In a previous post, I analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of a number of entertainment news resources that I found while searching the web. Most of the sites were of general news and information, so this week I decided to look for entertainment blogs. I again applied the Webby Awards and IMSA criteria and added the blogs to the linkroll on the right. The first blog I came upon was Blogs.NYPost, which is well-organized with the posts in the center of the page and a simple search bar on the right. However, the lower section of the page has much unused space, which is obvious due to its different color from the post area. The Projectionist uses large, high-quality graphics to complement the posts, but because the bottom post of the page dates back so far as six months ago, the page is slow to load with the high number of posts. Similarly, In The Company of Glenn has multiple posts on its front page which should be limited. The blog makes up in visual comfort with a basic black and white interface that allows easy reading. The next two blogs have numerous authors, resulting in multiple posts in only a few days. Cinematical mixes advertisements in between posts, though, and the “Explore” drop-down navigational menu on The Movie Blog is blocked by an advertisement. Film Rotation provides many links to news sites, other blogs, and comments to posts, but among these links are advertisements that are discreetly blended in. IndieWIRE presents blogs from their own writers and also blogs around the web. The large site map at the top of the page is distracting but can be closed. A younger audience is addressed in MTV Movies Blog, but the three columns of text are too close and need to be distinctly separated with either more space between them or with vertical lines. Two of the blogs struggle with utilizing space on the left and right of their pages. Starplus Entertainment News Blog, though, abbreviates the posts to the starting few sentences and a picture, which make it simple to quickly search through the topics. BlogDance takes posts from all over the world and puts them onto one page. There is much to be said about the current events taking place in the entertainment industry, and the presence of these blogs and many others prove that people are out there spreading their voice.
3/27/08
Hearing Voices: The Entertainment Blogosphere
In a previous post, I analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of a number of entertainment news resources that I found while searching the web. Most of the sites were of general news and information, so this week I decided to look for entertainment blogs. I again applied the Webby Awards and IMSA criteria and added the blogs to the linkroll on the right. The first blog I came upon was Blogs.NYPost, which is well-organized with the posts in the center of the page and a simple search bar on the right. However, the lower section of the page has much unused space, which is obvious due to its different color from the post area. The Projectionist uses large, high-quality graphics to complement the posts, but because the bottom post of the page dates back so far as six months ago, the page is slow to load with the high number of posts. Similarly, In The Company of Glenn has multiple posts on its front page which should be limited. The blog makes up in visual comfort with a basic black and white interface that allows easy reading. The next two blogs have numerous authors, resulting in multiple posts in only a few days. Cinematical mixes advertisements in between posts, though, and the “Explore” drop-down navigational menu on The Movie Blog is blocked by an advertisement. Film Rotation provides many links to news sites, other blogs, and comments to posts, but among these links are advertisements that are discreetly blended in. IndieWIRE presents blogs from their own writers and also blogs around the web. The large site map at the top of the page is distracting but can be closed. A younger audience is addressed in MTV Movies Blog, but the three columns of text are too close and need to be distinctly separated with either more space between them or with vertical lines. Two of the blogs struggle with utilizing space on the left and right of their pages. Starplus Entertainment News Blog, though, abbreviates the posts to the starting few sentences and a picture, which make it simple to quickly search through the topics. BlogDance takes posts from all over the world and puts them onto one page. There is much to be said about the current events taking place in the entertainment industry, and the presence of these blogs and many others prove that people are out there spreading their voice.
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First off, I like how you referred back to your previous post and explained how you found general news and information sites using the Webby Awards and IMSA criteria. It gives the reader a chance to go back and look at your other resources and compare them to your most recent findings. Discovering ten blogs relating to entertainment probably came as a challenge, so I applaud your effort and dedication to the subject of your own blog. The world of entertainment is a norm in our society, so being able to read about it everyday and get different peoples’ opinions is entertaining in itself. You may have disagreed with many opinions on these blogs you have found, but I’m pretty sure you have agreed with some and even gained more knowledge from them about the entertainment world.
In general, I enjoyed your thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of these blogs. It definitely helps a generic reader like myself understand more about the performance of these blogs, and if they are up to par. Exploring the web for entertainment news can be easy, but finding what others think can sometimes be difficult. I was also wondering if you discovered any “gossip” blogs that you believe are appropriate in your blog? And how do these blogs compare to general news sites?
For the blogs that have excess space on the bottom or sides of the page, what do you suggest they fill that space up with? I know advertisements are common, but they can get annoying like you mentioned for a couple of the blogs. Would graphics, quotes, links, or anything else relating to entertainment be appropriate?
I believe the graphic in your post, although relevant to your post title, does not really relate to the entertainment blogosphere. This may confuse some readers, but once you get to the end of the post the purpose of the graphic and post title become clearer. Also, the linkroll is effective and the links to the different blogs are excellent and easy to find.
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