Blog Review Blog

A little bit back

2007-10-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

Dear visitors,

I know I have been away for quite some time now.
This has a number of reasons, with which I will not bore. Suffice to say that Had to take care of many things lately. Also, I must admit, I have been working on some new projects that cost some time. For example, I have set up a website about university rankings.

I hope to return to the work on the Blog Review Blog, at least to write some reviews for blogs that requested their reviews before I went away.

So do not fall into despair, I will be back here :)

Adios for a moment

2007-07-02T07:01:00.000-07:00

Dear visitors, and especially dear people waiting for a review:

I am sorry (for you, not for me :-) to annouce that I will be on a holiday for a couple of weeks starting today. I will return to the blogosphere halfwway in august. Up till then, I'll be traveling the world, more specifically the Central America's.

Now, I realise that I promissed quite some people to write a reiew about their blog, and I will. It'll just have to wait till I can get back to work on it.

For now, the following blogs are squedueled for review:

For All Your Blogs
Rate My Blog
Strat-O-Blogster
Byoungjoon
Free Stuff finder
Agloco-philipinas
Free movie only

Review: All about Cairo

2007-06-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

And now for something altogether different: a blog about Cairo, the Egyptian Capital, or al-Qāhirah as it is called in Arabic (or so I’ve been told). The Cairo page has very in-depth stories about the city, its politics, its traffic, its people and its customs. Although this page does not have a hot design, the page is certainly very worthwhile if you want to visit Egypt, and even more if you go to Egypt or Cairo for some other purpose than tourism. I had a good time reading the articles, especially because I spent some time in Mexico City, and some things Lady (the author) writes about are very recognizable for any huge city (Cairo has over 15 million inhabitants in its metro-area). I reward the All about Cairo page with 74 Bricks, which builds it a Triumphal Arch, with the promise that when the design is improved, a Memorial Pyramid is in reach, something the owner of a page with this topic should be looking forward too :-)
Looks and functionality (9 Bricks)
One thing is for sure, when visiting this page there is not going to be confusion about the topic of the page. First of all it is called All About Cairo, which is quite clear I think. Also the subject line under the title says this, so no confusion there.
I once again think that it would be good to use some descriptive graphic in the title bar. For example some small picture from something Cairo-ish (but not the Egyptian pyramids of course).
Secondly, I read in the very first post of the page (dating from April 2007), a very nice introduction to Cairo for people who only think about pyramids and sphinxes when thinking of Egypt. I would recommend to place a link in the top of the side bar saying something like Introduction. This link would just lead to the specific page Blogger made for this introduction post.

Content (55 Bricks)
The content on this blog is very valuable for anyone thinking about going to Cairo or Egypt. The good thing is that the bog is written by someone who lives in the city daily, so it is a very good introduction to the city, with information and insights that would be difficult to find without this All About Cairo page.
Furthermore, the entries are written very well, and Lady does not only give us information about Cairo, but also his educated opinion about many things going on in that city. Combined with nicely critical post about for example the service level in shops or the lack of proper toilet paper, this website is a delight to read for me, even if I am not going to visit the city any time soon.
The articles are also highly original, as the author writes about his thoughts, what he sees in the city, and about things that are in the news and his opinion about this.
All about Cairo is updated about every three or four days, although there were much less posts written in May.

Extras (9 Bricks)
All about Cairo offers a couple nice extras, such as news-roll with relevant news about Egypt. Also on the site is collection of Youtube music videos with the nice headline “listen to some nice music while you read….”

Review: Construction Lawyer

2007-06-26T21:27:00.001-07:00

Okay, high time for another Blog Review Blog!

Today I will look at sometime quite special again, a blog about a construction lawyer. About a what? A construction lawyer, that’s right.
The author of this page, Randy Birch, writes about practical tips and conclusions on legal cases that have something to do with construction law in Utah, the United States.
His website offers some very interesting topics for if you have construction related legal problems. Randy shows his visitors that he is an expert on the topic. The page does not look very interesting, but the content is once again King. This page could use some personal touches, and the articles could be written a bit more lively (yes, I know this site is about a juridical topic). I reward it with 57 Bricks, which builds it a virtual memorial Obelisk, which comes with a complementary base-stone for digital stability :-)

Looks and functionality (8 Bricks)
The Construction lawyer blog does not have a very special design, this is clearly not where Mr. Birch’s expertise can be found. On the other hand, this design does work, it is clear and the posts can be found easily through the sidebar. I like the quiet blue design of the page, it gives a professional outlook. Maybe it would be nice to design some sort of logo for the page. I am thinking about a balance with a shovel on the one hand and a house on the other hand, as an on topic theme. But any illustration having to do something with the topic of construction lawyer would be fine.

Content (45 Bricks) As with many specialized blogs, the content is where the whole Construction Lawyer thing comes together. This page is clearly authored by an expert who knows what he is talking about. I never had any construction law related problem, let alone in Utah, but if I would have, this would be one of the sites I would want to visit. The posts are written well and offer useful information.
Something that might be interesting as an improvement might be to add some personal touch to some of the posts. Now the entries are very factual, and only about construction law itself. It might be interesting to read a few more articles about Randy’s views on his business.
The blog is updated with a certain regularity, but not very frequent, about once evry one or two weeks. The entries, however, are quite in-depth, and for people interested in construction law this is a good place to go to.

Extras (3 Bricks)
The Construction Lawyer page by Randy Birch does not offer any extras, except for a nice personal biography about his career and other occupations.

