One of the many things about our world that I don't understand is blogging awards. I don't mean the ejaculatory "I Heart Ur Blog" things that meme hounds pass around to one another. I mean the purportedly big ones – The Bloggies and The Bloggers Choice Awards and that sort of palaver. What's the criteria? What, exactly, is being awarded? I'm hoping you hip Ask kids can give me the 411 on blog awards. Do hip kids still say "the 411"?I ask because today’s reviewee is nominated for the Best Australian Blog in one of these award sites. And to be honest, I just don’t know why.
I had high hopes for Frog Ponds Rock. I always like to find some quality Antipodean talent and Kim is the mother of Sleepless Night’s Veronica, who justifiably got a positive review over here a while back. There's a lot of save the whales, clean up the ocean, anti-censorship and peace, love and understanding. Man. And there’s recipes and memes and blahdey fucking blah.
Kim also posts a lot of photos. Nice photos to be sure. Lots of native wildlife and lovely scenery. Makes one want to take a trip down to Tassie. All very nice. (One suggestion – change your header photo. You clearly know your way around a camera and the gum tree bark is, well, nice but you could do better.)
But we don’t traditionally review photo blogs here at Ask, we look at the writing. And the writing on Frog Ponds Rock is nothing special. It is fine. It is nice. It is grammatically correct. What there is very little of is anything that makes me want to come back and read this blog. The more I read, the more I found my mind wandering off. It just isn’t compelling. It is a bit dull. And that’s the story of this blog. Nice, but a bit dull.
Her art, though, is very cool. And I like the slightly guerrilla aspect of hiding objects in nooks and crannies along a trail in wildlife park. Maybe that’s where you take this blog Kim, treat it as you do your artwork. Write with passion and artistry and if you can’t summon that in your writing then post your artwork and let it speak for you.
So, good luck in the awards. Feel free to send us a thank you in your acceptance speech. But all this reviewer has for you is one star for nice.
Well it is a good thing that I am nice then, isn't it. Thankyou for a nice review.
ReplyDeletewell, as a self-proclaimed connoisseur of new media & Pop Culture, (AKA I'm a loser that does nothing but watch youtube videos and jerk off,) blog awards are basically a popularity contest.
ReplyDeleteDon't take me wrong I would love to win one, but since I probably won't I'm just here to spread the hate.
What's up with "Ask"? I can't see posts older than Rassles' review on my phone.
ReplyDelete@Thanatos, look at it in Firefox. Something in the post busts IE but good.
ReplyDeleteCursory glance at the reviewee: spot on review.
ReplyDeleteNo FF or IE on the jesus phone - safari only. It used to work until last week, wondering what's going on that's all.
ReplyDeleteyour phone is the mythical son of god?
ReplyDeleteI'm told Steve Jobs is bigger than god to his disciples - his touchscreen creation quailifes as the messiah.
ReplyDeleteHow deep did you go in her blog? The Kim I know is quite a bit edgier than that. Odd.
ReplyDeleteI had a jesus phone once. It kept dying on me and then coming back to life three days later.
ReplyDeleteWhat is with the sudden change of font? It is driving the whole north wing of my ward into hyper hysterics.
ReplyDeleteOh, and they all agree with Kim:
nice review. Very nice.
I'm curious as to how much of the blog you actually read. All of the links are from the front page.
ReplyDeleteDid you check out the Best Of at all?
Whoops, I meant to say from the front *two* pages. Missing a word there.
ReplyDeleteGood thing froggy put her art work on the homepage otherwise you would have missed it. There is a lot more to this blog than recipes and memes.
ReplyDeleteIn the age of digital, everyone can take a very good picture now and then. I read several pieces from the best of and was underwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteI read back a few months, but focused on the more recent things. To be fair, I didn't look at the 'best of'. And shan't. Just not my demitasse of espresso, if you catch my drift. I mean it's all very, fuck, nice but just not compelling. Just doesn't make you want to go looking for more. I can think of a half dozen better Australian blogs as well off the top of my head - and no, I'm not including my own - so they award thing may of made me more critical.
ReplyDelete@ Professor Booty there are much worse things in life than to be called nice. I asked, I received. I am a big girl. I am pleased you liked my ceramics.
ReplyDeleteProfessor,
ReplyDeleteI think the "need to post" overwhelms at times. I used to think I needed to post every other day. Now I post when I have something to say. If it's once a week, so be it. I notice that some of my favorites post only 3 times a month--but it's always worth the wait.
@ Prof Booty - Now I'm curious as to who you think the better blogs are. Not to compare, or to be snarky - promise - just because I really need more Aussie blogs for my reader and I am always hunting for recommendations.
ReplyDeleteThat's just me though.
I'm glad you liked her ceramics as well, they're amazing to touch and hold. Even nicer than the photos suggest.
Veronica - Yours for one. Also:
ReplyDeletehttp://nigelfeatherstone.wordpress.com/
http://edenriley.blogspot.com/
http://nursemyra.wordpress.com/
http://itallstarted.wordpress.com/
OK, that's only 5 off the top of my head.
Thanks for that Prof, I'll be checking them out tonight. I'm thrilled you like mine too. You know I've got 2 blogs now, right? Second one is up for review here sometime in the future. I'm trying not to think about it.
ReplyDeleteVeronica, I have to tell you - those horses you rescued? I find that incredible. Belle is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteBelle is amazing. She was meant to leave for a new home now she's rehabbed, but it hasn't eventuated. That's not the other blog up for review, I keep forgetting to update it. So I suppose I've got 3 of them. God, no wonder I'm busy.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if I count as an Aussie blog? I'm with Here in Franklin, I post when I have something to say. I wish I could clear my damn google reader out, but the daily bloggers won't let me.
ReplyDeleteI kinda have been expecting this in a way...
ReplyDeleteBut I reali dun think da world is going to end...start a new era maybe but the world is not ending.
That's not gonna happen till a thousand years later! Ok, I'm not sure bout that either but that's not the point! The world's not gonna end! Full stop!
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