Blog Review Post #3 Week of Feb 4

This week you are in search of blogs that are of interest to you.  There are blogs about every subject.  If you are going to "join the conversation, " being an active voice in topics that already interest you is a great way to get started.

Are you interested in Baking, Motherhood, Crafts, Snowboarding, Politics, Computers, Poetry, Interior Design, Sports....?

ASSIGNMENT:  Search out 3 blog sites.  Post the links on your blog.  Explore the each of these blogs and write a 100-200 word review about each of these blog sites.  Please see the instructions below as your write your reviews.  These reviews need to be posted by Friday evening so the responders have  plenty of time to fulfill their assignments. You will have time in class on either Wednesday of Thursday to work on your reviews.  Since blogging sites are often blocked at the school, you will need to do your research at home and then use your notes to write your reviews in class.

Here are the elements to consider when writing a Blog Review:

Elements to Cover When Writing a Blog Review

§  Design - The first thing that you see when looking at a website is its design. Is the design pleasing to the eye? Is the site cluttered or difficult to navigate? Are there any glaring design flaws or glitches, or is the site a work of art?

§  Focus – What is the focus of the site? If you can’t figure it out, then the author is doing something wrong. Focus should be apparent without hunting around too much. Typically by using design elements, or simple headlines or sub-headlines a site must convey its focus.

§  Content – The most obvious element to cover in your review is the site’s content. Does the content of the site match its focus? If not, there is a problem! Is the content easily readable? Does it make sense? What are some of the highlights? Is there a page, article or section of the site that really stands out as being fantastic?

§  Writing Style – Writing style is one element that many people often ignore. Does the author share his/her voice? Do you find yourself relating to what you read? Is the style professional or does the author blab on about their dying goldfish in every post?

§  Grammar and Punctuation – Does the site use proper grammatical elements? Are there spelling mistakes and punctuation errors all over the place?

§  Message Effectiveness – Overall, do you find that the site is effective in putting out its message?

§  Website Audience – Who is the intended audience for this site or blog? Are the intended and actual audiences different?

§  Info about the author – Is there anything interesting to note about the author? e.g. I was watching the news last night and they were talking about a blog written by a boy with cancer. Is the author an expert or do they have no idea what they are talking about? Do they have any qualifications to write what they are writing?

§  Anything else you think is important – Of course, there are other elements that you can discuss as well. Anything about the site that stands out, good or bad, should always be covered in a review.