Review: The Breathe Enterprise

2007-06-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

The Breathe Enterprise has nothing to do with something so mundane a company or an enterpirse. This is the place of an artist, full of creativity! Breathe writes texts so beautiful that it doesn’t matter that the blog doesn’t look very interesting. It are the inspirational texts for which visitors will return to this page over and over again.
Regardless of its obvious flaws, this blog receives 69 Brick from me, for which it receives a Triumphal Arch, which are running into short supplies at my end Blog Review Blog :-)
Looks and functionality (6 Bricks)
This is a simple blog, with posts that can be accessed through the sidebar or just by scrolling down, which works clear and simple.
The design of The Breate Enterprise is also rather simple, and a lot less creative than the content. I don’t know what this blogger template is called, but I have seen it millions of times before. I do not want to claim that Blog Review Blog looks any better, far from it. But it is really easy to choose a different template, and I think a more ‘quiet’ design could really help.
The content of this blog doesn’t become clear right away, but that’s okay, because it fits with the topic and the content.

Content (58 Bricks)
Of the websites I have visited, this is one of the better when it comes to creative content. The texts are written by someone who knows how to write. The posts read more like short-stories than like blog-posts and this is really a delight to read. I so agree with the part about dreams, and the way creativity and imagination seems to escape you when you grow older! Reading the entries on this creative blog might even be a good remedy against this effect.
Needless to say, the content of this blog is highly original and very creative. Breathe writes these beautiful texts him self, and they are about original things, not about something that thousands of other bloggers write about (like doing boring and unimaginative reviews, like me).
I can imagine that such spurts of creativity that are needed to write such essays does not come every ten minutes, so it is not surprising that this blog is only updated every other day or so. Still I hope we can expect a lot more creativity from Breathe in the future.

Extras (4 Bricks)
This webpage bursts with creativity and originality, but not with any extras. Maybe it could be nice to offer other people a possibility to send in their creative short stories?

Visit this rich source of creativity at Breathe Enterprise

Review: Portabellum Gadgets

2007-06-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

Portabelum is a blog that writes about new portable gadgets. The nice thing is that not only things like iPods and stuff are covered, but also the more obscure gadgets. The day I write this BlogReviewBlog review, Portabelum writes about a clock in the shape of a bomb. Quite nice stuff.

The Portabelum site doesn’t have a lot of textual content, which is a pitty, but the entries are original and the page looks good. Therefore, I give Portabelum 70 Bricks, which builds it a Triumphal Arch :-)

Looks and functionality (14 Bricks)
Navigation on this portable gadgets page is easily done through the categories in the sidebar, which works quite nicely. The site is build with a lot of space for more gadget reviews, because the category names are all plural, but when I go to, for example, toothbrushes, there is only one toothbrush to be found (probably still a lot more than an other gadget blogs).
The Portabelum website looks okay, it is clean and easy on the eyes, with many large pictures of beautiful gadgets.
The topic of the website is clear from the beginning, with a title that reads Portable Gadgets or Portabelum.

Content (51 Bricks)
The content of this gadgets blog is quite original and well written. All the posts have a link to a website with more product information, and the author gives his opinion about all the gadgets he writes about. Although he is a bit over-enthusiastic about some gadgets, it is an interesting page to read.
The gadgets page covers many different types of gadgets, but there are relatively few off-topic posts, which gives the site a nice focus. No strange entries about this man’s cats or kite-surfing hobby. (I consider that a good point!).
I am a bit confused about the “ signs that are used in many pots, because it makes me unsure if the author wrote this himself or that it’s a copy.
The blog is updated frequently, about once or twice a day.

Extras (4 Bricks)
Except for the possibility to subscribe to RSS feed (which is not highly original :-), portabelum does not offer extras about gadgets.

Review: JakelDaily

2007-06-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

Jakel Daily is a blog about making money online. It covers topics like Ad programs, Affiliate programs, etc, but also slightly more off topic posts about cars and videos. The design is very functional, which I like, and to posts are written well. If you are interested in learning more about making money with your blog or website, this is a nice place to start. He also asks other to review his blog. In total, this blog about making money online earns 68 Bricks, for which it can build a (virtual) Triumphal Arch :-)

Looks and functionality (10 Bricks)
The blog has a nice design, which is very clean and clear. The topic of the website is also obvious right away: Jakel Daily is about making money online. The sidebar offers the visitors a very easy way to navigate, all the topics can be found there.
What struck me when I first visited the site, is that its design is very similar to that of another good online money making website, that of John Chow. I guess that this design has proven its worth, so it is okay to use it. But the Jakel Daily page also has cars in its banner, which is a bit cheesy to copy.

Content (45 Bricks)
There are many websites on the web about making money online, but they all have something different to offer. Jakel Daily focuses on generating traffic and using ad programs and affiliate programs to make some money out of it. It offers nicely written content about how to do this, and most of the posts are original.
It is, once again, a bit weird to have posts about cars and family on a blog about making money. This takes away a bit of the specialized focus that such a money making website should have.
What I do like is that Jason and Kelly, the authors of this page, wrote a bit about themselves, which gives the site a more personal feel.
Also, the site is updated regularly, even daily or more often, which is always a good thing.

Extras (12 Bricks max)
The page has quite some nice extras. There is the possibility to become a member of the community, which is a nice way to interact with the visitors. Also, the Jakel Daily page offers companies the possibility to place ads on the site (another good way for the blog to make money). And last but not least, the webpage has a blog about websites and other useful information people want to share.

