It is always fun to have a look at what other towns are doing and how their cultures are as unique as the individuals that contain them. The blog located at is worthy of a look for just this purpose. This blog is called Exit 153 Holdingford Today and is written by one of the town’s councilmen Mike Odden. The blog posts updates and activities, news, events, and happenings in and around the town of Holdingford, MN. A look at any of the recent bloggeries will give you a good feel for the little Holdingford, with the most recent post a greeting from the New Emergency Siren in town. The blogger has attached a sound clip that most resembles this siren, and it adds a unique effect to the blog. Other bloggeries you will find interesting are The New Water Fountain, Holdingford Express Region 8C Champion, New Skateboarding Park, Lioness New Park Project, and the Francis Schroden in the National Leadership Conference of Business Professionals of America.
The blog is very easy to navigate and opens up to an unconventional white text on black background which really makes the pictures it offers stand out to the readers. Posts are left marginalized with a right navigation bar. In the right navigation bar you will find the Profile page, archives menu with recent posts available by links, blogroll, AdSense, and a categories menu. If there is something specific you are looking for in regards to Holdingford, you may find it in any of the comprehensive categories offered here: Business, City Project, Education, Event, Fireman, HIP, History, Petals to Pedals Garden Club, and so much more. You will also find that each bloggerie contains relevant pictures attached that add dimension to the blog as well as to the town it features.
I will give this blog a 2.5/5 overall and think with a few tweaks it could really make a presence for its town. The blog does well with appearance and uniqueness scores even given its choice of backgrounds. Sometimes the black background does not work in blogs but here I think it allows for the pictures to stand out and give meaning to the blog. I think if the blogger added the siren to the header, or somewhere as a main facet of the blog instead of simply in one post that it would be a unique addition to the blog. This is just a fun suggestion to add some depth to the blog, and the lack of the siren’s placement on a main section of the blog does not hinder the overall mark in any way. I think this blog loses most of its marks through content, and only because the blog only covers about 1/3 of each month at this point. I think the blogger could add a fun weekly headline, or perhaps a funny citizen story weekly, or even engage the town to submit their own headlines to add content to this blog. For appearance I would also suggest the blogger move the AdSense at the top of the right navigation bar to further down so that the blog ‘meat’ is the first thing the reader views as opposed to advertising. I do like however how effectively the AdSense has been formatted to blend with the background. Overall, I found this to be an interesting read, and I think if promoted well within the town, the blog could sustain a fun and engaged readership.
-Chrissie