Blog Evaluations

Evaluating the blog creations of my fellow classmates revealed that blogs are reflections of the very people who put them together. Regardless of the individual’s experience or their tech-savvy, each person’s characteristics, especially their writing style, eventually emerges from within their tiny piece of cyberspace. As I evaluated each of my classmates, I couldn’t help to engage in an ongoing subconscious comparison of their product versus mine, and to pick certain qualities of their blogs that I wish to incorporate into mine, and others that I would prefer to steer clear from. As required by the assignment, I evaluated each blog for purpose, design, content, audience, and then made recommendations on those criteria.

The first blog that I evaluated was that of Andrea Alpin, located at http://andrea-ridingthecommunicationwave.blogspot.com/. I have shared a few classes with Andrea during my time here at Ashford, so I was a little familiar with her style. Based on Andrea’s bio, and on the content of her blog, I could tell that she’s not a novice when it comes to social applications like blogs. I felt her to be an experienced blogger who, by her own admission, has a “a taste for communications.” Her confidence and free use of different fonts and colors leads one to believe that she has used blogs in the past. She indicated as much in her profile, and stated that she has used blogs to promote herself, and several other different kinds of events or businesses, such as concerts and real estate. Her approach to blogging is very personal. She has a casual writing style, and is not averse to sharing personal stories. Even though her casual style reflects her primary audience (her classmates and professor), I also believe Andrea would easily adjust to writing more seriously or professionally, if the situation called for it.

The second blog that I evaluated belongs to Tisha Daniels, located at http://growingup-tdl.blogspot.com/. Tisha has no profile, so it was hard to gauge the purpose of her blog. Obviously, her blog is required by the course, but were it not for this first-hand knowledge, I would be hard-pressed to understand why she was authoring a blog. However, what Tisha lacks in background, she more than makes-up for it in style and design. Tisha, by far, has the best looking background and design. Granted, Google provided her the template, but Tisha beat everyone to the punch, and had I gotten there first, I would have picked the same template for I feel it is the most visually appealing one of all. As with Andrea, the content is based on the class assignments, but her contributions are thorough and well thought out. Her design and writing style reeks of professionalism. Tisha’s audience is her classmates and her professor, and while she has several followers, she has only received one comment in the past 4 weeks. My recommendations to Tisha would be to include a more detailed profile or bio, and perhaps a picture. Both would add character to an already eye appealing blog. Other than that, I think Tisha is doing a good job.

The last blog I evaluated was Johnny Goolsby’s contribution, located at http://johnnieshope.blogspot.com/. Johnny appears to be a seasoned blogger and web user. She has a very clearly stated purpose, which is “to bring hope to those that dream big!” She identifies herself as a “Christian author and motivational speaker” who uses her blog to promote her values and beliefs. Her blog has the feel of a periodical publication, such as a web magazine. The layout is simple, yet full of information. Her full bio is complimented with a picture, so you can “put a face with the name,” sort of speaking. I think this adds personality to a blog; a quality that allows a reader to get closer with the author. Johnny’s blog even has Google Advertisements on the right side column, which provides a more professional touch to the blog. She also provides links to her own personal web site, and other links of interest. As with Andrea and Tisha, Johnny’s audience is her classmates and professor, but I have a feeling that Johnny is using this blog for more than just her course requirements. With Google Adds and a link to her personal site, she is obviously interested in parlaying this assignment into increased traffic to her web site; a simple way of self promoting your web based presence. Johnny enjoys four followers, and has received two comments in the past four weeks. It’s obvious that Johnny is taking advantage of the full spectrum of blog offerings. Other than some minor cosmetic improvements, I would not change much else. If Johnny is happy, and she’s generating hits, then her blog is working just fine.