I'm back like Bruce Willis...with a vengance...well, maybe with a hangover and a cup of my famous rocket fuel coffee...I've been kind of M.I.A. on this site lately because school is kicking my sweet little ass (and not in a good way) and I seem to have caught everyone's illness through the intertubes (who knew viruses traveled through cable internet modems?).ANYway, I'm here today to review www.chrisdellavedova.com, and frankly, I don't get it. He's a guy who's WAY smarter than I'll ever hope to be living the ex-pat life in Europe with a cute Irish wife and an uncommonly adorable baby. And maybe it's just me, or the coffee, but I just can't get into this blog. He posts mp3's and pics of his kid, but I can't be bothered to read most of the posts in their entirety because they're all rolled up and I have to "click here to read more." The thing is, I hate when bloggers do this. I especially hate when bloggers do this for almost EVERY SINGLE POST. I know, I know, the post is probably really long, and they don't want to garbage up the main page with all those words. However, and maybe I'm just lazy, but I don't want to have to click "read more" all the time just to read your thoughts on Super Tuesday, the Super Bowl, or whatever. They're probably really smart, witty, and well thought out posts, but I'll probably never know. But that's just my feelings on it, not really a criticism, just an opinion. Unless the post is 2 screens long, go ahead and post the whole thing on your main page, all that clicking around gives me a headache, to be honest.
As for the template, three columns ain't really my thang since they tend to make your site look a little too messy and busy, but, to each his own. I like the header with his dog (Timmins! OMG!) taunting the swan, since swans are evil, horrible birds that deserve to be taunted, and makes me wonder if the dog jumped into the water and gave that devil bird what-for.
In summary, I give it
because it's probably really good and I feel bad that I didn't read much of it because I'm a lazy turd and he's got a cute family.
I really really like this guy, and his blog. The photography is the bomb, and he has kick ass taste in music. In fact, his taste in music makes me feel a little less like an odd duck in my small southern town where it appears no one but me has heard of the dandy warhols or velvet underground.
ReplyDeleteI'd seriously lose the 3 columns, though. There is nothing in this blog that needs 3 columns, and for starters, I'd lose all the busy crap that distracts me from the photography and the text. Things you don't need:
maps
recent comments
clumps of fugly meaningless buttons
blogrush
outpost earth
playlists
Your janky 3 sidebars are all outta whack in both firefox and ie, so seriously, lose them.
You have buttons at the top of your blog for navigation purposes, so put your shit up there, behind a button, in the same way you did your other stuff neatly and tidily hidden off your front page. Seriously.
I'd probably have given you an "i fucking love you" if your 3 column clusterfuck design hadn't bothered me so much.
Clean it up, baby. Because your blog is good, and all that shit is a distraction from your (very good) writing. Just my 2 cents.
Not all the 'read more' hacks take you to a new page. I have them on mine, and if you click, it just expands the post right there on the page, immediately. You can toggle it back to the summary too when you are finished.
ReplyDeleteI have firefox too and his template looks fine in my browser. Sometimes its not he browser, but the version of windows it's designed for.
I love this guy too!
Yeah, I don't really dig on the whole 3 column thing, which probably contributed to my not wanting to read it and I was really put off by the rolling up of every post. But, yeah, it would be a great blog if I didn't have to do that.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like it much. I found it busy and even more busy. He needs to do a Flylady super fling boogie on his site to get rid of the clutter.
ReplyDeleteI agree that his sidebars could be cleaned up, but damn. Why the fuck is Bitter Mistress even "reviewing" when she admits she never actually reads an entire post and fully admits that she is lazy about it? If you are going to half-ass it, just don't do it. Ask/Receive--put her on layaway until she gets her school shit out of the way and can do a proper job. There are plenty of people out in the blogosphere who would do twice the job she does and be happy for the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think someone wants a job. I freely admit that I'm lazy, but I qualify my laziness to clicking a link to read a post. I would have been more than happy to read the posts if I didn't have to click "read more." The only thing that would make me click "read more" is if the title would have been "Pics of my ginormous dick" or "The hottest sex I've ever had in my life."
ReplyDeleteAnd I didn't half ass it, for your info, I spent an hour clicking around that site and spent another hour writing that motherfucking review. If you have a problem with it, blow me.
If I'm telling the truth, I am actually flattered by Bitter Mistress's review, but then I've always had a masochistic streak. I agree with you on the three panel thing (as well as Love Bites' suggestions on what to discard) and the next time I've got a couple of hours to fuck about with it, will fix that. I disagree about the read more thing - when I go to a site if there's a long rambling post that I'm not interested in, I'm too lazy to scroll down to the next. I'd rather see the first paragraph of several posts and then pick the one that sounds good. How much energy does it take to click your mouse button?
ReplyDeleteI think I got the Simon Cowell of "Ask and Ye Shall Receive", but like Cowell at least the criticism is straightforward. Thank you miss, may I have another?
Thanks for jumping to my defense, NATUI! You're a star!
Oh, and BTW, my partner Sinead is now (not so) secretly hooked on your site so I may add a link to make her navigation easier...
Just a moment...let me get this....you're judging the blog on the number of sidebars and widgets? And the fact that he doesn't put each post in YOUR FACE??????
ReplyDeletePerhaps I'm old fashioned...strike that.....thank FUCK I'm old fashioned but I revel in the intellect and wit of this man which I discovered by.....fuck me! reading his POSTS!!!!!
I am deeply concerned for the immediate gratification generation.
I went camping last weekend and had no internet. I would have been fucking delighted if Chris had come down to my campsite to chat and share a few bevvies. I know that because I read his blog.
How can you be so unashamedly lazy?
It is indicative of the current generation.
PLEASE respond and bite ME!
Sorry...I meant blow me.
ReplyDeleteI think some people are forgetting that I gave Chris's site a favorable review...two stars people! Two stars! Are people really that sensitive about a site that they don't even write? I'm glad Chris came by and said he was pleased with his review and I'm glad he's gonna keep rollin' up those posts like it ain't no thang, cuz it's his blog and right or wrong, my opinion is my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAnd arizaphale, you don't know which generation I'm from, and fer chrissakes, it's just the internet. Relax...
Wow.
ReplyDeleteI've punched a guy in the face who didn't overreact as badly as Arizaphale...odd, especially for someone who didn't even get THEIR blog reviewed.
You'd think the lovely Mistress kicked Chris in the junk and choked his children unconscious, fer chrissakes.
Can I call "dibs" should Arizaphale submit her blog?
Sweeeet.
I liked it. Way too much going on in the sidebars, but I'd say it's far and away better than some of the stuff I've been giving 2 stars to. Maybe I should rethink my criteria.
ReplyDelete