Blogbuzz

Be Your Own Detective is an educational type of blog where you can learn a lot about ways to find out things about people using online resources. From simple advice such as googling yourself, that blind date your friend set you up with, or a potential employee to things like getting credit reports and other information in public records to make sure that it’s accurate.

One of the posts that I’m sure will be a strong traffic magnet for some time to come is titled “My Super Duper Free Links Page“. It contains a huge list of links that are useful for conducting different kinds of investigations, most of which are free.

The list ranges from State Public Records Links and Government Agencies to Law Enforcement and Intelligence Agencies

Readability 9

Text color used is #40454B (dark gray, almost black) text in a 12 point ‘Verdana’ font makes reading pretty easy. Personally, I would have just made the text black instead of any shade of gray.

Layout 9

A customized Blogger layout where the content loads on the left side before the sidebar starts loading.

Load time 7.5
It’s a bit long in loading, firebug reports 136 requests (1.03mb) loaded in 24.66 seconds, however since the post content loads early and the scroll is so easy even while loading, the load time isn’t really an issue.

Scrollability 9.8

There is only a slight hesitation as the page first begins to load and then it scrolls effortlessly even though the page is still loading.

Writing 9.5

The writer has an informative style that’s tempered with a bit of humor and shameless self-promotion thrown in for good measure. Overall it’s a very educational read for those wanting to learn how to find out things about themselves or others online.

Total Score 44.8

Be Your Own Detective BuzzRank 89.6%

Technorati Tags: buzzrank, detective advice, blog review, detective blog

Life With Rog is more than just another “married with children” type of blog because the author is a Christian who doesn’t mind letting his faith show in all sorts of little ways in a lot of his postings as well as the cool video in footer called “Everyday Life”.

He shows a real talent for writing and presenting a story in such a way as to keep you glued to it looking for more. A great example is Battle : This author’s True Account, which is indeed a harrowing tale.

Readability 9.2
Font size and color combinations make for an easy read. No highliting or magifying needed.

Layout 8.2
looks like a standard “blogger” layout in shades of brown and tan. It grows a horizontal scroll in my 1024 wide browser but the main content is on the left side so you don’t have to side-scroll in order to read it.

Load time 7.5
Firebug reports 115 request (655k) in 19.96seconds…

Scrollability 9.5
a tad sluggish while the site loads and then perfect after that.

Writing 9.5
He talks a lot about his family life, parenting, and offers a Christian point of view in in his writing which makes “Life With Rog” different from most blogs. It’s definitely one to add to your routine reading list.

Total Score 43.9

Life With Rog BuzzRank 87.8%

Technorati Tags: family life, christian blog, christian values, christian point of view, buzzrank, blog review, christian blogger, blog review, family values

All by itself, Blog Hunting is a name that catches my eye because I think that even those who are subscribed to a lot of things are always interested in finding stuff they haven’t seen before. Part of the problem with doing that is that it can sometimes take a surprising amount of effort and searching to find the really good blogs.

Blog Hunting takes some of the effort out of that because the author is only writing about sites that she finds interesting or useful in some way. For example “Cute And Fuzzy Is Right!” is about a blog that’s loaded with irrepressibly cute animal pics. “Not Your Typical Pastor’s Wife” talks about a blog with that pronouncement scrolling across the top and is loaded with a variety of humor.

Some might wonder why I would mention or recommend another source of blog reviews, thinking that perhaps I’m helping the competition. However every reviewer has a different style and taste, just as every reader has their own likes and dislikes. I think it’s safe to say that anytime you’re looking (dare I say hunting?) for interesting blogs to read, Blog Hunting is a good place to check.

Readability 10

Good color and font size combinations make for easy reading without having to magnify or highlight the text

Layout 9.5

A two column layout that dedicates more than 3/4 of the screen to post content, leaving a single sidebar for navigation elements and Mybloglog and Blogcatalog widgets. There isn’t any advertising elements there as of this writing however it could easily accommodate some without taking away from the primary content.

Load time 9.5

Very good. Firebug reports 41 requests (170kb) loaded in 7.69seconds

Scrollability 9.5

Scrolls smoothly without problems. The scrollbar got a little ’sticky’ while the page loaded but it loads fast enough to more than make up for it.

Writing 10

Reading this blog kinda feels like you’re chatting with a friend about interesting things they’ve found online. It’s a light, friendly style that makes the reader welcome. Something that I think the Internet could use a lot more of.

Total Score 48.5

Blog Hunting BuzzRank 97%

Technorati Tags: 97% buzzrank, buzzrank, blog hunting, good blogs, blogs, blog review, recommended blog, review

A Short Tail is a relatively young blog that as yet has only 11 entries on it so far, nine of which are short stories presented by the persona of “Italics The Cat”. The stories themselves cover quite a range. From the thought provoking Monica’s Day Off to funny yet at the same time moving stories like Burgers In The Dumpster. The stories aren’t limited to a single chapter either, Wendell In The China Shop continues the story that began with Burgers In The Dumpster and leaves plenty of room for more parts to the story.

Readability 10

Font size and text colors choices make this very easy to read without any magnifiying or highlighting tricks needed. Links are obvious because of their colors and underlining but at the same time they’re not glaringly “in your face”

Layout 9.9

A Short Tail uses a basic 2 column design with a single sidebar puts the posts in the primary focus. Sidebar links are available but not overly conspicous

Load time 9.9

I honestly don’t think I’ve seen a better page loading time for a blog. Firebug reports 15 requests (95kb) loaded in 4.75 seconds flat.

Scrollability 10

Scrolling is smooth and easy from the second the scrollbar appears.

Writing 10

I can’t help it, I REALLY like the stories appearing on A Short Tail and not just because I’m prejudiced either. They’re simply some really great stories.

Total Score 49.8

A Short Tail BuzzRank 99.6%

Technorati Tags: blog, blog review, story blog, review, 99.6% buzzrank, buzzrank, short stories, recommended blog, writing blog