Business and Commerce blogs

Blog name: Workhappy

What is it?

A collection of resources for Entrepreneurs including custom software, services, and tweaks to aid them in business. Mostly centers around specialist knowledge.

Who set it up/maintains it?

This blog looks like a one man affair, the main author being a certain Carson McComas. Carson is an American internet marketing consultant, self professed "change-agent" and writer.

Why?

Carson is himself an entrepreneur which would give some explanation to his keenness to establish this blog and share his knowledge with others in a similar position. His reviews feature technological products and services such as "Rescue time" (for time management) and various google products. He also reviews a series of business publications. Each review provides a link to the commercial outlet for said product, however it is unclear whether Carson makes revenue from this linkage. Financial motives can therefore not be deciphered, that aside his reviews seem balanced and honest. The blog itself is a structured around a good business concept of luring in customers with free reviews and encouraging them to buy the products on sale.

Who visits?

Given the writing style and layout this blog is clearly aimed at Entreprenuers with a vested interest in technology, or to a lesser extent casual enthusiasts in that area. To make full use of the material posted there you would need to wield a medium to comprehensive understanding of the current state of play of technology. Without this prior knowledge you would struggle to make use of the conlusions listed there. Reading the comments on some of the blog posts it would seem the most active members of the site are the typical freelance or small firm IT or web designers. However even though I am niether of the above I still find interest in some of the material.

Stats?

Some rough figures are provided here:

http://siteanalytics.compete.com/workhappy.net/?metric=uv

From the chart we see roughly 9000 unique visitors to the site each month. This puts it at the lower end compared to a blog like slashdot.org, but also shows that there is a dedicated base of readers who most likely return to the webpage regularly to read new updates because they like what they have read before! It is also worth noting that the site has 9304 active subscriptions to its RSS feed.

Verdict?

A good concept and one that I am sure has aided many of its loyal readers by providing them with new ways to improve their business The layout is clean and makes it easy to search through archives and reviews which is refreshing. The blog posts focus on well selected topics that provide a genuine insight into how a small firm or entreprenuer can fully utilize what is on offer. The reviews are comprehensive and seemingly unbiased and the direct links to online product availability save time for those who wish to follow up on the reviews. Layout of each post is also good, with a clear structure and analysis model. Overall however the blog is a little simplistic providing little more than what is on the main page. For this reason I question how long the blog would realistically hold a readers attention.

Rating?

4/5 A solid concept and well written content make this well worth a look if you fit the specific demographic that Carson is aiming for. A valid business tool for the shrewd entreprenuer.

Rivals and alternatives?

A San-Fransisco based business blog looking at a similar field to workhappy but with a less personal edge. It looks slightly further into the business and political repercussions of technology. A classic topical example of writing style on the theme of the American election is "New Obama Ad: McCain "Can't Send An E-Mail". This blog also extends its news remit into new businesses and current market climate. Novel features such as "startup of the week" are a nice addition and provide a rich bed of information for the reader. Whilst workhappy focused on the more personable approach to working with small business, infoweek hosts stories of more interest for larger companies and discusses the problems faced when leveraging new strategies and IT methods. Also with 1.5 million unique visitors a month it somewhat dwarfs workhappy's audience.

Rating: 3.5/5 Good material and some interesting angles. Provides comprehensive ciritical analysis but may be a bit heavy for the casual reader. Ideal for tech-savvy corporates.

Again aimed at small business owners this blog aims to be a round-up of useful information from across the board. Well organised topics under technology, business, marketing etc. make this a really useful little blog for someone in the business startup position. It is the first blog to set up a designated podcast of its material and of course provides a standard RSS feed as well. Useful posts and clear labelling make it easy to pick out what you want to view. However some would argue the page can get a little busy at times with all the information presented at once. Overall a very slick blog with an author who clearly practises what he preaches!

Rating: 4.5/5 A gem of a resource, and one I intend to use myself in the future!

