52nd requested review is of Howling Thunder
Rating out of 10: 6

layout etc: (2: 1)
At first I thought I liked it because it fit nicely on my screen and the black background did not hurt my eyes.

Then I realised it is another diary with yet another useless frame inset.

I dislike these types of frames for a reason. It is simply not needed and it adds useless steps to the navigation of the site. I was recently made aware that this is called an in-line scroll. I've always said I am not an expert on html, I just know what looks good to me and what does not. Why the hell do people think this it is necessary or makes their page look better? All it does really is make the text appear in a smaller box that needs to be scrolled inside of. They do not even look good to me at all.

On a diary where you have one entry up at a time, previous and next links are really a must! If you want to put a whole month's up at one time (like on blogger) I'd like that better than this. At least I would not have to go to the archive page every time I want to see a new entry.

The navigation pull-down menus seem to work on this diary. I can easily tab down to them when I want to look at something else, but why does the link Howling Thunder need to be there when it takes you to the page you're on?

I happen to like the old format found in the archives much better. Do away with that frame! You do not need it! Plus the old format has previous:next links.

I do not understand why the date December 19th is typed as a title on the page used for archives.

Annoying writing habits: (2: 1)
Will people please find another way to write other than using ellipses all the time?

There seems to be a particular fondness of the word bleh.

Unique: (2: 1)
It is a journal written by a person that at times uses the plural pronoun when talking about themselves. It is the first one like that that I've read, so that makes it unique to me. In fact, in this case I'd really like to see an about me page that defines what exactly is going on there.

Quotes from the diary: (2: 2)
"Dragon says he's convinced there is something there and we just can't see it. Maybe he's right, maybe it's the house fairies that always seem to fuck with dogs and cats. But damn, I wish they'd get on a different schedule. I haven't slept more than an hour at a time for like 4 nights now and I'm exhausted."

I did not know people really believed in fairies.

"Carrie went so far as to give her a link to his journal (probably not the smartest thing since I/we really have no idea what was said between them, but desperate times, desperate measures and all that shit). We particularly wanted her to read the posts where he discussed how he felt about us. Especially since they were written approximately 7 days before we spoke to her. She was not even phased."

"I cried for not being alone in my head. I cried for not hearing the voices for like a month now. Except for an occasional comment from Jordan and an occasional rant from Carrie, it's been silence. I haven't spoken of it much because Dragon is having the same problem and that just seems too fucking eerie."

Would I go back for another read? (2: 1)
Out of curiousity yes I would. I have never encountered anyone that referred to themselves as we, or claimed to hear voices, or claimed to have multiple personalities of any kind. And yes, I find it very interesting. One thing I did not like is how a lot of times the entries end up being letters to other people. This is done with almost no explanation and gets distracting. I would suggest limiting that a bit more unless it is turned into a whole site of unsent letters, a very popular writing-style.
posted by Eli Moose on Friday, December 21, 2001

51st requested review is of Welcome to My World
Rating out of 10: 5

layout etc: (2: 2)
This is more than a diary, it is a blog of links and sites of interest as well as daily thoughts.

It is really simple and easy to get around in. It is basically a blogger format that looks a lot like this one I have here, except a different color scheme.

I think that the 3 gifs used in the table with the links are out of place. Having an all text-based link box would probably be much better as far as looking uniform goes.

I do not normally like blogger format for personal diaries, but it seems to work out okay.

Annoying writing habits: (2: 1)
Those that can be found here include over usage of ellipses, and alternate spellings of words like freakin and ur.

She also likes to draw attention to things by-adding-dashes to them to make a string. It can be an effective way of writing, but when overused becomes annoying.

She quotes a lot of stuff and sometimes it gets really confusing where the information is actually coming from.

Unique: (2: 0)
Nothing that I saw.

Quotes from the diary: (2: 1)
"You are happy to hear this; in fact, you were hired in part for the high level of skill you have attained to date in the field of hammer usage. Your last job involved great deal of hammer work, and you feel confident that this new position will allow ample opportunity for you to show your new boss just how well you know your way around a hammer.

However, your first day on the job does not go as well as you might have hoped. Your new boss begins a demonstration of the type of work that will be expected of you on a regular basis. He instructs you that there are very specific ways he, as your supervisor, would like the work to be completed, and proceeds to show you just that."

“Hi, I’m Nancy. I love to sing and I write damn well too. I am really good at things like optimally arranging furniture for a particular space, figuring out creative solutions to problems, and playing games like Trivial Pursuit, Balderdash, Pictionary, Outburst, and Taboo. I’m also a whiz at doing make-up. And...I work in an office.” -italics are the authors.

Would I go back for another read? (2: 1)
Sure I would. I really like those people that can give little blips of information about websites they come across and make it interesting to read. It gives those of us that have to much time to web-surf a place to help supplement our hobbies. If I could give a little piece of advice about the style of the website, I would suggest somehow separating the website blurbs from the actually diary. That could be done in whatever way found to be the most appealing: color coding, changing the team names (an ability you have on Blogger), or just having a completely different blogger for the blurbs and linking to it from the diary.
By doing this, you would make it a lot easier for the reader to read the diary as a separate entity.

posted by Eli Moose on Thursday, December 20, 2001

50th requested review (can you believe it?) is of Scott Mcnulty
Rating out of 10: 6

layout etc: (2: 1)
If I could describe it in a only a few words I would just say that it is simple, funny, and functional.

The title and only graphic is very funny and sets the tone of the writer's style. The only thing I am missing for functionality purposes are previous and next links at the top and the bottom.

The older entry page should match the index page better and it doesn't. I think that was just a slip of the mind or laziness on the authors part. The links on the left are not really needed, except maybe the email one. It would look better if it had the same title graphic as the index page and then the list of older entries.

Not many things to complain about here. A job well done.

Annoying writing habits:(2: 1)
There are several things that bother me. One is the selective use of capitalization. There is a rule regarding when to capitalize, it is not for just anyone to decide.

Secondly, at first glance I thought the writer was not going to abuse ellipses, but I was wrong.

The spelling mistakes appear to be a part of the effect (I hope), and since adds to the humor of the site I have decided they are one point worthy.

