Welcome to The Blog Reviewer!

Welcome everyone! This is a blog which I made in order to utilize the richness of Entrecard and during my daily visit and drops there I will choose blogs to review and give them ratings of 1-5 (5 being the highest) based on the following:

• Layout - this pertains to the overall layout of the blog
• Content - quality of the content of the blog as well as topics discussed and originality
• Coherence - this refers to the coherence of the content based on the purpose of the blog
• Reach - reach and popularity of the blog
• Readability - readability of the contents and easiness of navigation
• Overall Rating - average of the ratings above.

I will also give my general perception and introduction for the blog. You can also submit your blog for review at phil_lenin@yahoo.com .. this is only my personal opinion and review so I hope that no one will flame me.

Thanks!

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The Blue Workhorse Playing Some Sports

Here is a sports blog which will take you to the popular games like the NBYA, NCAA, NFL and many more. It is a pure sports blog published by a blogger from Flowery Branch, GA United States. The Blue Workhorse is a blog which will give you the daily dose of sports news ... so better start by visiting their site and subscribing to their RSS.

The first blog in my review were I see an actual photo galleries with pictures of those who play a vital role in various arena most specially NHL and NBA. This blog is really superb when it comes to articles and can be said as one of the best sports blog yet that I have seen.

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 9
  
• Content - 9
  
• Coherence - 10
  
• Reach - 9
  
• Readability - 9
  
• Overall Rating - 9.2
  

The only comment I have with the layout which also affects the blogs readability is the unjustified paragraphs of the post articles but overall the layout is simply super including its color scheme.

By the way I like the beer at the bottom of each article and I am also curious as to the dollar sign since it seems to be one method of earning from once blog... so having said that let us be updated with sports and visit The Blue Workhorse!

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Where in the World is Jenn? Jenn was here!

A picture rich blog which will bring you across many places and will introduce you to new friends and company through the eyes of Jenn. This blog is all about Jenn's travel and daily happenings in life or simply she want to leave a mark of her presence. Thus, Jenn Was Here is her attempt to share to other the vivid color or her life's experiences.

A blog where you can actually learn about a lot of things. Each post is written in vivid color and full of description that will fill your imagination. Jenn is quite a good writer and I really love what she writes about.

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 8
  
• Content - 10
  
• Coherence - 10
  
• Reach - 6
  
• Readability - 10
  
• Overall Rating - 8.8
  

A blog with a very simple yet organized layout. It may not be that flashy but I really like how she arranged the sidebar and how she presented her posts. She is also very often for she really give quite an information in her About Us link.

Great site indeed... so if ever you are looking for Jenn... she is definitely HERE.

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The Clamor of Kalinga

What's the real clamor of the people of Kalinga? Well, Kalinga is part of the Philippines and is found on the northern part of Luzon. Clamor of Kalinga blogs about the people of Kalinga, Philippines which includes their dances, songs, practices, culture and customs coupled with the first hand experiences of the author.

This blog is very unique since it puts into the internet and into pictures images of those from Kalinga who are very far from the capital city of manila. The Clamor of Kalinga had also been awarded as the 1st Runner-up for the recently concluded "Okey Ka,Pinoy Ka!" Blog Search.

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 6
  
• Content - 10
  
• Coherence - 10
  
• Reach - 9
  
• Readability - 10
  
• Overall Rating - 8.8
  

If you want to discover the Philippines and its roots this is the best resource for information about the Kalinga. And besides that the author also has advocacy when it comesto environment and peace. Here is an article entitled "Submit Now,Make a Difference." which hope to encourage readers to their own views regarding TV violence.

About the layout of the site, well I think the very long left sidebar should be trimmed so that it will not get in the way of the posts and make the site look more fine tuned. the site.

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A Junkie's Yard on the Net

Here's another blue-themed blog whose layout is surely a knockout. Its contents are also very useful and also offers opportunities to those who want to earn or win a little something for themselves. JunkieYard Dot Com is said to be the only yard for the Internet Junkie or that's what the blog author says about this blog.