Visit this blog

Review: Web 2.0 Directory

2007-06-16T22:42:00.000-07:00

The Web 2.0 Directory is a collection of links, reviews and news articles having to do with Web 2.0. The page is functional and efficient, and has a (relatively) long history, with a high number of posts on the subject. Although the design is simple, and, i.m.h.o., a general section with introductory information on web 2.0 is missing, this is still a very useful blog for anyone who is interested in using or building web 2.0 type websites or services. I reward the Web 2.0 Directory, therefore, with 65 bricks, which builds it a Triumphal Arch :-)

Looks and functionality (10 Bricks)
The design of the Web 2.0 Directory is simple. It is has no graphical elements, but one could argue that this is not so important for a directory. The white with blue design of the web 2.0 directory does at least not distract the visitor.
The site navigation is not the best thing of this directory. Navigation is done through a ‘Tag Cloud’, which is, at least for me, quite complicated.
The content of the page is clear. This is a Web 2.0 Directory, and that’s also the name of the page and the title it bears.

Content (45 Bricks)
To me, the content of the Web 2.0 Directory is quite interesting. Not only does the author collect web 2.0 links and information, but he also gives his opinion about the sites, and he covers news on web 2.0. For this topic, the webpage offers quite a complete picture of what is going on in the world of Web 2.0.
What I miss, and I have been hammering on this point before in other reviews, is a section with a general explanation about Web 2.0. Here, ideally, readers should be able to quickly look up what is the definition of web 2.0, and what is the current state of the technology. Maybe some of this information is covered in the posts, but there are many of them, and thus it might be hard to find this kind of information on web 2.0 on this directory. So, i think it would be good to place an extra menu button with general information.
About the originality, I have a mixed feeling. On the one hand, the Web 2.0 Directory has very nice and unique info on technology and websites. On the other hand, there are a few posts which are written like an advertisement and not a genuine review.
One more point (and then I’ll stop whining), is the grammar of the text. In the newer posts, this problem seems to have disappeared, but the log as a whole contains quite a few errors, most notably in the title banner. This looks a bit clumsy, so I would advice to look into this.
The blog is updated daily or even more frequently.

Extras (9 Bricks)
The Web 2.0 Directory does not offer a high number of extras. There is the option to read the posts through a feedburner, and there is a page with referral programs, which might be useful.

Visit the Web 2.0 Directory

Review: Unusual Business ideas that Work

2007-06-14T07:59:00.000-07:00

Unusual Business Ideas that Work. That’s the name of the blog that is reviewed today on BlogReviewBlog, and it describes the thing very well. Dmitry, the author of the webpage, writes posts about business ideas that are unusual, but work. This guarantees some very fine reading, especially for entrepreneurs that are looking for some out of the box thinking to refresh their own ideas.
The content is the main attractor here, since design is lacking and navigation isn’t as wonderful as it should be. Still, this page is worth a visit, and is rewarded with 66 Bricks. This is enough to build a Triumphal Arch for Unusual Business Ideas that Work :-)Looks and functionality (9 Bricks)
The Unusual Business Ideas that Work website has a very standard Google Blogger design. This in itself is not a bad thing, but Dmitry could make it all look a bit more interesting by adding some graphical elements. The navigation through all the articles is done using the “Previous post” function in the sidebar, which works because the posts have nice descriptive names. The site also offers an archive list in the sidebar, which is really, really long, which doesn’t seem to make sense. What I do like about the design is that the ad section is kept very small, with no blocks of ads in the sidebar, and only some subtle text link ads at the top of the page and under the posts. I heard someone say that you can make more profit by having less ads. If it is true, it might work for Unusual Business Ideas that Work. I should even consider it for my own BlogReviewBlog as well :-).
By the way, the topic of the site is clear, since the title says it all.

Content (48 Bricks)
Now comes the good part. The content of the Unusual Business ideas that Work website is actually quite nice. The page is filled with attractively written articles on people who set up some interesting kind of business. These businesses are quite divers, and range from profiting form singles to making millions from accidental inventions. The unusual business ideas cover many areas, and are really inspirational for anyone thinking about setting up some kind of business for him/herself. It is not clear if Dmitry is telling about stories he read on thee news, or that he is himself researching these businesses and then writes about them. Still, the content is highly original. And how could it not be original if you can write an unusual business report about a website that organizes parties for pets?
The entries are all about unusual business ideas that work, so the consistency is high, and the Unusual Business Ideas that Work page is updated frequently, almost daily.
Extras (8 Bricks)
The Unusual Business Ideas that Work webpage does not offer many extra functions. Visitors are asked to send in their own unusual business ideas, which is nice. What I also like, is that Dmitry provides links to all the online businesses about which he writes, and that he urges the visitors to do further research for themselves, so they can see the ideas really work.

Review: One Day at a Time

2007-06-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

One day at a time. That’s the way this blog is written, by Lynda, the nice girl from Los Angeles that authors this webspace. She keeps an online diary filled with things she is doing and thinking about, such as religion, art, photography, writing and reflections. Besides that, this place is also where she shows her photography to the world, and fine photography it is (so check it out :-)
The site looks attractive, and the majority of the posts are interesting to read. Although this page is not highly specialized on a topic, and will thus not attract a specific group of visitors, it is nice to take a look at.
I reward it therefore with 67 Bricks, which is enough to build it a Triumphal Arch :-)
Looks and functionality (12 Bricks max)
What I first noticed, is that the sidebar is loading quite slow. I think the Twitter application is taking way too long to load, but it may be something else as well. Now I have to wait for the navigation options for a long time, which is a pity. It would be better to place the navigation options of the page at the top of the sidebar, so even visitors with a slow connection can use the site.
The blog has nice looks, especially the banner with the beautiful eyes of (presumably) the author herself, a cool photo. The site is filled throughout with quality photography as well. Making photos is clearly one the authors things.
Navigation could be better, since the topic list needs to get folded out by one click extra, and extra clicks are never nice.
The page has many topics, but this is not hidden, and for the design part it is okay.
What I liked is that every post is accompanied with a picture, and every post starts with introducing the photo. The overall design of the One day at a Time blog is nice and attractive.

