Bloggeries Blog

If you are looking for another resource to get some tips on marketing your blog, you may want to check out the For All Your Blogs blog, a blog on blog marketing and resources you need to get your blog the traffic it deserves. I have to say, I have run across several blog marketing blogs and for a topic with a potential to get dry, this blog really gives you some new insights in a user-friendly credible manner. If you want to check it out, For All Your Blogs. To get an idea on the tips you will find here, check out any of their recent bloggeries: Backlinks-Text Link Publishing, Directory Submitter-Free Directory Software, The Free Site-Free Blog Services, Link2Me-Free Link Exchange Directory, Search Engine Myths Exposed, Adsense Revenue Sharing – List, and Blogoria Free Networking Tool.

The blog is only a few months old, but this is not easy to discover at first, which is interesting considering most new blogs are fairly obvious. The blog has a clean template and is nicely laid out which makes navigation very easy. Bloggeries are right marginalized and there is a left navigation bar. In the left navigation bar you will find a Vote for my Blog Widget, Advertising, a Recent Posts Menu for archived Posts with clickable links, Feedjit widget indicating blog post popularity, recommended reading, Link Partners, Traffic Generators, Blog Directories, Link List Information, Free Advertising Information, a Tag Cloud, and an Archive Menu. My first suggestion regarding navigation would be that some of the navigation menu be cleaned up a little. Perhaps the blogger could condense the formatting in the Recent Posts menu so that it does not simply look like a long list of links, though I do like the idea of a Recent Posts menu with clickable links for Archived Posts. I also think some of the link menus could be served better if they were condensed into one menu. For example condensing traffic links into one menu, directories into one menu and so forth. Right now this navigation bar simply looks like a long list of links and it could use some reformatting. I also suggest the Archives Menu be moved up the navigation bar closer to the top so readers can see it. At its current location at the bottom of the bar some readers may miss it. I also do not see a Categories Menu here, and I think the blogger could use this to organize posts better for their readers.

Overall I go with 2.4  for this blog. I really enjoyed reading this blog but think a little cleanup is necessary both for appearance, activity and navigation scores. That navigation bar really needs some work, but the content within it is very good for the niche of the blog. The content of the blog is well done, and in a user-friendly personal voice that gives credibility to the advice the blogger is giving. The activity is ranging from every few days to a few weeks in between, and I think if the blogger was able to focus on daily content they may be able to generate a more solid readership. Overall however, I think this blog has quite a bit of useful information at an early start, and this information is delivered very well also. If this blog continues on this path it should serve its demographic very well.

-Chrissie

Bloggeries is going to look at a personal Sandro photo blog. This blog is being used by 20 year old Sandro to showcase his work, talent, and passion for the field of photography. You can find a wide range of photography on this blog including cars, landscapes, portraits, and a number of creative expressions through the use of photography. Sandro uses 3 different cameras for his work, all Canon products, which you can find more about on his About page. Sandro does not just take photos, he writes about them as well, and has an interest in the field. His blog contains displays of his work, reviews of photography products, and even profiles of well known artists. If you would like to see some of Sandro’s photographic creations, and read about his interest, check out some of his most recent bloggeries: Smart Car, Canon EOS 450 D/Rebel Xsi, Trams in Budapest, Edward Steichen, Yousef Karsh, Bicycle, International Airports, and my personal favorite, Geometry.

Navigation on the blog is very simple. Bloggeries are right marginalized and there is a left navigation bar that starts off as one navigation system, and is divided into two navigation bars towards the bottom of the blog page. Bloggeries are in black text on white background and headlines are highlighted in blue. The overall appearance of the blog is very simple and clean, and this lends the reader to focus more on the artistry in the pictures rather than the blog template. In the left navigation system there is a bridal photo which serves as a blog header with the headline “My Photo Blog”. Also in this left bar you will find AdSense, and Sandro’s portfolio which includes Cars, Conceptual, Landscapes, Portraits, and Slideshow. The navigation bar then includes a box of random photos and a tag cloud before it divides into the two navigation systems. In the left navigation system at the bottom, you will find the Archives Menu, Categories Menu, and Copyright information. Categories for this blog include events, Famous Photographers, News, Personal Journal, Photo Stories, Published Photos, Reviews, and an Uncategorized section. In the Right navigation bar you will find an Inside Menu that will take you to pages of photos with categories such as cars, portraits, and the like. You will also find here the About page, blog Meta info, and Feeds information if you would like to subscribe to the feed.

I give this blog a 4/5, as it is very well done and scores well on all accounts. As mentioned, the appearance of the blog is clean and attractive and nicely laid out for the reader. Navigation is done well also, with an organized template that allows the reader to go exactly where they want to go. The only suggestion I would make at this point is perhaps a Recent Posts menu so the reader can see what activity has been recent in the blog. There are however no navigation issues on this blog as it is very well organized. The blog scores well for content also, each bloggery is written with a strong personal voice that shows the passion Sandro has for his art, and this adds meaning to each of the pictures he displays for his reader. Activity is the only area where I would suggest some changes for Sandro as currently there is no clear consistency with activity. I am seeing bloggeries coming in every other day or with a few weeks in between. If he would like more traffic and a consistent readership, regular posting would serve him well. As this blog grows, I think Sandro will do very well with it, as it is a beautiful portfolio of some very good talent and give him the audience he clearly deserves.

-Chrissie

Bloggeries is going to look at another money making blog today, and this one is called Minty Money – Online Money Making Help Source. The blog does not have an author profile or about page, but it does appear to be a money making blog. The blogger uses standard money making services to make money on the Internet, and offers information and advice on these services. You can get a feel for how this blogger makes money on the Internet by reviewing any of his recent bloggeries: Website Name and Feed Changed, Referral News, Use MyBlogLog, Please Don’t Blog, and The Clickbot Fraud.

The blog is fairly young so there is really not much to it at this point. This normally makes it somewhat easy to navigate, but the blog does have some navigation concerns. Currently the formatting is set for only one post at a time appearing on the main page, and I do suggest the blogger change this setting to allow for a more blog-like look with at least a few more bloggeries on the page. If readers are looking for older posts, it will take them a long time to do so, and they will not likely stick around to keep clicking until they find them. The other navigation concern right now is that the Home link in the Header navigation bar does not work. It clicks back to the former website for the blogger with a ‘Page Not Found’ error. The blogger definitely wants to fix this as unworkable links are never good for the success of a website.

Bloggeries are left marginalized and are in black text on white background with links highlighted in blue. There is a right navigation system that contains subscription information, Content List (Archives Menu), Recent Posts Menu, and a menu for step-by-step signups for services such as Feedburner, Gmail, and blogroll. There is currently no categories menu which I attribute to the youth of the blog, but there are labels attached to posts. Currently labels look like ‘Feed Address Changed’ or ‘Website name changed’ and I recommend the blogger change these labels to searchable terms that the search engines would pick up. I also recommend the blogger add an About page or profile as this will enable the readers to connect purpose and vision to his blog a little bit better. Again, due to the youth of the blog, it is a little difficult to get a real grasp on what the blogger is looking for.

This blog definitely needs some growth and some work, and thus I am going with a 2/5 at this point. The blog does well for content and appearance, and at this point these seem to be its saving graces as the rest of the blog needs some cleaning up. There have been some issues the blogger needs to work on already discussed, so I would suggest the blogger start there. I also think if the blogger updates a little more frequently than he may see some additional traffic as well. Overall, I think this blog has a great running start, and with some advice out of a review, it may be just what the blogger needs to get his site rolling with some good readership.