This blog offers a lot of help to make your blogging easier and worthwhile. It offers topics from driving traffic to your site to things to avoid when blogging. If you are looking for contest in which you can participate then this is also the place to visit.

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 10
  
• Content - 8
  
• Coherence - 10
  
• Reach - 9
  
• Readability - 10
  
• Overall Rating - 9.4
  

A blog that deserves our two thumbs up for readability and layout. You will not be lost in finding the article that interests you for this is really a very user friendly blog.

I do notice one thing. There are two online user indicator the one on top says that there are 2 while the one at the sidebar says there are 71 users. Well it seems that one of them might not be telling the right statistics,

More article and post more particularly those who really needs a junkyard such as JunkieYard Dot Com.

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Can You Blog About Everything?

Well that is the question I asked myself when I did visit this blog, Blog About Everything. Does the author really intent to blog about everything? Isn't that hard? Well this blog has articles about blogging, health, lifestyle, money, technology, travel and more. A blue-colored blog that's writing just about anything. Hope you like the 125 x 125 ad as well.

Well its hard to really get a focus on a blog but definitely no matter what you say that it is about everything for sure there is something that you are concentrating on. So what's the main topic for this blog? Based on the number of posts I will say that it devotes particular interest to blogging and money related posts.

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 9
  
• Content - 8
  
• Coherence - 7
  
• Reach - 8
  
• Readability - 10
  
• Overall Rating - 8.4
  

A blog which just started February 2008 but enjoys a high ranking in Alexa... well that would particularly be attributed to entrecard and other helpful sites which helps driving traffic.

I like the color scheme of this blog as well as the clean layout which makes it easy to read. The only thing is the blog seems to be aiming at getting income from pay per post and rumor has it that it do affect Goggle Page Rank status.

Some pictures could also help spice up the blog although with the current layout preference loading is definitely faster.

Well cheers for the Blog About Everything!

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The Blog Reviewer Before and After v.1

Below are some of the blogs that we have reviewed before as we compare them once again between the date we have made the review and today. We will bring up the previous ratings as well as their before and after entrecard ads.

The following are the 10 blogs for v.1: Holy Cuteness, Android's Dungeon, Down On Our Luck , The Diet Pulpit, Entrecard Favorites, Mind Relaxing Ideas, Free XML Blogger Templates, Michael Aulia's Blog, Jericho Monster, and Education Connection.

Read on to see their before and after reviews...

1. Holy Cuteness (March 9, 2008)

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 7 ---> 5
  
• Content - 8
  
• Coherence - 9
  
• Reach - 7 ---> 8
  
• Readability - 8
  
• Overall Rating - 7.8 ---> 7.6
  

Pretty much the same blog as it was before although I now recommend some fixing of the layout and the widgets. Improvement in reach as well.

2. Android's Dungeon (March 9, 2008)

Last post on this blog is April 9... seems like the Android had been quite busy. Same image ad on Entrecard as well.

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 8 ---> 9
  
• Content - 7 ---> 9
  
• Coherence - 7 ---> 8
  
• Reach - 9 ---> 10
  
• Readability - 9 ---> 10
  
• Overall Rating - 8 ---> 9.2

3. Down On Our Luck (March 9, 2008)

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 7 ---> 7
  
• Content - 8 ---> 8
  
• Coherence - 5 ---> 7
  
• Reach - 7 ---> 8
  
• Readability - 7 ---> 7
  
• Overall Rating - 6.8 ---> 7.4
  

Not much of a change on this blog. The title of the posts tend to be clutter and makes it hard to read. Although I may say it is more coherent now and the Reach had improved.

4. The Diet Pulpit (March 9, 2008)

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 8
  
• Content - 8
  
• Coherence - 8
  
• Reach - 9 ---> 10
  
• Readability - 8
  
• Overall Rating - 8.2 ---> 8.4
  

Not much of a change as well for this blog except for the obvious increase in ALexa Ranking. The blog is now ranked 44,820. I have one recommendation though and that is to justify posts so that it will be more readable.