And finally, I do not like to read over and over again why the diarist does not update more often. It is your diary, do not feel the need to explain why you are not writing and just get to it! It gets really old after the first 3 entries based around why you have not written.

Quotes from the diary: (2: 2)
"Contrary to the grandiose name, PSU was to close its doors on June 23, after graduating her 149th class of young diploma holders with stars in their eyes, and liquor in their veins."

"However, Uncle Scotty is not rejoicing because I am at work. Now, this is not an unusual event for a Wednesday, however, everyone in the Free World is allowed to leave early the day before Gobble Gobble Day. I have just been informed that Columbia Business School is no longer considered part of the Free World."

"Boy Howdy! It was been awhile since I last updated! And everytime I talked to Elisa she said, "Update your diary," of course I had no idea what she meant, and then I figured she meant my online journal, and here I am updating it! Yay for me."

Unique: (2: 1)
The title is unique and catchy.

Would I go back for another read? (2: 1)
I think I just might. I am not sure what the whole appeal is, but I was smiling when I was going through the archives. He does not write a lot, it is not deep or in-depth, he doesn't grab me with his super intellect or charm me with his html expertise. He just writes like he does not care what the reader thinks, and I liked that. The thing I would suggest for him a concept that a lot of people forget about, theme writing. Pick a topic a day, maybe even from headlines in magazines or daily newspapers and write about that in the entries. Because he has somewhat of a knack for making things funny, I think that would work in helping him out in the what to write about department and keep him from constantly feeling like a bad person for not writing maybe?


posted by Eli Moose on Thursday, December 20, 2001

49th requested review is of Prelude
Rating out of 10: 3

layout etc: (2: 1)
The drop boxes at the top are okay for links and such, but most of them are repeated in different boxes anyway. I think it is redundant.

I guess the picture is okay, it does convey what the diarist main topic of concern is, but the writing on the picture is illegible. I think she needs a better picture editor, or to use a different font.

And speaking of fonts, I do not like the font of the diary at all. I think it’s too tiny and hard to read.

There were broken images throughout the diary on a lot of different pages. I do not know what was going on there, perhaps lost web hosting? But that needs to be fixed.

There is a disclaimer asking that people not discuss the diary with the author, or anyone else, if they know her in real life. I’m sorry to say, but putting something like that in a disclaimer is not going to keep them from telling anyone about the diary. It will probably prompt them to do so if they think they need to.

Annoying writing habits: (2: 0)
There are lots of mistakes. Silly little nitpicky mistakes like forgetting the n on the word "in". It matters to me though. So I think she needs to edit her diary a lot better before she publishes it.

Instead of actually finding the right spelling of a word she puts the little (sp) symbol for spelling. I am so anal she had to know I would not like that.

There are so many spelling errors that someone should get her a program with a built in spell-check (like Word) that she can type her entries into before she puts them up on the diary.

She uses the chat acrocym for laughing out loud (lol) a lot. It is strange to read because she thinks her disorder is very funny. I do not.

There are extremely long paragraphs with no line breaks in-between.

Quotes from the diary: (2: 1)

“i hope they get more for the other people. i went to see my counsilor (sp) today because”

I know I’ve mentioned spelling, but I threw it in anyway.

“this is for those of you interested in recovery. below are links to recovery/help websites. i want to make it clear that i don't endorse recovery nor do i endorse eating disorders. if you are strong enough to recover, then recover. if you are strong enough to have an ed, then have an ed. whatever rocks your world!
good luck.”

At least she links them.

“i think marya hornbacher said it best: ‘at a certain point an eating disorder ceases to be "about" any one thing. it stops being about your family, or your culture. very simply, it becomes an addiction not only emotionally but also chemically. and it becomes a crusade.’”

Would I go back for another read? (2: 1)
Out of morbid curiosity maybe, but otherwise probably not. I do not even know if this is the place to say this, but eating disorders sadden me.

A sixteen-year-old girl should not be worrying about starving herself, and if she is, there should be someone in her life to get her help.

I have seen a lot of these “pro-ana” web-sites spring up lately. Some are diaries of young girls with anorexia, and some just support groups for women with eating disorders, although not the kind of support groups you’d think, supporters of the disorder. They rally together and give one another pointers on how best to starve themselves. I am completely, 110% against this kind of reinforcement in society.

On another note, I feel for the young girl writing this diary, and her brokenness does bleed in through the thoughts she expresses, even if it is the obsessive habit of writing down everything she eats for all to read on a public journal.

posted by Eli Moose on Wednesday, December 19, 2001

48th requested review is of Gypsy Fyre
Rating out of 10: 5

layout etc: (2: 1)
Hey did you know there is a gypsyfire.com? I went there first and was confused for a few minutes before I checked the address.

The site opens up with a disclaimer. Again it is another one of those sites that actually needs one. This one may need to be beefed up a little more actually.

I would suggest a little more information about what content is not appropriate, because if I had known, I would not have clicked on the pictures link. Some people coming to your diary from diarist.net would need a little more information in your disclaimer.

I do not understand why the use of a second page with only links.
It is not needed. I think it would be okay to have the reader go straight to the journal from the disclaimer page. The links are provided on there as well.

Some of the pictures are also included in the journal. I can only reiterate including something about them in the disclaimer for those first time diary readers.

Call me prudent, but I really do not think a tribute to her father should be along side all the bondage pages. Maybe that could be somewhere separate? Perhaps as a link in her players page or some other page all on its own?

Busy backgrounds are usually a pet peeve of mine, but for some reason the yellow background with the stars works behind the text. I really like that. Can I use it later if I ever want to?

The drop down menu’s used on the older entries page do not work. When I click nothing happens. I don’t know why, but if it worked I would like it. Fix it.

I’d like to see entry titles so I know what it is I am about to read.

Annoying writing habits: (2: 1)
Another ellipsis abuser! Don’t believe me? Go and look at her about me page (which by the way needs to be updated). Counting how many times she uses them on that one page would be a fun waste of time.

Unique: (2: 0)
I did not find anything. Writing about bondage is unique (only 1 other like it) among the diaries I’ve reviewed, but not that unique online.

Quotes from the diary: (2: 1)
“I really don't get easily embarrassed, but this is all new. I actually would have loved to hear what they said after we walked away.”

