From the feedback I have received, I will not give blogs a grade nor focus too much on grammatical or spelling errors. Instead, I will place all my attention on the overall content and design. If the content sounds rough or awkward overall, I will indicate it in my suggestion that he/she should work more on their writing. Even with the changes I made, I will not tell anyone who I voted for.
Since I fell behind yesterday, I decided to combine parts 2 and 3 together. If you are the author of these blogs, please take the criticism with a grain of salt.
Draggle’s Anime Blog
Accessed April 16, 2012
Ironically, it’s better than what I did when I started blogging back in 2009. Just make your reviews a bit more detailed since some of them are lacking and write more editorial content to bring more discussion. Also, write more information about yourself on the “about” page. This will help people like me to learn more about you.
Polychromium
Accessed April 17, 2012
Your reviews aren’t bad since I liked how you broke down everything in detail. However, they had a dull feeling to it with no enthusiasm. Aside from that, the design looks decent overall.
Those Damn Cartoons
Accessed April 17,2012
Although the content is excellent, the posts are way too long. Use the “Insert More Tag” so your post index looks cleaner and we don’t have to keep scroll. In addition, you should split up the reviews into separate posts so readers can just focus on what you have to say about a specific series.
Also, your blog could use a header image of some sort and don’t forget to add an archive/category widget.
iSugoi
Accessed April 17, 2012
I liked how the posts are organized. However, I noticed that there is a general lack of comments in your posts. Try to engage with your readers and comment more on other blogs.
Baka Laureate
Accessed April 17, 2012
I don’t have much to say, but I enjoyed reading the editorials Kizzlybear wrote. Also, the design looks good.
Caraniel’s Ramblings
Accessed April 18, 2012
Although I have read some of Caraniel’s posts in the past, I enjoyed her writing. I also commend her for being brave in watching terrible Anime and reviewing them so others don’t have to watch it. As for the design, I liked it.
Angryjellyfish’s Blog
Accessed April 18, 2012
Your writing caught my attention in all the posts besides the episodics. The main problem I see is the synopsis overtaking your thoughts. It’s okay to put some summary to help support your thoughts, but don’t overdo it! An episodic post should consist mostly of thoughts and analysis.
If you still feel the need to write a synopsis, write it in one or two paragraphs separate from your thoughts.
Anime Picks
Accessed April 18, 2012
From first impressions, there are a few things about the design that sticks out. First, some people will find floating bars very annoying and unnecessary. Instead of using that, incorporate a search box and follow buttons into your layout.
The content is okay, but it doesn’t really interest me that much.
Kuuki no Puraido
Assessed April 18, 2012
The content is fine, but few of the sentences sounded a bit rough. I realize that English might be a second language for you, so it’s understandable.
As for the design, it looks pretty and clean.
The Notaku Blog
Accessed April 18, 2012
Although this blog concentrates mostly on episodic posts, they were a pleasure to read. My only complaint is the two column layouts since they generally feel outdated. Also, the blog could use a header image to spruce up the overall design.
Beneath the Tangles
Accessed April 18, 2012
I liked how the author of Beneath the Tangles established a niche on examining the themes of Christianity while making it accessible to everyone. It’s something that we tend to overlook since religious themes in Anime are usually subtle.
Anime Tree
Accessed April 18, 2012
The overall design looks cluttered and inconsistent. First off, you should not decorative fonts like Papyrus or Comic Sans anywhere except in the header image or text. It doesn’t look professional and could turn off some people since these fonts are not comfortable to read. Also, don’t overuse widgets and avoid using a two-column layout. Only add the ones you think your readers will use.
As for the writing, it feels rough and doesn’t bring much excitement. I suggest making your content more interesting and polish it so they have a reason to read your posts.
Subdued Fangirling
Accessed April 18, 2012
The content sounds interesting and has caught my attention even though I haven’t watched the show for the post I sampled. Aside from that, the writing is good and the design looks appealing and organized. My only complaint is the unreadable links in the twitter widget.
Ephemeral Dreams
Accessed April 18, 2012
Believe it or not, Ephemeral Dreams is an up and coming editorial blog. The author writes many interesting things regarding anime, which makes it a pleasure to read. For the blog’s design, it looks simple, but good.
Ace Railgun
Accessed April 18,2012
Although the author faced an unfortunate accident yesterday morning, I felt bad for him. Even so, his posts are direct, which makes them a pleasurable reading experience. The only thing I didn’t like is the theme since the grey text doesn’t blend well with a dark grey background. On the other hand, his mascots that he came up for the blog look great.
Nice write up on these blogs we have been doing the same over at Metanorn, but it really can be quite tough to judge other bloggers….since I practically talk to them weekly on Twitter and skype! Also voting wow tough calls to make when two friends are up against each other I guess flipping a coin helps lol.
I had to do that with Ephemeral Dreams vs Ace Railgun because they are both good blogs… but for the most part, the voting is very straightforward since I know which one has problems and such. Of course, I like to hear some of what the authors think about my suggestions as I revised how I done them…
Also, I think I will do two days at a time. It’s easier that way and causes less clutter than each post per day. It also allows me to think about it before writing.
Thanks for the kind words. 🙂
No problem and good luck in the next round. 🙂