Content (45 Bricks)
This website is a professional personal blog, which is not centered around a specific theme or product, but around a person. Thus, the whole collection has many different topics, ranging from photography to religion to internet technology. But because this is the idea behind it all, there is consistency in the page.
All of the content is written skillfully and originally, and it is a pleasure to read it, and to look at the photography. This photography content is also really great, many good close-ups of flowers and the like, good work.
The blog is updated frequently, about once daily, and, as said, all these posts are accompanied by nice photos, which make returning to this page more attractive.

Extras (9 Bricks)
The webpage has a couple of nice features, such as the message screen in the side bar, and an icon that displays the mood of the author, which is quite funny. Another nice extra is the recipe section, in which you can read about Lynda’s Black Bean Burritos.

Visit all this and much more at One Day At A Time

Review: The Goddess of Football

2007-06-06T18:46:00.000-07:00

The Goddess of Football.

With such a title, you’re already high on the originality list. This blog, surprisingly, has original content as well. The author (naming herself goddess), offers advice to Sad Mortal Men, or at least the part interested in wining football games. A fond sponsor of Mr. Beckham (Becks), the goddess urges other men who want to be like him to shower twice a day, and they will be blessed. Well, what can I say. I am an instant follower of The Goddess of Football. And, since I am writing this review, from now on I hope to be allowed to call myself Adviser of the Goddess as well :-).
Because the writings of the goddess are still the stage of genesis (let’s say that the football bible is still in the writing), and the design is too general, the number of Bricks comes to 58, for which the Goddess can build a memorial Obelisk on Mount Olympus :-)

We can expect more from the Goddess in the future!

Looks and functionality (7 Bricks)
The Goddess of Football might have strong divine powers, but she is not heavily blessed with them when it comes to website design. The blog lacks graphic material, and could be a touch more goddess like, maybe with some nice quotations out of the football bible.
Furthermore, I understand that even goddesses have to generate an income, but she is kindly advised to change the colors of the AdSense ads, so that they might blend in more with the design of the rest.
Navigation is okay, simple but effective. The archive functions looks really complicated for just the two entries that are currently present, but maybe it wise to keep it like this to accommodate future revelations.

Content (50 Bricks)
The goddess is endowed with a very nice to read an authoritative writing stile. Although I personally do not have a strong interest in football, I read this page with lots of curiosity. I will give one quote now, which I liked:

“I am the only true Goddess of Football. Follow me and you will be rewarded with football glory.”

The originality of The Goddess of Football is very high, I haven’t seen something this creative before, very nice. The posts are consistent as well, which is a small feat with just to posts, but still.
A minor negative point is that the site only has two entries. This is probably caused by the fact that the webpage is just a week old. So I am curious how it will develop in the future.
Be sure to check out the readings from Bro. Vegas, the second prophet (after David Beckham), who has good advice for humble mortals

Extras (0 Bricks)
Besides the free advise The Goddess of Football her visitors, there are no extra’s offered. Probably in the future there will be more. Maybe some nice blessing-request-service for nervous Football teams?

Pay a visit to The Goddess of Football

Review: Free Sports Picks

2007-06-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

And today for something completely different: a blog on sports betting. Considered illegal in many places, this type of gambling is played by many people over the internet, where this kind of thing is a bit harder to regulate. Many online gambling and betting websites are located in locations with less strict rules, such as Jamaica and Costa Rica.
Anyway, the site that is looked into today at BlogReviewBlog is a collection of the bets placed by the author of thee page, who is an active gambler. He publishes the bets he placed, and the wins/losses he made.
Although the site does not look stunning, and some introductory information could be added, the topic of the website, online sports betting, is quite interesting, and it is nice to be able to look into the outcomes of the author’s bets.
In total the Free Sports Picks receives 66 Brick, enough for the Triumphal Arch :-)
Looks and functionality (11 Bricks)
Navigation on this betting blog is simple, and the whole structure of the site is easy to understand. It would be good to be able to reach the oldest posts in an easier way, because the archive structure is done in months. Since the blog is updated very often, this means a lot of clicking.
The design is simple but effective, with a bundle of bank notes as a suggestive introduction into the topic.

Content (46 Bricks)
The topic of the webpage is quite original. This is professional better who decided to keep track of his bets on a blog, and give the world the opportunity to see what he bets on, and if it was a smart gamble or not. He writes everything himself, and uses a short and clear style of writing
There are, though, a couple of improvement points I would like to suggest. First of all, it would be good to ad an introductory post, where the author explains what sports betting is, on which types of games he usually bets, which online betting sites exist, and thing like that.
Furthermore, the idea of keeping track of the wins/losses in the betting is an interesting part, which could be better used if the blog would have a counter or some kind of simple graph in which the wins/losses history of the last month can be seen. This may be a bit of work, but would make the sports betting blog much more interesting.
As I have said before, I am fond of sites that are somehow consistent. This sports betting site has quite a good consistency, but I do not really like the couple of entries that are completely off topic, because they break the red line.
The blog is updated frequently, every time the author has made a sports bet, he relates the outcome online.

Extras (8 Bricks max)
Except for some links to online sports betting websites, the Free Sports Picks website does not offer special features or extras. My suggestion: a completely non-guaranteed prediction for the next week. This could be something that the visitors interested in sports betting would come back for, especially when you can show a steady and positive winning history.

Go here to see more about this site on Online Sports Betting

Blog or Not?

2007-05-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

I got a BlogReviewBlog request today to review Grafixzone. This a service that collects and displays image-based links to wallpapers for Windows XP. I of course took at the page, and I realized that I have created a difficulty for myself. In one of my first post, I promised that the topic and professionalism of a blog would not be used as selection criteria.