5. Entrecard Favorites (March 9, 2008)

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 5 ---> 7
  
• Content - 8
  
• Coherence - 10
  
• Reach - 8 ---> 9
  
• Readability - 8 ---> 10
  
• Overall Rating - 7.8 ---> 8.8
  

The placeholder at the bottom still exist but I see great improvement in layout, reach and readability. Great work!

6. Mind Relaxing Ideas (March 9, 2008)

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 8 ---> 10
  
• Content - 10
  
• Coherence - 8 ---> 9
  
• Reach - 7 ---> 8
  
• Readability - 7 ---> 10
  
• Overall Rating - 8 ---> 9.4
  

Great improvement when it comes to layout and readability. The new template had work positively for this blog.

7. Free XML Blogger Templates (March 12, 2008)

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 9 ---> 6
  
• Content - 10
  
• Coherence - 10
  
• Reach - 8 ---> 5
  
• Readability - 8 ---> 6
  
• Overall Rating - 9 ---> 7.4
  

I hate to give down ratings to those which I do a review for but constructively I may say that this blogs template needs some reconstruction. The very narrow post area makes the readability suffer. The attention is given more to the widgets than the site content. As a result you can see that its ranking has also suffered.

8. Michael Aulia's Blog (March 12, 2008)

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 8
  
• Content - 8
  
• Coherence - 8
  
• Reach - 9
  
• Readability - 8 ---> 10
  
• Overall Rating - 8.2 ---> 8.6
  

I can see that the readability of articles had been improved however I have some concerned with the layout and the sidebars because it seems to be neglected somewhat.

9. Jericho Monster (March 12, 2008)

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 5
  
• Content - 8
  
• Coherence - 8
  
• Reach - 8 ---> 9
  
• Readability - 6
  
• Overall Rating - 7 ---> 7.2
  

Jericho had been recalled and canceled and for the continuity of the blog the author had decided to rename it as "The Monster - The Future of Television... Now!" Well great idea to continue the blog and we hope to see more of what you write.

10. Education Connection (March 13, 2008)

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 9 ---> 7
  
• Content - 10 ---> 8
  
• Coherence - 10
  
• Reach - 3 ---> 5
  
• Readability - 9
  
• Overall Rating - 8.2 --->7.8
  

It seems that the layout had suffered this time and the content seems to be less than when I last reviewed it ... so again this is another down rating. The site had also left Entrecard.

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Learning Microstock Photography Secrets

Do you want to earn something from your online images and media? Do you want to monetize them? If you do, microstock photography is suited for you. Microstock photography is an increasing trend in photography. It is a break from the traditional way of acquiring photographs and for others a good niche for earning. Microstock photography, also known as micropayment photography, is an offshoot of traditional stock photography. A number of microstock sites also sell vector art, and some sell Flash animations and video, as well as images. Now to get the most out of that you should try and visit Microstock Secrets, a blog dedicated to this topic.

Wikipedia defines Microstock as follows:

What defines a company as a microstock photography company is that they (1) source their images almost exclusively via the Internet, (2) do so from a wider range of photographers than the traditional stock agencies (including a willingness to accept images from "amateurs" and hobbyists), and (3) sell their images at a very low rate (anywhere from $.20 - $10) for a royalty-free image.

Microstock Secrets tries to help internet surfers and enthusiasts to know the rigors behind this trade. The blog is trying to impart vital information that could help rookies to learn the trade and eventually earn from their online media.

One particular topic that interests me is the discussion about The Long Tail of Microstock Photography which discusses the niche and the positive use of the marketing idea.

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 7
  
• Content - 8
  
• Coherence - 10
  
• Reach - 7
  
• Readability - 10
  
• Overall Rating - 8.4
  

This blog has a very good layout and trendy images but again the sidebar can sometime be an eye soar to the visitor so perhaps more widget or at least something to compensate that will improve the layout.

Very informative and useful content that will make readers stay on the site for a long time. So if you want to learn on how you could earn from your photos, images and others, Microstock Secrets is the site for you.

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Teens, Pop Culture and a Blog

I find this blog's topic very interesting. Considering that teens nowadays are very different and are influenced by various means including media, environment and popular culture or pop culture. Connect with your Teens through Pop Culture and Technology, is a blog which puts into perspective a way to connect with the teens of today and the generations before them. It aims to bridge a gap that is present but is not very noticeable.