I can’t say I’ve ever had anyone search my bag and find ropes and sex toys, so I can’t relate.

“He is definitely not feminine, but...what a face...Oh...and have I mentioned his great body?”

See what I mean? Call the ellipsis police, oh yeah, that would be me.

“Or, like at the hotel tonight, we were checking in, and he found that nerve between my finger and thumb, just to press so hard, I nearly yelped, and struggled to not make it obvious to the hotel staff what was going on. All the time, him with that serious glare searing into me.”

I do not understand why she likes this.

“At one point, he got that look in his eye, the one I am getting to recognize, and told me he thought I deserved to be tied up again. It is hard for me to not have big smiles on my face when he gets those ropes out. I always feel silly when I am smiling, trying to hide it, forcing it gone, rarely succeeding.”

I guess it is not for me to understand.

Would I go back for another read? (2: 1)
I know you people think I am 100% into sex diaries, but it is just not completely true. I think it is admirable that some people feel confident enough to write about the intimate details of their lives, even including some alternate lifestyles to my own. But, I do not think I was interested enough in this to come back. Some things make me uncomfortable, but that has nothing to do with whether or not you will like it. Give it a chance, it may be your cup of tea.

posted by Eli Moose on Tuesday, December 18, 2001

Someone else reviewed me!
She thinks I am anally grammatical; now that's a change! Sinnamon


47th requested review is of as curltwirler sees it...
Rating out of 10: 8

layout etc: (2: 2)
I have to say it is an overall great layout. Which means I could only find a few minor things that could be worked on.

I like the colors, they work well together, plus they accentuate the Norman Rockwell picture. Norman Rockwell shows very good taste, and sets a mood.

At first when I was looking at the top bar I did not know what it was. I figured it was links of some kind but it is not obvious how it works. Just moving the mouse over them does not make anything happen. I clicked on one to see if it was a link itself and then I saw the pull down menus done with javascript. Although I like them here, I think there needs to be some sort of explanation telling the reader how they work. A little "click here" or something would be enough. Also, I think they would look better with something seperating the colums like this: Go Ahead and Jump | Good reads | Diaryrings | Links |.

I am not sure if this can be done, but if it were possible to change the javascript code from onclick to onmouseover, it would probably work much better as well.

I think the mood icon can be removed completely because it does not seem to fit in anywhere.

I also really like the up and down javascripts. I do not think they would work well on every diary, but they do a great job here!

The cast page is nice with the pictures, but they are really small. I think it would be better to have the pictures be thumbnails of a larger picture that the reader could click on to see the larger one.

One last thing, a vlink color that is different from the text/link color would make it easier for those of us reading a lot of entries so we know which ones we've already read.

Annoying writing habits: (2: 1)
She sometimes uses ellipses way too much, but I have noticed in the more recent entries the use of them has subsided somewhat.

She has smiley faces, except she uses the actual image. Cute, but I still do not like them.

Some chat lingo here and there, but like ellipses, not so much in recent entries.

Unique: (2: 1)
She uses two javascripts that work very well on her diary. It is not so common to find it done so clean and efficient, at least not in the diaries I've seen up to this point.

Quotes from the diary: (2: 2)
"I asked her today if the hardship of raising children and living life is offset by the really good things that happen now and then. She said no. I was expecting a yes. One would think, two children scoring straight A's in school, another in college and one on her own are enough to make a mother feel proud. One would think the random back-scratches from her two sons and the cat purring in her lap would make her happy and fulfilled. But she feels that life is empty."

"The best way I can describe her is volatile, radical-right, bible-banging, self-righteous but well-meaning. She used to be one of my greatest role models. That changed late in high school, when I began to feel that she spent most of her time screaming, and that school was my only escape."

Very descriptive words.

"What I would say to her if I were as gutsy in person as I am here: "Nobody is ever, ever who you think they are. You can't hope that someone's forgiven and forgotten when you haven't forgiven and forgotten, still making the same accusations and standing by your same old story, never seeing things from another perspective."

I agree

"I let things build up, either ignoring them till I forget about it or getting so hot that I explode. I try to be amicable and easygoing all the time, but it really takes its toll. He wasn't doing anything seriously bad, but I'd let everything get under my skin and fester, so the blow-up was worse than it would have been otherwise."

Would I go back for another read? (2: 2)
I really enjoyed my time here. I like how the entries are sometimes deep and full of thoughts intermingled with silly ones. I enjoy the way she writes, and how she communicates to her reader ever so subtly. It makes you want to befriend her. Very enjoyable. I think it is worth the time to dig in and read it all.
posted by Eli Moose on Friday, December 14, 2001

46th requested review is of Simple
Rating out of 10: 1

layout etc: (2: 0)
It appears that a lot of time was put into this, that is just a shame.

My screen size is 800X600 pixels, and this diary falls off my screen it is so HUGE. I realize that the picture of Britney is very important to the writer, but I disagree with the idea that it should take up so much space. If the picture size was reduced, then I would not have to scroll to the right in order to see all of the diary entry. I think I am right in assuming that my screen size is what the average diary reader has, and therefore most other people would appreciate a reduction in the size of this diary.

I know people think I am crazy for harping on the use of frames, but this is a perfect example of how not to use them. There are a total of 3 small box frames on the site. In each of these instances, if she would use simple tables of some kind instead it would work and look much better.

It is frustrating saying this over and over again, but try not to use frames when there is no point to them. I may not know everything there is to know about them, but in my opinion, a frame should only be used when it is for the purpose of allowing internal links to be opened up inside the frame while keeping the main window open. If used correctly, it also cuts down on loading time (if the page opening inside the link is mostly textual like a diary entry) because it allows the graphics to stay up on the main page.

After seeing the frame for the diary on the page, I assumed the other entries would just open up in that frame and not have the entire page reopen, but I was wrong. The whole navigation and look of the site needs to be reworked.

If the entries did open up within the same frame, it would prevent me from getting annoyed each time I want to read a new entry. Because I am forced to see everything reload, which after it is finished takes me to the bottom of the page to the blinking cursor on her autographs box automatically. I do not even like those things! After that I need to scroll over to the part of the page that has fallen off my screen, and then back up the right side just so I can read the next entry. It may not seem like a lot to any of you, but if I did not have to do it I would have more time to actually read the diary.