Now, a page about wallpapers would be perfectly fine. Although it would probably attract a very select group of visitors, such a blog could write about the techniques for the creation of wallpapers for Windows, wallpapers made by famous artists, wallpapers trough the years, special wallpapers with build-in interaction possibilities (nice one here, get the whole earth on your desktop, moving and all), or about the connection between old fashioned wallpapers for on your wall and modern wallpapers for on your Windows. Heck, there is a whole world to write about concerning just this one topic, and you could probably fill quite a nice site with it.

However, the Grafixzone blog has 5 posts, all without text, filled with small pictures of screenshots of wallpapers that can be found on other webpages. Somehow, I have the impression that this is not really what is meant by the word ‘blog’. Okay, the site looks nice, especially with all the small wallpapers against the black background. But without texts and information, without opinion, without anything but pictures, I am not able to write a full fletched review on it.

On the other side, I can of course just tell you what is to be seen on the Grafixzone wallpaper blog, tell you that it looks nice, and give a bit of advice. And that’s exactly what I do/did. I hope the author of the page will not be disappointed by not getting bricks, but I think she’ll understand why.
Some free advice from BlogReviewBlog:First of all, please ad some text to your page. The wallpapers are nice, and if the only goal is to collect them and that’s it, at least offer an introduction. Furthermore, it would be nice to index the wallpapers into categories, and present these categories in the sidebar. In this way, visitors will not have to scroll down all the way. I see that there are wallpapers about nature, landscapes, animals and cars, so start there with categorizing. Well, there you go.

Anyway, keep sending in those BlogReviewBlog requests. After reading this post, it should be clear that I am still not very strict on which types of blogs I cover on this site, so feel invited!

Review: The Guitar Resource

2007-05-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

The Guitar Resource is the blog that will be discussed today on BlogReviewBlog. This very professional blog offers a high number of resources on guitars, guitar accessories, guitar music, techniques for how to play the guitar, and much more.
This website does not only offer a very complete picture when it comes to guitar related issues, it also looks nice, and offers very useful tools. All in all, this is a good example of how a niche-subject website should look like. I reward it with a total of 84 Bricks, which builds The Guitar Resources a beautiful, albeit completely virtual Memorial Pyramid (dead pharaoh not included) :-)
Looks and functionality (15 Bricks)
This site is about guitars, and that is hard to miss when you first see the page. The title of the page (The Guitar Resource), along with the illustrations of a close-up of a guitars neck, leaves no doubt as to the topic. The clean design, with easy to use menu tabs on top and a selection of categories in the sidebar ensure easy navigation. The overall design is not stunning, but functional and crisp.

Content (53 Bricks)
The content on The Guitar Resource is sublime, offering everything from information about famous guitar players up to reviews of tools that one can use while playing the thing. Written by the author himself, or sent in by one of his visitors, the texts are well written, and show the knowledge on guitar related topics by the authors.
Although the range of topics is quite wide, they are all somehow related to guitars, which makes for a very consistent blog (as in: there are no off topic posts about for example dishwashers or the odd entry on the bloggers personal live). Many posts are not encyclopedia-like, but are enriched by personal views and experiences, making the reading of the posts more interesting.
All of this makes for a very pleasant read, and the information offered is certainly valuable for a large group of users. There are quite a lot of guitar players on the web, and they will all find something useful on this page.

Extras (15 Bricks)
Another very strong point of The Guitar Resource is the number of nice add-ons that it offers. A page on guitar resources is of course extreme complete with some features that the visitor can actually use while playing on his instrument. The Tuner and the Chordfinder are both very original and easy to use tools.
The page also offers some nice methods for interaction, most notably the possibility to send in reviews of products, or stories. Another good thing is the number of I-frames though which the visitor can see guitar-concerts on YouTube.

This page can be found at The Guitar Resource

Show off your Bricks

2007-05-29T20:33:00.000-07:00

So after long waiting and hoping, finally you got that impressive review on BlogReviewBlog! And of course you want to show off your Brick Rating on your blog. For this, I now offer a collection of very nice mini banners that you can place in your blog’s sidebar.

If you want a place a link when you are still in the waiting line to receive your review, you can place the “Got Bricks ?” mini banner on your site. Of course also feel free to use the "Got Bricks" mini banner if you are still working on your blog, and want to have it reviewed later on, or when you got less than 50 Bricks.

You can just click on any of these mini banners to go to their location. Then push the right mouse button ans select "download this image" or something like that to download the mini banner. When you use programs like Blogspot or WordPress, you can then easily upload the mini banner and make a link out of it to my BlogReviewBlog, or to your review. Any problems? leave a comment here.

Of course, you are only supposed to use the “I got …. Bricks” mini banner if you actually got this amount of bricks, but that seems obvious, so I won’t point it out :-)

Review: Sports Chronicle

2007-05-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

First of all: I like specialized blogs. I like to find a topic on the web that I do not know much about, and then see that someone else is an expert on it, and shares his knowledge with his visitors. For me, this gives the opportunity to learn more, which is one of my goals in live. The Sports Chronicle has the potential to grow into such a place.Written by an author with the pseudonym The Scrapper, this is a blog about American Football, the national league as well as university teams (I think, and I must admit not to know much about American Footbal). The site looks okay, and offers a lot of inside information, but it lacks explanation about the blog and about American Footbal (I, as a complete American Football nitwit, ad to realy surch hard to find out which sport it was about), and I did not succeed in learning more about American Football.Some nice features and well written texts earned the blog some extra Bricks, for a total of 65 Bricks, exactly enough for a Triumphal Arch :-)