The blog talks about teens and how they live in todays technology and pop culture driven life. It talks about their life, their passion, their work and their personality. It is a good blog to be read by parents and those who want to understand teens better.

If there is one pop culture that I agree 100% with the blog author it would be the Video Game Pop Culture. I am a living witness to this pop culture because at one time I got so engage with playing Final Fantasy, Suikoden, Brigandine, Age of Empires, Civilization, Red Alert, Grand Theft Auto and many more.

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 4
  
• Content - 10
  
• Coherence - 10
  
• Reach - 9
  
• Readability - 9
  
• Overall Rating - 8.4
  

Great blog and very clean layout on the main posts but definitely needs some rebuilding on the sidebar. The amazon widget extends way beyond the template and the widgets are not arrange and label properly. But overall this blog is great.

Now lets once again connect with teens through pop culture and technology!

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Ramblings from Sri Lanka

It is nice to see a Sri Lankan on the internet and to know him through Entrecard. I do remember my Sri Lankan friends when I attended the Asia-Europe Meeting and they are very friendly and eloquent. For sure the Rambling Lankan blog is also very eloquent and a good blog to visit... that I can assure you.

This blog commonly features money making tips for your blogs like where to sign up, which affiliate to choose and many more. His post articles are very informative and I personally like the How To Look Good in Any Browser PART 1 and PART 2. Looking good in Mozilla might sometime ruin your look in Internet Explorer and that happens frequently. One of my blogs suffer from IE scripting and CSS recognition. Most of the time to solve problems like this I just recommend Firefox... well the good thing is there are indeed ways to solve this and am glad this blog had something to say.

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 6
  
• Content - 9
  
• Coherence - 10
  
• Reach - 9
  
• Readability - 10
  
• Overall Rating - 8.8
  

I really like the content of this website but I have to admit it that the layout needs some improvement. Perhaps a better header will do and more informative widgets as well.

So if you do need tips for your blog and how to make the most of it just drop by at Rumbling Lankan.

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Get Mad at that Mad Pigeon

Well I wonder what a mad pigeon really does but for this blog called Diary of the Mad Pigeon, I surely now what he does. This blog had a lot of take on news, culture, politics and many more. From the local situation to national and international situation he has something to say and most of the time they are very extraordinary.

It's a very personal take on things that most of the time it will raise eyebrows of the readers well it did made me raise an eyebrow. The very long front page puts it lots and lots of information that it can give to effects... very enlightening and good read or information overload.

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 7
  
• Content - 7
  
• Coherence - 6
  
• Reach - 1
  
• Readability - 6
  
• Overall Rating - 5.4
  

I am practically into recommending a shorter blog main page and let the readers continue reading into the other posts thru links or related articles. Oftentimes readers suffer from information overload because of too much information presented at once.

I also recommend fixing the blogroll so that it can be compressed and presented more legibly so that the exposure will increase. The header on top is not presented full as well as it was prematurely truncated.

A blog which holds lots of very useful and original information but needs improvement in order to utilize its full potential. For me, I will never miss a visit to the Diary of the Mad Pigeon.

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An Ice on the Web

Ice 9 Web whose tagline is Aice Nice Concepts is Aice Lahora's blog which discusses various issues about life, Earth and many more. Composed of very short intros with full article links this blog has a jam pack of articles which could make you glued on your sit. Issues like father's day, personal experiences, environment and many others never cease to miss the eyes of Aice.

Her blog turns one last May 13, 2008 with a Page Rank of 4 and with a total of 121 blog posts... well that impresses me.

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 8
  
• Content - 8
  
• Coherence - 6
  
• Reach - 6
  
• Readability - 8
  
• Overall Rating - 7.2
  

Coherence for her blog is only at 6 because of the wide variety of articles that the blog has which affects consistency as well. The reach was also affected because despite having a page rank of 4 its Alexa Rank is below the 500,000 mark.

Had a very simple layout with her cute pic on top of the page. I also like her celebrity lookalikes.