The archive page also has a HUGE picture of Britney that can be reduced, or removed.

Now for other aesthetics. I love the color of the page, and the purple actually makes me think Britney is prettier than she is. That is a hard task! She would not be my first choice for a diary layout theme, but it doesn't look that bad. The only color problem I can see is very minor; under the picture the text that is in purple is a little hard to read. That is easily fixed by finding a color that works better.

Annoying writing habits: (2: 0)
Almost every thing I despise is featured here. Chat-style writing like: *sigh* and smiley faces. Words like gotta, hm, and yep. The list goes on.

Ellipses are overused, although I am not surprised, this girl takes the prize. She even begins sentences, as well as new paragraphs with them! Holy fucking ellipses.

Unique: (2: 1)
I actually like the box labelled "Cinderella."

Quotes from the diary: (2: 0)
"i stayed there until about 5 because he had to go to work. we took pictures with his digital camera, but he has it... i'll put it up sometime."

"maybe the only cool thing that happened today was... some funny discussing in 3rd period with stephanie and carmen. i was just telling them about my weird childhood and we shared our experiences in elementary school... i was a weird kid. "

"jonathan, please sign on. poor babe... went to work at 4 and is probably doing his anatomy project... i'll call him maybe... in a little while, but hm, it's kinda late."

These quotes speak for themselves.

"*never lost that feeling, once i got that feeling for you... i knew that there was something special. you had a certain sparkle about you.*"

Why are there asterisks around this? Any ideas?

"ever felt so angry that you just cry? you cry because you can't do anything about a situation. you don't cry because you're weak and saddened, but because you feel defeated and cannot gain any longer."

Would I go back for another read? (2: 0)
I have to admit that after reading all of December, and a few from previous months, I was sick of all the navigation problems as well as the writing style to dig any deeper. That's what this site was started for though, for me to tell people what I think would improve their diaries enough to keep picky readers like me. I suggest a whole new look, keeping the theme and colors if necessary. If that is done, I may come back just to see what it looks like. Other than that, no I do not think so.

posted by Eli Moose on Thursday, December 13, 2001

45th requested review is of Tribulations in the Desert of Suburbia
Rating out of 10: 3

Layout etc: (2: 1)
At first I thought the layout did not look all that bad, until it finished loading in all its mint-green, baby-blue and banana-yellow glory.

I hate the color scheme. I recommend choosing another picture for the top that does not include a vast array of solid colors that do not work well together. Perhaps something that would remind the reader of suburbia like the title?

Can I get a previous:next link? At least one? The way it is set up now is really confusing. Sometimes only one entry appears on the page when I choose the date from the list of entries, and other times any number of entries could be there.

I thougth the paper layout feature was unique until I started noticing why it does not work and why I would not use it. I would perhaps like it better if the text lined up with the paper lines on the page, but it doesn't and I am not even sure if that is possible.

Although on a whole I do not like the layout, I at first thought a lot of time and effort must have been put into it until I noticed the Date and Time head on top of the paper looks out of place on some of the pages that are not diary entries. Why is it there?

The titles appear twice on the "ask a question, get a song" page and this is just redundant and an eyesore.

The facts and statistics page is full of internet tests and other such things. While I think these tests are comical and interesting for the individual to do themselves, I've never been a big fan of reading them on someone's journal. That goes for everyone that includes them. Please find something new to over-use!

It would be tremendously helpful if the vlink color did not match the text color so I would know which entries I have already read. Especially since I have to go back to the list of entries every time I want to choose a new one. You know what I mean?

Annoying writing habits: (2: 0)
I saw "Okeeee dokeee" more than once, and once was enough for me.

Same goes for heh.

I've found another ellipse abuser! There should be a support group for them.

The dash (-) is also not a way to end a sentence, contrary to popular belief.

Is "tonite" really considered a word? Because if it is, I need to update my dictionary.

Unique: (2: 1)
Song parododies, essays and other things listed under exitainment. Maybe this is not all that unique, but the word exitainment was definitely an attempt to be cute. I first thought it would be related to links because of the word exit but alas I was wrong.

Quotes from the diary: (2: 1)
"Whoa. It was 9:24 p.m when I started this entry, and this is how far I got in the last.....shit, 2 hours? Heh. Got a bit distracted talking to a guy about stupid car shit and flying on Vicaprofin. Oh, yeah, about an hour ago I took 2 of 'em. You ever see the South Park episode where Cartman and, well, the rest of South Park is prescribed Ritalin? The scene where they're at the bus stop, and Kyle's like, 'So Cartman, what does Ritilan feel like?' And Cartman replies, 'They make you feel GOOOOOOOOOD.' Well, that how I feel like now. Like Cartman. heh."

"I can't help but feel nervous. I don't know for sure if I'm interested in her as a potential girlfriend, but at the same time, there's that nagging voice at the back of my head telling me that if I blow this, it'll be ages before another potential comes around. All I know is that she's got great taste in music, movies, an interesting obsession with sheep, knows a decent amount about cars, and is very good looking. And I'm meeting her for coffee tonite. And ack - I'm nervous."

A guy saying he is nervous. I like that.

"Ironically, locked in a mental hospital would probably be the best place for me, period. I mean, I don't have to worry about the pesky "outside world," I don't have to worry about where my next meal's coming from. I could totally avoid lucidity thanks to their vast array of meds, and I basically wouldn't have to do ANYTHING. I'm seriously considering placing some calls and finding out what's involved in getting yourself admitted to a loony bin. It's under that in the phone book, right?"

Funny

Would I go back for another read? (2: 0)
Probably not. This time I do not have much of a reason. Unless saying it bores me to tears is reason enough. I just did not like the diary. I did not find any of it very interesting. I think his entries appear like his thoughts, all over the place. It does not hold my attention. Did I already say I am bored out of my mind reading it? I have to assume that I am not the only one.

posted by Eli Moose on Wednesday, December 12, 2001

My apologies to all the people who did not receive the notification for this newest entry. I had some technical problems.
posted by Eli Moose on Tuesday, December 11, 2001

44th unrequested review is of Lip
Rating out of 10: 1

layout etc: (2: 1)
It’s so blue. I suppose it’s pleasant enough, but it’s rather dull.