Looks and functionality (10 Bricks)
The Sports Chronicle blog looks okay. The Scrapper used quite a lot of good image material to illustrate his American Football postings. However, it could be improved a lot when the blog would design its own logo, and maybe some subtle background design. This could distinguish the site as a proper American Football thing.
Navigation is made fairly easy, with all available topics at the top of the sidebar so they are easy to find. Because The Scraper writes very long posts, I would suggest bringing the number of posts per page down to two or three, which will speed up the load time, and simplify the site navigation. To make clear what the website is actually about, an introduction in the sidebar would be advisable

Content (46 Bricks max)
As said before, the topic is well chosen and the author shows to have a lot of knowledge about American Football. The entries do not only give the news highlights from the American Football world, but also the authors opinions and reflections. However, if the webpage wants to grow more popular, some aspects are not completely optimal.
It would be good when the posts would be accompanied by a short introduction about the topic of that post. I understand (and take into consideration for the Bricks), that most visitors will have a lot more background knowledge on American Football than I have, but still a bit more background information would be nice. Furthermore, A few more easy-access posts on American Football in general could establish Sports Chronicle as an expert on this topic, leading to more links and more visitors.
The content of the posts is nicely consistent, with some odd but nice posts in between, for example the comparison between American Football and the series ‘24’.
Updates occur reasonably frequent, but the update rate could be better. The length of the posts, however, makes up for this.

Extras (8 Bricks)
Sports Chronicle offers some nice features in its side bar, such as a screen with the batting average of a number of American Football players, a screen with the standing of the top 5 teams for East, Central and West (I am sure this division has great significance for fans, although not to me :-). Furthermore, a window is supplied in which the recent game outcomes are displayed in real time.
When it comes to interaction, the website offers a few polls to its visitors, as well as the normal comment options.

The American Football blog Sports Chronicle

Review: I Was The State

2007-05-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

I was the State is a superb blog by a state attorney in Texas. I, luckily, never had anything to do with state attorneys, let alone in Texas, so it was very interesting to read the entries. And you know what turned out? State attorneys can be cool guys as well! Besides, they can (and do) write very interesting blogs! The internet is such a great thing!

But okay, before I allow myself to be carried away, first the review.

As said, the content is strongly interesting and surprisingly honest and open. The design is crisp and clean, which fits the topic. Not many extra features are used, but never mind, this is a jewel. The combined clean design, very high quality content and the blog’s originality make for a grand total of 80 Bricks awarded. A first in the short history of BlogReviewBlog, this blog receives a virtual Pyramid for high quality :-)

Looks and functionality (15 Bricks)
I was the State uses a very functional and clear structure, without distractions, and without screaming. So to speak, this is a very design-relaxed blog. The side bar contains all the information the visitor might need, and all the posts in the blog are reachable with one click. Although a bit more personalized design wouldn’t be bad, the only real critical point I can give is the location of the Google Video frame, which breaks the clean design of the page.

Content (55 Bricks)
Mr. Guest, the author of this blog, writes all of the posts himself, and he writes them well. Posts about his views on legalizing marihuana, illegal immigrants (a hot topic in Texas I reccon) and a procedure called HB 1178 are highly interesting and informative. (Okay, I admit it, I had no idea what this procedure was, but at least now I do).
The posts Mr. Guest writes really take you into the context, and he takes his time to work out the topic. The different posts are all based in his legal point of view, and combined with his personal opinions, quite a nice mixture all in all. Thus, there is a strong consistency in the blog’s posts.
The blog was started just a month ago, with a story about bureaucracy in Rome, Italy (yes, there is a legal connection with the rest of the blog there). At the moment of me writing this, already 24 well written and in depth posts are present, from which the conclusion can be made that the blog knows a high update frequency.

Extras (9 Bricks)
The I was the State blog does not offer a lot of extra features, and that’s a good thing in this case. Besides a Google Video frame with videos on legal and political topics, the blog is kept clean and open. A number of links are offered to noteworthy websites, which is a nice add-on.

Use this link to visit I Was The Sate

Review: Red's Fury blog (Liverpool FC)

2007-05-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

This blog, designed and updated by Andy, covers all topics regarding Liverpool FC, a soccer club from Liverpool in the U.K. (for those, like me, not having much of a clue about this sport :-).This is a blog by a fan of Liverpool FC, and a very enthusiastic one as well. Besides information about the sports club, a number of more or less related posts are present as well.

Although this blog offers good background information to fans about Liverpool FC, the design does not make me happy, and I had to eat a lot of chocolate to make it all better again :-). Also there are some consistency and originality issues that could be improved.
However, the enthusiasm with which this blog was made, and the obvious hard work that was put into it, make many things better. For this blog on the Red Fury, I award 52 Bricks, from which I personally fabricate a Memorial Obelisk :-)

Looks and functionality (6 Bricks)
The Red’s Fury blog is a page that screams out it’s enthusiasm with great force to whomever might find himself visiting it. The use of the Liverpool FC colors and logo are as they should be, and will give the real fans a homecoming feeling. Nonetheless, in this blog it is overdone, and has a disorientating effect. The pictures that are featured frequently on the blog are made half-transparent, so the Liverpool logo can be seen through them, which doesn’t do any good to the eyes. Besides, the fist page starts with a high number of small frames covering a multitude of information. Also, the location of the content menu changes from the right to the left when different parts of the blog are visited, making navigation without a good compass a confusing activity. I suggest some serious re-modeling to make it all a bit easier to take in.