Here is one recommended article for further reading which could help bloggers, Google's New Navigational Links: Vertical and Horizontal Search.. and for more articles of interest you can just come and visit Aice at Ice 9 Web.

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Living and Working with Spirits

Topics like the one discussed by this blog is not new to me since I also had experiences with such. Infinite Possibility - Living and Working with Spirits is a site that gives a relatively rare perspective and topic for a blog. Discussing about astrology and the world of spirits is a topic which for many are of great interests because the do really live with us.

And the quote on the blog which says, "Limitation only exist in our minds" is indeed 100% true. Our minds limit us from seeing things which we could have seen and experience. Our fear prevents us from knowing what is existing with us.

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 8
  
• Content - 10
  
• Coherence - 10
  
• Reach - 8
  
• Readability - 9
  
• Overall Rating - 9
  

Simple layout with yet another good color scheme. A commendable blog with focus on the topics and posts. Kudos for the innovativeness and activeness in posting great articles. Although I just noticed that the site loading turns out to be a little slow and there are some broken links... although I do not know if that is with my computer only.

On another though I think the database should be worked on a bit to avoid further crash because such a crash is devastating to a website or blog.

So for your insight on the spirit world... check out Infinite Possibilities.

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Will You Mind? Not At All!

Well I would never mind reading this blog even though its entitled Will You Mind. The content of the blog contains lots of information for everyday living which makes it a must read for those who are both health conscious and environmentally inclined. I event click the RSS and subscribe to its RSS because I am very health conscious as well.

The blog has a very good layout and color scheme. It is not hard to read as well. Although the blog does not use Read More the length of the articles are relatively good so that the readers will not get bored reading it. The pictures are also appropriate for the topic on discussion.

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 9
  
• Content - 10
  
• Coherence - 10
  
• Reach - 8
  
• Readability - 9
  
• Overall Rating - 9.2
  

Two of my favorite posts are: (1) Don't Even Poisoning Yourself! which talks about a harmful content in a jelly food; and (2) Watermelon - Maybe This Fruit Not For You!

Well I also hope that the blog owner will rip the fruits from his ads which he placed on the blog because it is really a great blog... so Will You Mind? Not at all!

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The Busby SEO Challenge and Google Ranks

Well this is definitely not my regular review but upon seeing the Busby SEO Challenge blog I was thinking what is the fuzz really about SEO or Search Engine Optimization and what is this blog that talks about a challenge geared at SEO. If you win the challenge you can take home $5,000.

The mechanics is really simple.

1. Clicking through to the site
2. Fill in your details
3. Optimize the key phrase within 3 months.
   

To win this SEO Contest worth US$5,000, you will be given 3 months to use your best endeavours to optimise the key phrase so that it appears as high as possible on www.google.com, when that particular key phrase is searched for.

The contest runs from June 1, 2008, 12:00midday, Perth, Western Australia at which point the phrase will be posted on the Busby website and ends August 31, 2008, 12:00 midday, Perth, Western Australia.

SITE RATINGS:

• Layout - 3
  
• Content - 9
  
• Coherence - 10
  
• Reach - 4
  
• Readability - 8
  
• Overall Rating - 6.8
  

A very simple blog geared at promoting an SEO phrase and a competition in full mid-black color and with no graphics whatsoever.

I have not studies much about SEO nor did I dwelt seriously about it. Come to think of it how does a site gets high in Google Page Rank and how does a phrase gets up in search engines?

I remember a key word, "scandal", "pinay scandal", "gay scandals", "taboo sex" and these key words for sure can bring the hit to this post to somewhat a good level if it does work.

Based on Wikipedia's definition:

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results for targeted keywords. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the search results or the higher it "ranks", the more searchers will visit that site. SEO can also target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.

As a marketing strategy for increasing a site's relevance, SEO considers how search algorithms work and what people search for. SEO efforts may involve a site's coding, presentation, and structure, as well as fixing problems that could prevent search engine indexing programs from fully spidering a site.

Well, personally I can just say if you are up for this challenge grab your keyboard and join the Busby SEO Challenge... after all it is $5,000 at stake.

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