First of all, I don’t like the fact that your title graphic doesn’t exactly match the table background. It looks silly. The same thing goes for your links. Ever heard of transparency? As a so-called diary designer, you should look into it. It would help. Also, the counter and dropdown menu look out of place. Can’t you find a way to fit them in somewhere in the entry table or the links table? It looks messy in an otherwise uniform layout.

The white text against the light blue background strains my eyes, and it makes reading for more than a few minutes at a time pretty difficult.

I looked and looked, but there isn’t a link for your current entry. It would be helpful if there was. If I had found your diary through a Google search, and the entry was from months and months ago, I wouldn’t be able to get to the latest entry unless I hit the "next" link a bunch of times. That’s no fun.

The Imood indicator’s background is a different color from the diary’s background. It may seem rather petty, but that is one of my pet peeves because the mood icon and text don’t line up with the diary text to begin with, and the different color background makes that even more noticeable. Fix it.

On some of your older entries, you have little countdowns that are extremely outdated. The one on your diaryrings page says Halloween is in forty-one days. What planet are you on? Here on earth, those who celebrate Halloween celebrate it on October 31st, which is not for another 324 days.

Annoying writing habits: (2: 0)
Why, oh why do people feel the need to abuse the ellipse?! This annoys me greatly. If you’re done with the sentence, then end it, for God’s sake! Here, I’ll show you how it’s done. See that little green dot? That’s a period. Use it.

What’s with all of the little emoticons ( :/ )? I hate those. If you properly conveyed emotion in your entries, you wouldn’t need them.

Guess what? I could care less that you run 7 other Diaryland diaries. So stop plugging them in every entry. Isn’t your dropdown menu enough? And what’s with all the begging for Clix? Come on, now. It’s people like you who give Clix a bad reputation. Cut it out.

Unique: (2: 0)
Nothing, really. Maybe some people would consider having 8 diaries unique, but I don't. The entries are about day-to-day happenings. There’s a lot of whining about missing a boyfriend with whom she has no future, a lot of plugs for her other diaries, and begs for Clix. Oh, and whoop dee doo! You like to get drunk. Who cares?! I’m sorry to say it, but this diary is one in a million other online diaries. There’s nothing all that special about it. I really looked, but underneath the surface, there’s just more…surface. (And yes, that’s the proper usage of an ellipse.)

Quotes from the diary: (2: 0)
"People just don't understand that diaries are for the people who write them, not for the people who read them. Okay. Yeah, I love getting visitors. But I write for me."

Do you? Do you really?

"Me: 'Can you tell me one reason why you would not want to spend the rest of your life with me?'

Jim: 'Well, Jennifer, I can tell you this. I am not entirely convinced that I want to spend the rest of my life WITH anyone, per se. I've always felt I operate much better on my own.

Life sucks.'"

And you stay in this relationship because?

"Cheer me up and clix me."

No, I won’t. Stop that.

"I have decided to keep a drink tab now that I am legal. See, what I hope to gain from this is that my over 21 friends can look at what I have had (and liked) and suggest new cool things to try. Cause I love to try new alkie-hol...I just hate beer, so keep that in mind."

Alkie-hol? Is that supposed to be cute? Because it isn't.

Would I go back for another read? (2: 0)
No. This diary lacks depth. Many entries are extremely short, and say something to the effect of “Went to the bar and got drunk. Blah blah blah. Clix me if you’re breathing.” Sorry, but that’s just not my thing. It seems that somewhere along the way, you lost focus on the point of your diary. When you first started out, you wrote about yourself and your life. How you missed your boyfriend. It’s not like that any more. Occasionally, a nice long entry with real feeling and content will pop up, but it’s far and few between. You still write about your boyfriend, but even those entries have evolved into fluff. My advice to you is this: Forget about getting tons of hits each day, and people reading and writing in all your other diaries. Just write for yourself. I have a hard time believing that there’s nothing below the surface.

posted by Miranda on Monday, December 10, 2001

43rd requested review is of scubaduck
Rating out of 10: 3

layout etc: (2: 1)
On the surface, it does not look bad. I have seen much better, and I have seen worse. I think that some thought was put into this nevertheless; she did design it herself and that deserves at least one point. There is a theme going with the ducks in the pictures and that is always exemplary.

The picture thumbnails located at the right are neat. I assumed this is the cast of the diary, and when I looked at the cast page my assumptions were proved correct. I do not have much for suggestions here, but maybe you could incorporate these pictures in a different fashion than just hanging out on the right table?

I do not really favor the little "say you love me" boxes that are springing up everywhere. It may have been unique at one time (like when it first appeared as free-javascript) but that has become a distant thing of the past. I think it just allows people the freedom to type stupid things that show up on your diary.

I think I mentioned this previously, but I feel the need to say it again. I hate imoods. I do not take away points for them, I just want the world to know!

Some of the entries are centered? Do not do that! Centered diary text creates a dilemma for me, but if you are going to do it you should be consistent.

It looks like "i" is the only word that does not get capitalized. Why? That is weird.

I despise this font. It reminds me of chat-rooms.

Previous:next at the top and bottom. How hard is that? Easy navigation, that is all I am saying. Why is nobody listening?

A note on navigation: I noticed a separate "links" page that seemed out of place. It was lonely on the picture page. Why not incorporate one link page (perhaps as an entry) and provide a link to it on the side where the other links are?

There are so many review sites linked. Is she getting advice overload? I actually laughed out loud when I read the comments received from another review site. Do my comments look that bad? No do not answer that!

Annoying writing habits:(2: 0)
Sometimes I do not have time to list them all, so here are a few that bugged me:

If I read another entry about how much she hates her job I will disconnect my computer. No, not really, but enough is enough.

"And hmmmm...." I do not need to say much about this at all.

Remember that "wanna" is not in my vocabulary.

Unique: (2: 1)
The picture on the "pictures" page at the top is nifty. I know that my lovely public will think this is not unique; I do not care, I think it is.