Science and Technology blogs

Blog name: Slashdot

What is it?

A blog on emerging Science and Technology reviewed by enthusiasts with a slight satirical and informal edge to the writings. Not originally specifically intended to be a blog but has evolved and due to its popularity and regular updates has taken on blog-status.

Who set it up/maintains it?

The blog is owned by open source champions "sourceforge". It is managed by a small team of experts who take care of the various aspects of the blog. It was founded and is principally operated by Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda (prolific geek, columnist and technological critic)- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Malda

Who visits?

The content could be deemed suitable for the casual fan of science and technology, however the blog is sometimes sighted as having a 2-tiered reader base. Both "techno-elite" and "noobs" coexist on the page however due to the authors it is not unusual to see writing style and opinions slanting towards the more knowledgeable webusers with very little sympathy for any techno-dinosaurs. Not necessarily a bad thing but dont expect lots of simplified diagrams or any hint of a glossary if you get lost.

Why is it there?

Primarily as outlet for the authors who have vested interests in the technological fields. Not really run as a business with no obvious profit being made apart from a few adverts and an optional subscription (not necessary for most). There is heavy user contribution and commenting so it can be assumed the authors can gleam a substantial amount of feedback for their own use should they want to.

Stats?

Not being a profit-driven operation stats for slashdot are reasonably easy to obtain. Here is what I managed to find:

320,709 visits per day (according to http://www.statbrain.com/www.slashdot.com/)
Number of posts: 13988544
Number of members: 880049
Post per member ratio: 11 (according to http://www.big-boards.com/board/628/)

These stats put it roughly level with rival http://www.theregister.com/ which provides similar information in a similar format.

Verdict?

This site is a personal favourite. It has a nice mix of topics on there for someone of my techie background and they remain unpretentious and amusing whilst still getting the facts across. There is the danger of getting bogged down in excessive detail of beta releases and security vulnerabilities etc but they do not overpower the reader too much. The site is especially good when used in a newsreader program as the titles and tag-lines catch the attention where most other blog posts wouldnt. Another nice touch is the sparing, but novel use of images. Blog posts usually consist of an article summary and an external link to the full story, this means that only a small image is required. Those used serve to summarise the article in visual format. For example a story about a spat between Google and Microsoft over search engines would consist of: google logo, msn logo, and a spyglass. Sounds simple but comes off well and helps if you are in a rush.

Rating?

4/5 A really decent site if you are a self-proffessed geek. Some innacuracies and excess detail detract from what is a very worthwhile addition to your newsreader.

Rivals and alternatives?

As mentioned this page follows a very similar model and is widely considered to have blog-like qualities. It is a Britsh-based technology page that gives reviews and news with an satirical edge. Because of this is attracts a certain (potentially slightly pessimistic) reader, however they often make some good points about the world of technology and business. With a tagline of "biting the hand that feeds IT" you can guess that it rarely minces its words when it comes to reviews or reporting. Not a bad site if you get on with the writing style and authors agenda, otherwise might be best avoided.

3/5 Not right for everyone, but definately a quality blog. Give it a try..

digg.com is a much more diverse blog-type page. It features news from across the board however still provides a decent selection of well written technology posts (easier to find if you use the customizable filters). This blog has become so popular that it has coined the legendary "digg it" feature on many other pages by different authors. This mechanism allows users to quickly and easily mark what they "approve of". This means that rating articles by popularity is extremely easy. This provides a nice dimension of user interaction and along with the superb layout this is very nicely rounded little blog.

5/5 Technically difficult to fault. Perhaps not as specialised as the alternatives but a clean writing style and diverse reporting base mean I feel it is probably your best bet unless you are an avid fan of the unique character of slashdot or the register.

Entertainment blogs

Blog name: Guardian Film Blog

What is it?

