following, so I would suggest these formatting changes to perhaps make the blog more appealing to a wider range of readers, and consequently, jewelry market.

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– Chrissie

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If you are looking for a place where you can buy not only unique items, but those that are discounted, you may want to check out Mable’s Shopping Blog. This blog is not just another shopping blog as it offers not only coupons and discounted products, but it also contains a few fun and unique products that you might not find anywhere else. The site then links back to a store where Mable carries a host of items that are extremely unique such as retro and vintage, unique gifts, unique purses, and world of fun. The blog itself also offers many examples of the unique variety of items that Mable is showcasing. You can see this in any of her recent posts: Contest – How I (Wish I) Spent my Summer Vacation, Award Winning Toys, IM IN UR (noun) (verb) ING UR (second noun), Men’s Sunglasses by Dragon, Indoor Clotheslines, 10% off Gus Design Modern Furnishings, and Happy Summer: Get Outside and Stay Cool.

Navigation on the sites is fairly straightforward. If you are looking for something specific from Mable, you will definitely be able to find it here. The site is very colorful with black text on white background and there is a lot of color variations within the text. Posts are left marginalized with a right sided navigation bar. The navigation bar includes a welcome note, archives menu, a space for advertising if you are interested, blogroll, and some banners if you wish to link to her. It also contains a categories menu that is pretty comprehensive for a shopping blog and here you will find clothing and accessories, contests, fun, gadgets, green living, Halloween, holiday green gift guide, all kinds of splurge items, retro items, collectibles, and so many more.

I like the twist this blog has in comparison with other shopping blogs. I enjoyed how the blog offers eco friendly and green items, and how it incorporates contests into the blog. I think the appearance and its bright colors can be toned down, only a smidge though. Activity scores pretty well with posts every couple of days. There hasn’t been activity for almost 2 wks at the time of review, but that is not indicative of standard activity (perhaps a vacation?). I think the content is well written and fun as well and does not just advertise products but also makes lighthearted comments about them as seen in the post on Luxury Remote Control Pool Fun. I also like to see a recent posts menu on blogs, and that was the only thing missing from the navigation marks here. Otherwise, I think this is a fun shopping blog that has a lot to offer but just requires a little tweaking. This one gets a 3.3 from me.

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– Chrissie

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