Quotes from the diary: (2: 1)
"I was told to vacuum and clean up the children’s display and then maybe, just maybe, I could leave. Like being able to leave is some sort of prize to dangle in front of me. I didn’t end up leaving till 9:50 ish. But I’m not complaining. Just stating the facts. "

"That’s fine bitch. Don’t pick up the trash by your feet. I’ll stop what I’m doing. Get up off the floor and walk over to where you just were to get that trash. And while we’re at it how about I only get one half hour break for my whole 9 hour shift."

Rants about her job can be found throughout the whole thing, this one I found amusing.

Would I go back for another read? (2: 0)
The very first entry I read was funny and it had me laughing. Although this should have been a good thing, it ended up being a bad thing. Why would that be? The rest of the diary left something to be desired.

I know I have said this before to other people, but anything good worth saying once is worth saying again. You do not have to write solely about your day. There are a lot of other interesting writing techniques you can incorporate. One could even find those by touring diary support sites! If you are in a pinch about topics, go check these out. I know you have a search engine of some kind, use it!

I read and visit on average about 5 diaries a day. It is my hobby. I have to say, I just get tired of hearing about the mundane little trivials of everyday life. A well-written diary is what I want. A well-written diary is what I crave, I do not want to hear how you hate your job over and over again. One or two times for comic effect is all that is needed. Thankyou.

posted by Eli Moose on Sunday, December 09, 2001

42nd requested review is of bytwilight
Rating out of 10: 6

layout etc: (2: 2)
It works well, and it does not look bad. The layout merits a 2, still there are still a few things I have to say about it. Because you know, even when things are great, they can still be improved!

First, what I do enjoy: I love the picture. It is not really twilight, it is lamp-light on a foggy day perhaps? It does set the mood and I adore it.

The table is too small, and I am not particularly fond of huge borders. I also do not understand why everything has to be in the center. I am more fond of spread out layouts. There is just a bit too much "white space" for my liking.

Some of the links are not made obvious. I noticed in the archives they were underlined and in the newest entries I understand that they have been made bold; perhaps choosing a different color or font from the main text would eliminate this problem.

Where's your picture Candace? After reading your "about" me page, it left me wondering what you look like. A picture would make it more personal.

Annoying writing habits: (2:1)
Why did she feel the need to "####" out the explicit language? I would not mind seeing the occasional "fuck" if it expresses some feeling.

Every so often she uses incomplete sentences. It could be worse.

Unique: (2: 1)
The list of random facts is more unique than a stupid questionnaire like lots of other people use.

Quotes from the diary: (2: 1)
"My Step-Grandfather has cancer throughout his whole entire body, and doctors don't expect him to make it past this week. I am going to be up at the hospital a lot. He's a wonderful person, and I'm quite upset about all of this. My grandma is an absolute mess, and I need to be there for her, not at home playing on my computer."

You would think with something this emotional happening in your life, there would be more words of expressing how you feel.

"But I'm feeling a bit like a sellout. I sensor my entries at times, simply because I'm afraid of what people will think. What's the point of having my disclaimer?? It's useless. I've become vanilla pudding - so bland and boring, I doubt I could offend anyone."

I think this is the heart of the matter

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm emotionally disfunctional. It's not that I have no emotions, because I have a lot. I just have a hard time showing them to others."

Would I go back for another read? (2: 1)
Some advice here: Do not write like it is a popularity contest. Do not write with an audience (anyone at all) in mind that you know will be reading it the next day. Just sit down at your keyboard and write what is in your heart. I know this has got to be the cheesiest advice I have given on here to date, but it is good stuff. You can not express yourself properly while worrying about what everyone is going to think. You can not convey who you really are when you want everyone to agree with you. Try to remember the saying, "When you try to please everyone, you won't please anyone." And now that said, keep writing from within, I am sure there are lots of gems buried in there.


posted by Eli Moose on Sunday, December 09, 2001

Introducing Miranda Celestine with her first review.

Miranda has been added as a co-reviewer on the site and anyone requesting new critiques can email her or Eli with the requests. As for the 20 requests right now in queue, if the review is going to be done by Miranda, Elioise will contact you to make sure you're okay with the switch. Thanks to Miranda for helping me out!
posted by Eli Moose on Friday, December 07, 2001

41st requested review is of Arriyah
Rating out of 10: 6

layout etc: (2: 1)
At first glance, it appeared to be a well thought-out layout. Then my eyes adjusted.

The scrollbar is the first thing I noticed. Rather than a black face,
it should have the same dark grey that is present at the top and bottom
of the entry table (#464646).

The Imood indicator would look better with a white background. The gray
background makes it look like it's crowding the date and time.

The links for TheSpark and the Webdiaries top twenty look out of place.
I suggest creating simple text links for both, and placing them in line
with the other links at the bottom of the page.

What's up with the lack of capitalization? None of the links are capitalized,
yet the entries are, and it doesn't look right. Do one or the other, but
don't do both.

Annoying writing habits: (2: 2)
Just one. The dreaded ellipse - but she only used it once.

Unique: (2: 1)
Read the description of Reiko in her profile.

Quotes from the diary: (2: 1)
"The ER was flooded with OD's last night. Now bear in mind that an OD is anything taken over the recommended dosage. This means you are considered an OD if you take 3 Tylenol PM instead of the recommended dosage of 2. How sad is it that a person would take 3 Tylenol PM and go to the hospital and say they overdosed? It's sad because you know they have so little in their life that spending the night in the ER is as good as it gets. They actually want to get admitted into Psych, just so they can take a break for a few days. Just for the guaranteed meals and snacks, the bed, people around to listen, someone to actually care about them, even if just for a few days. It makes me feel so... sad. It really makes me look at my life, and hate myself. I don't know what it's like to be cold or hungry. I don't know what it's like to have no one in the world to turn to. I read my old entries and cringe. To think I actually feel sorry for myself sometimes! My life is gravy."

Would I go back for another read? (2: 1)
I may. She writes well, and has a knack for making the average seem interesting.

posted by Miranda on Friday, December 07, 2001

The first review by my co-host Miranda Celestine is coming soon I promise.