The Guardian film blog is a topical film blog featuring news and reviews from the movie world. New articles are added a few times a day on average, and feature a good amount of images and film clips to keep them interesting. Content varies from full-blown reviews to stories of interest or sneak-peaks of future developments.

Who set it up/maintains it?

The blog is commissioned and funded by the Guardian Media Group. Reviews and articles are contributed by various writers across the group giving a decent range of writing styles. Some recent contributors are Ben Child (a Journalist, DJ, and producer), William Leith (author), and Dave Hill (novelist, blogger, long standing journalist).

Why is it there?

From the looks of it this blog is mainly there to provide an outlet for the diverse range of authors on the Guardians staff. It is part of a larger group of culture blogs and as such provides reciprocal links to them. One can assume that it follows the usual motivation of catching some web searchers with the popular content it provides and luring them into other areas of the Guardian website. There is the token selection of advertising for both Guardian and external products as well as a more focused link to a Guardian online DVD shop (cunningly secreted next to the film reviews sections..)

Who visits?

It would be safe to assume that the page is there at least in part as an extra service for loyal Guardian readers as well as the passing trade. From the look of the feedback to some of the articles the main demographic are film enthusiasts who can tend to be rather opinionated! A prime example being the agrieved response when one of the authors confused the siginificance of a red uniform in the Star Trek Series (http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2008/aug/11/firstlookatsimonpeggasst)

Stats?

Newspapers are notoriously protective of their subscription statistics so detailed information is hard to find. One reasonable benchmark however is the number of subscribers to the RSS feed. Being as bloglines is one of the major players in this field some conclusions can be drawn from their stats. This blog came 6th in a line-up of most popular newspaper blogs with 293 subsribers. Its closest rival being the Independents media news blog with a paltry 99.

Is it actually any good?

Not a bad blog, and a good range of knowledgable authors which certainly helps it credibility. Nice page layout with plenty of embedded media and also a useful weekly film review archive making it easy to trawl through back-catalogues. It also shows that the authors are privvy to some insider knowledge as the articles are fresh and on the whole very topical. My one main reservation about this blog is that it is inescapably under the umbrella of a national newspaper. Everything from the writing style to the advertisement layout screams formal publication and although the writing style is fairly relaxed, I just dont feel satisfied by the majority of reviews. They tend to be a little short and theres a lot of name dropping of actors and directing staff that serves more to clutter the opinions rather provide a definitive review.

At the end of the day this blog will fill a few minutes with some topical titbits but it is unlikely to clinch that difficult decision of "cinema tonight?"

Rating?
3/5 - Worth a look if you like being a film geek and are a fan of the Guardian style.

Rivals and alternatives?

Now I like this blog. Crucially it features comprehensive and regularly updated archives of reviews that give enough detail for you to make well educated cinema decisions. As a bonus it features webcast style review sessions with the sites authors (which can even be downloaded as podcasts for you trendy apple slaves). The writing style is similarly tongue-in-cheek , although I feel it is more enjoyable and found myself happily reading even lengthy articles. A particular favourite is the "all-time best articles" provided on the main page which provide some prime reading.

Rating: 5/5 A must for casual or religious cinema goers, never be robbed at the box office again!

This is a decent blog source actually, although not one I often use. The layout is similar to the movieblog.com model with favourite articles etc. but features an additional "tag cloud" which is a nice touch allowing the dicerning reader to quickly tease out what they want to read. Being an affiliate of the American Music Television there is the expected host of star interviews and movie premier snapshots which in all honesty do little to bolster or detract from the core material of the site. Reviews aren't bad and featured interviews are usually worth a look, currently an interview with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino holds the main page and my attention (albeit briefly). One letdown is synonomous with the scourge of modern television. Upon visiting the site and perusing the content I was continually assualted by over-sized advertisements for Fructus Shampoo that take up a good third of the page. I mean we all know that MTV are hard up but isnt that a little excessive??

Rating: 4/5 Not bad and some good content but a few classic let-downs. Boo

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