Content (35 Bricks)
The Liverpool Football Club can be proud with such a dedicated blogger on its side. The parts of the blog covering the L.F.C. are well written, and illustrated with good graphic material. The descriptions of the games (lost and won), and the photos of signs and banners made by fans are certainly worth taking a look at.
I have a slight concern though with some other parts of the blog, which do not seem to have much to do with the Liverpool FC. Topics on Music albums, personal things and even world politics seem a bit out of place on this sports blog. Maybe they would be better off on a blog of their own.
Furthermore, I am not all too sure about the originality of some posts. Andy does a good job in giving the source of all the stuff he borrows, but copying news messages right away into a blog is not the best way to create content. Maybe it would be better if he wrote about newsworthy items, and then link to them. This way, there would be more space for his own personal opinions and views. Although in my opinion completely off topic, I liked the pics under the ‘entertainment’ category :) .
Another good thing about this blog is that it is updated frequently, about 4 times a week, so something new about the Liverpool Football Club or something else can be found here very often.

Extras (10 Bricks)
The Red’s Fury blog gives its visitors a lot of space to interact. A poll is present, as well as a message board. Furthermore, one can become a ‘friend’ of this blog.
Andy also does a good job in collecting relevant links to Liverpool FC related websites. Special blog related functions are not present (or I couldn’t find them). Maybe it could be nice to offer some cool Liverpool Football Club screensavers or backgrounds?

Visit the Red's Fury Blog here

Free Lunch

2007-05-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L. ,or, in normal English,

There Aint No Such Thing As A Free Lunch

This particle of common knowledge from the economic world is generally used to illustrate that nothing happens for free (except, as some might argue, sunrise).

On the internet, many services are offered for free (including this Blog Review Blog). In practice, it costs a lot of work to create these services and keep them running and up to date. Doing research and writing a review is quite a bit of work, but still it costs you nothing (and is, as such, for ‘free’).

However, according to the TANSTAAFL theory, I shouldn’t be doing this. Doing something for free is just not the reality of this world.

I totally agree with this, and for this reason, I ask the reviewed blogs to place a link in their blog to their review or to my website. This is important for me, because I want this blog to become more popular in a short time. This is necessary to attract blog owners who want to be reviewed, but also to generate some income through the site-sponsors.

Therefore, if you want to be reviewed, from now on, you will have to let me know where I can find the link on your blog leading to the Blog Review Blog homepage. After your review is finished, you can change the link, so that it will lead to your review instead of to my homepage. The link does not have to be in a posting, it can also be in your sidebar, but it should be on your blog somewhere.

Thanks for your understanding,

Review: John Chow Blog

2007-05-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

This blog, authored by John Chow, is about technology, cars, and, surprisingly, ‘Fine Dining’. But, let’s face it, it is mainly about making money online. Not only for the author of the blog, but also for its visitors. Mr. Chow’s blog attracts most of its visitors because it offers inside information on how to optimize your website, which ad programs are out there, and what other ways exist to earn an income online.

Although the website does not have stunning looks, the content of the site certainly is very useful for an awful lot of people, which make this blog one of the more popular around. In total, this blog receives 70 Bricks from me. With this, it falls into the category for a Triumphal Arch :-)
Looks and functionality (10 Bricks)
The blog does not have a stunning design. Actually, it does not look very good at all. It becomes clear right away that the popularity of this blog has to do with its content, not with its graphic outlook. The blog’s header, with two expensive looking cars facing each other, and the very standard blog design with a main bar and a side bar do not attract visitors to the site.
The navigation of the blog is okay, things are easy to find, although it involves a lot of scrolling down to find them in the side bar.
It is, at first glance, not all to clear what the blog is about. There many topics, which are unrelated with each other. Furthermore, the blog starts with the newest post, but many categories are explained in the oldest one, which is many clicks away. For example the item on AGLOCO is seriously missing an introduction text in the side bar. I had to click my way to the oldest post, and still it took some time to discover that these posts are about some pay-to-surf program.

Content (51 Bricks)
This blog is not popular for nothing. It is clear that the blog’s design is not the factor attracting visitors; the content is. On the world wide web, there are many sites offering information on Online money making, but Mr. Chows blog is a bit different, because it is very up-to-date, and offers valuable inside information. Furtermore, Mr. Chow also shows that he is a master in his trade, because his blog ends up high in many google rankings, and surfers looking for online marketing information invariably en up at his blog.
The texts are written superbly, and succeed in catching your attention. While surfing this blog, there are many entries that I wanted (and in fact did) read.
The consistency of the totality of content in the blog is not very high, because of the multitude of unrelated topics. However, within one category, everything seems to fit together.

Mr. Chow updates his blog daily, often even twice a day. He produces a lot of content, and keeps his readers busy, which is always a good thing to do.

Extras (8 Bricks)
The John Chow blog offers a couple of nice services, such as an overview of online add programs to make money with, RSS feeds (with currently almost 5000 readers, quite impressive), and some nice community-type features, which increase the user interaction.

Visit this blog on Make Money Online

Agnivo Roy Technology Blog

2007-05-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

This blog, by Agnivo Roy from Kolkata, India, was the first one to request a review on Blog Review Blog. The blog offers information on Online and Offline technology offers a diverse view into new technologies. The focus lies on Internet and Online Marketing, but topics on gadgets are also covered (for example a nice item on digital photoframes or the Canon Eos 1D). The site is already quite developed, with currently over 70 entries.
Although the website obviously is there as well to promote Mr. Roy’s commercial activities, it succeeds in offering useful and well written information on ‘hot topics’
It therefore is awarded with 68 Bricks, enough for a Triumphal Arch :-).
Looks and functionality (15 Bricks)
The blog, on first glance, looks good. The author used some nice artwork in his header, the colors match, and everything is very readable. Furthermore, the website is easy to navigate on. The topics covered are visible on the top of the sidebar, so you don’t have to scroll down for this. Furthermore, the blog is blessed with a searchfunction, and a header with a menu function.
The title of the blog ‘Technology Blog and Portfolio of Student, Freelancer And Webmaster’ is not the clearest one I ever saw. Which part of the blog is the portfolio? Why is it relevant that the author is a student and a freelancer besides being a webmaster? It does not become clear right away if this blog is about the author, or about technology (reading the entries, the conclusion has to be that it is about technology).