40th requested review is of unluckyme
Rating out of 10: 5

layout etc: (2: 1)
The first thing I notice is that the text is centered. My personal preference is for text to be put in blockquote style so that there is a border around it like you would find in a book. Maybe that's because I read so many books. In any case, it makes it easier to read, and if you use blockquote you do not have to worry so much about padding in your tables.

Next thing is the picture is gorgeous, just make sure it loads in Netscape and other commonly used browsers.

The links are hard to find. Many people may think it is clever to put them behind little letters that spell out something ie: o u t o f s i t e, but a lot of readers, particularly me, do not like searching for where they go in the status bar.

A change of the alink color to match the color scheme would be nice; I suggest a lighter teal for the link color as well because it is on black below the picture. It is not that hard to read, but it could be straining.

Bravo for previous and next links at the top and the bottom. Everyone knows I love those and they assist the reader in easy navigation splendidly.

There are a few broken images and such in the older entries, but just from what I gleaned from some of them (back in September) she is pretty new at html, so I think overall she has done a great job.

She has added a disclaimer as an afterthought (part of an entry) and linked to it. I do not really think she needs it.

Annoying writing habits: (2: 1)
Some people just use ellipses without reasoning. I have to say that she does not use them in every sentence or every paragraph, and that is admirable.

You will find the random smiley face or chat-style writing.

Unique: (2: 1)
She had some catchy titles for her entries.

She incorporated a slambook, I actually recall them from high-school when we did them in regular spiral-bound notebooks. However, I did not look all the way through it. I am sure this is something her and her friends commemorate. Along that same line, you will find a link to survey.com where she has a personal survey. I endeavored not to take it, but this again is probably more for her friends than anyone else.

Quotes from the diary: (2: 2)
"If anyone ever worried about my becoming an alcoholic, have no fear. The red wine I had yesterday with Thansgiving tasted like a bitter mix of rubbing alcohol, poison, and ass combined. Not like I've ever tasted any of the three. Eeeek. Ass tasting. Not my kind of diaryland entry."

Very funny.

"As I'm writing, I'm expressing how I feel at this exact moment. This diary helps me reflect on my past, and chart my growth and memories as a person. I wouldn't remember half the things about CVS that I did if it wasn't for this diary. I wouldn't have remembered past conversations I've had with friends if it wasn't for this diary. It's fast, simple, and it has helped me discover more of who I am. *insert cheesy sitcom music here*"

"I still have the headache and the tired, depression feeling. I don't know why. So if you have any idea, drop me a line. Unless you're reading this and you're my mom, since she'd type me something like, "You're depressed since you need to clean your room." Indeed I do. But I won't."

Would I go back for another read? (2: 1)
Perhaps, but perhaps not. Her writing is a tad lacking in the depth department. I can tell when there is something on her mind that she wants to say and she holds it back. Stop doing that! The online journal reader wants to know more than what you ate today, or what you do not like about your classes.

I did find some excellent entries in there, that is why I am undecided. I think I will check back to see the progression.




posted by Eli Moose on Friday, December 07, 2001

This web-page has received bundles of praise, as well as ridicule. I've found some of the people that have linked to me and now I will provide links to them while allowing those new to the site to see some comments I've gotten. Thanks for all the publicity! I hope you are having as much fun as I am seeing this thing take off.

I've added a few that I noticed since the original post, thought these people deserved links back as well. Enjoy.

Things people are saying:

"I was just reviewed. My initial reaction was indignation. What do you MEAN I only got four out of ten? And then I read the review, and for the most part, the things mentioned are accurate and useful. Mostly. Except that I will never ever have a picture of a hot dog covered in ketchup on my site. The boots are my photo, they're my damned boots, and I love the contradiction implied by the boots against the grass. And the hot dog thing is both too cheesy and cliched and too aggressively sexual for me. I don't mean to imply that I'm eating anyone's cock with my exuberance. And the point is that I'm not really interested in the condiment meaning of the word; I'm interested in the 'sucking the marrow out of life' meaning of the word. But that's personal preference I suppose."
taken from: Relish

"I did something I'll probably regret. I have submitted my site to The Real Diary Critic for review. Now why would I do a thing like that? Because, after reading her reviews I saw how brutally honest she is, and I felt like getting my feelings hurt. "
taken from: Curieux Matou




"I have been reading the reviews on Elioise Moosehead's site called The Real Diary Critic. Although I think she is brutally honest, it is refreshing to see someone actually tell it like they see it. One of the things I have heard her reiterate over and over is the links at top and bottom. When I really started thinking about it, that made total sense. So, before I got too many entries, I decided to invest some time and do it."
taken from: Gypsy Fyre
_______________________________________________________________

"the real [so sayeth] diary critic
Truly and unapologetically bitchy. Possibly the only review site more
interesting to read than the diaries. I mean, really bitchy. Impressively so. That means you should not, under any circumstances, ask this one for a review unless you're prepared to laugh at yourself. Got it?"
Found at: arbitrary

"Anyway, all of the above has absolutely nothing to do with anything I'm about to talk about, just so you'll know to forgive me for my scattered train of thought today. Earlier today I followed a link from Kellie's journal (Curieux Matou). A link to The Real Diary Critic, a weblog/journal type site that critiques people's journals. Or rather, it's the author of the site who critiques journals. From what I've seen of the reviews, she does her critiques in an honest manner but without all the snark and brutality that's so easy to spew when you don't have any truly intelligent suggestions to offer. I read through a few of her reviews and spotted a pattern of her pet peeves and it wasn't long before I was picking apart my own writing in my mind. As if I need any less encouragement to write."
taken from: I'd rather eat glass

"A genuinely critical diary critic...
waging a one-woman war against ellipses (an obsession akin to diaryreviews' with the coloured scrollbar) and parenthesis in general (that's me condemned for bad writing). Has also invented the word 'italical', which I like."
taken from:  notthatugly.pitas

"Who cares if you're #1 on Clix? Big deal. I've only been in the top 20 a few times. No shame in it. That doesn't make my diary any less important to me, or make me feel like my diary sucks. It just means I don't get a lot of votes. But I still write, because I don't write for votes. Or purely for the entertainment of others. I write to clear my head. Another thing about Clix. Any time someone new gets into the top 10, they're accused of cheating. Does it really matter? Nope. It's all taken way too seriously. As is Elioise Moosehead. Who cares who she really is? I don't."
taken from: arriyah