Content (42 Bricks)
The blog offers information on a wide number of topics, all related because they look into technological developments. The total blog content is not highly original, but certainly serves the goal of informing visitors interested in technological developments. Some posts seemed a bit out of place, such as the item on the Indian cricket team (although, of course, congratulations). Another point that should be improved is the link to ‘My Sites’ that gives an error, although Mr. Roy certainly has more sites on the web.
The text of the post is of very high quality, with nice catching phrases, and good, informative content.
Another thing that this blog has going for it, is that it is frequently updated. On average, Mr. Roy updates his blog 4 times a week, sometimes even more frequently.

Extras (11)
This blog really excels in offering extra features. The ‘Downloads’ part of the blog offers 3 software packages that the visitor can download for free, including a CD ripper and Link directory templates (a bit more explaining what actually is a link directory template would not be a bad idea).
Besides the download feature, Mr. Roy also offers his (paid) services for Webmaster activities, which could be useful for some of his visitors.

Visit this Blog

Reviewed by Blog Review Blog

So how does this rating work?

2007-05-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

The rating is build up out of three segments. For each segment you get a number of Bricks (you know, this stuff of which people make houses). The final rank mark will be the total number of Bricks of the three segments. The maximum number of Bricks is 100.
The minimum is 1 Brick, which you get for being so wise to request a review by BlogReviewBlog.

For what do you get Bricks?

Design and functionality (20 Bricks max):
• Does the blog look good?
• Is the blog easy to navigate?
• Is it clear what the blog is about?

Content (60 Bricks max):
• Is the content original?
• Is the text of good quality?
• Are the posts consistent?
• Is the blog updated frequently?

Extras (19 Bricks max):
• Does the blog offer nice interaction functions?
• Does the blog offer some other useful or nice function?

What do the Bricks count for?

1 Brick is for a blog so bad it hurts my eyes even to look at it. 1 Brick builds you nothing, you can take it and throw it at your PC if you’d like.25 Bricks is for a weak blog that has many points that can be improved. 25 Bricks is not a lot, but it is sufficient to build a small statue to commemorate your blog. Although small and slightly insignificant, you can use it as a virtual paper holder, to remind yourself to work on your blog.
50 Bricks is for an average blog. Not astonishingly good, but not awfully bad either. 50 Bricks is enough to build you a fairly sized Memorial Obelisk, virtually and invisibly engraved with the name of your blog and my sincere congratulations.
65 Bricks is for above average blogs, which combine good content with nice design, and even offer some nice extras. With 65 Bricks, you have enough to build a Triumphal Arch for your blog, to be placed on a virtual location of your choice.
80 Bricks is for exceptionally good blogs, which does most things right. Although most blog can be improved in some way, blogs in this category are almost perfect. 80 Bricks builds you a Pyramid, always nice for your backyard. Additionally you get the right to brag against everyone in your surrounding about your blog, unlimited for 180 days.
100 bricks is for the super mega best website ever created on the face of the earth. Consequently, it will not happen often that a blog gets 100 Bricks. Your blog should leave me flabbergasted after my visit to your web. If I have not slept for 4 days because I was hooked to your blog, you will be in this category. In the unlikely occasion that you get 100 Bricks, you can build yourself a Mythical Palace, and call yourself the official Blog Review Blog Lord (crown not included).
Want Bricks? Request a Review from Blog Review Blog

Review Me

2007-05-26T23:05:00.000-07:00

Pretty please with sugar on top :-)

So you have a blog, and you want it to be reviewed? well, that's what Blog Review Blog is for.

Restriction
Nope. That's right, no restrictions, no small print, no obligations.
Okay, I won't do any adult content blogs.
But if you just started your blog, and would like to know what could be better, feel free to leave a request.You do not need to place html code on your blog, you do not have to pay for anything, you only have to ask me to take a look at your blog, and when I am not completely going crazy with (other) work, I will review it.

Although I do not request any payment in return, I want BlogReviewBlog to grow as popular as can be. Therefore, I ask you to place a link on your blog to my blog (or to your review on my bog when it is finished) in this way, you can also show off your review to your visitors.

Besides, my site will grow more popular when you link to it; this will generate more visitors to your blog as well, because there will be a backlink in your review.
So place a link to http://blogreviewblog.blogspot.com and be sure to leave a message here if you did. Besides, Digg this blog, and add it it to your Technorati favorites, so you can easyly check if your review is already finished. Please be sure also to check the Free Lunch post.

If you want to be reviewed, leave a message under this post, stating your name and the address of your blog (in plain text). That's it, then you're done.

And Rolling

2007-05-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome at Blog Review Blog

This blog is dedicated to reviewing other blogs.
Well, that explains the name of the thing.

It actually works fairly simple: you ask me to take a look at your blog, and I do :-) . Then I write a review about your blog. All reviews will be different (because all blogs are as well), but I will tell something about the content of the website , and about its appearance and use (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly). Finally it is Jugment Day, and I will give the verdict.
To make it easy for my readers to take a look for themselves, I will include a backlink to your blog.

If you are a blogger this website is extremely usefull for you.
First of all, you can get usefull feedback on your blog for free.
Second, your review will be read by other visitors of the Blog Review Blog, which will make your blog better known, and will generate users through the link I place in your review.
Third, if you have a nice blog, you can show people the positive review I gave you.

If you have a blog, and you would like to have it reviewed (why not), please leave a message in the Review Me post.