"Oh, I'd also like to point you in the direction of this site which was linked to in Kellie's journal. In case you have a fit of self-flagellation, you might consider submitting your own journal for her perusal."
taken from: sashblog

"First of all, I recently gathered my ego into a bucket and submitted my journal to one of those folks who reviews and critiques similar journals. She, Elioise Moosehead of "The Real Diary Critic", wrote a fairly complimentary entry, with a few minor comments on style. One thing she did mention that caught me, however, was "...of course, it's a kinky sex diary and it can be fun to read about what other people are doing. Yet, I think it's missing something. It almost reads like a point by point manuscript. I'd rather it had more personal feel to it. I can't put my finger on it really, but I think the author isn't revealing all his personal feelings about what he is doing." Which of course is absolutely correct. Over the past few months I've been thrust into a painful relationship situation, poly angst of a most hurtful sort. I've made a big mistake in taking what appeared to be 'the high road', bottling things up inside and speaking only in the most polite terms that never really addressed how my emotions were festering inside. After seeing Elioise's comments I had pretty well decided, 'Well, all righty then, I should just get it all out in black and white'."
taken from: the diary of a slut

"to the infamous diary critic: thanks for the review, i do appreciate the honesty :) everyone go read it!. and clix while you're at it."
taken from: calla "beautiful one"

"As for the actual content of your site: you are so unbelievably full of shit. Is it possible that you are unaware of this fact? Do you really believe that your reviews are at all unbiased, or that you're providing a service (beyond entertainment) to anyone?"
taken from: valerian



posted by Eli Moose on Thursday, December 06, 2001

Side note: I have enlisted someone to help out with the reviews, so stay tuned to see their first critique. Thanks for all of the grammar and layout help to my daily readers, it comes in handy. Oh, and I've decided to make all my side comments in another color because it looks pretty.
posted by Eli Moose on Thursday, December 06, 2001

39th requested review is of rainbowjelly
Rating out of 10: 6

layout etc: (2: 0)
Her layout is said to be "inspired" by lexdesigns, but I am not too sure what that means. In any case, it has a few problems from where I'm sitting.

What is with the picture? Why does she think this looks good? If you are hard up for graphics the answer is not to turn a picture you already have into a negative.

I also do not like the way the picture moves up and down the page depending on how long the diary entry is. I realize she wants the picture to be even with the bottom of her entries, but I just do not know why.

I did not check to make sure, but I think this layout consists of 2 tables and the one on the right is text-aligned to the right. As I read the diary I had the urge to scroll over more to the right because I want to see some space on the other side of the text.

The font color and size are too hard to read. Both of the green colors look fluorescent, small, and fuzzy on that black background.

Line spacing is a problem on almost every page on the diary: (me, old, cast). Let us not be afraid to put line breaks in-between things okay?

On the "me" page the answers to the questions are in regular font for a few paragraphs and then everything turns bold; easy to fix, but again, hard on the eyes.

I personally don't like these questionnaire things used for about me pages. I think the entries should define the person, but if they want to include a page devoted to who they are, I think something more interesting can be thought of than a questionnaire.

We all know what I think about disclaimers, but hey, everyone has one these days. Just don't jump on the band-wagon without a real reason.

She has her links on another page, and surprise, I am not there!

Annoying writing habits: (2: 2)
I have not seen any that annoy me to the point of screaming yet. Wow, not even ellipses.

Unique: (2: 1)
A page devoted to song lyrics she likes. I think this idea is great, it should keep songs from popping up as entries but it does not.

Quotes from the diary: (2: 2)
"Last night and this morning, I started thinking. Which we all know is dangerous.

I thought about all of my mistakes in life, and all of the ways that I could've done it differently. And I kept thinking that I am a bad person because I didnt do it differently. None of which is new to me."

I relate.

"I'm still bickering with myself inside about whether or not I'm a good person, but there is that small third person in there, growing larger. And that is the Britt that I'm going to keep living for. That small part of me."

"I feel so sad. I hate myself. And I know why.
Its because I can't keep my mouth shut. Its because I'm an idiot. Its because I can't learn basic fucking conversational skills.
God.
Why am I so inherently stupid."

I enjoy her honest writing. I do not envy her being 17.

Would I go back for another read? (2: 1)
I probably would. I would like to see more entries with some meat in them rather than lyrics all the time though. I completely understand loving lyrics and feeling like you can relate to songs. I am exactly the same way so I do not mind reading hers; I just want more personal comments to go along with them. Maybe even more about why the song is being used.



posted by Eli Moose on Thursday, December 06, 2001

"Never explain, never complain": that's my motto and I'm sticking to it.
posted by Eli Moose on Wednesday, December 05, 2001

If you are looking for a design template and want to do something good for the community for Christmas, allow me, Eli Moose, to suggest you go to the first diaryland designer auction that starts this Saturday, with holiday and winter-themed templates on the block. Proceeds of this month's auction go to Toys for Tots. Therefore, if you're so inclined, it's a place to get a new design and do something good in the process.


posted by Eli Moose on Tuesday, December 04, 2001

38th unrequested review is of Head Splodeys
Rating out of 10: 4

layout etc: (2: 0)
I think she must have made this for Halloween and forgot that it all ended on October 31st. I think it's time for something new baby!

She also has a thing for old buttons for links. Where did she find these? One of those free Halloween button sites?

Having busy backgrounds has been my #1 all time pet peeve since the invention of the internet. Read this carefully anyone that has a busy background: text is harder to read on it. Plain and simple, if you want your text to be readable then just use a solid background. Why in the world would you want the reader of your diary to be distracted with your background when your whole site should be devoted to your writing? I just don't get it. If you want some images, make them separate from the text.

I read on a professional html site recently that the biggest no-no a company could do is have links that aren't clearly marked out for the reader. Some people argue that the status bar shows where the link is going, BUT I argue, why would you want the reader of your diary having to look at the tiny bar at the bottom left of their screen when you've spent so much time on making your layout look appealing? Doesn't it make sense to want them to be viewing your site and not the status bar?!? Just use wise judgement and make your links easy to understand. Do away with the cutesy cheesy buttons.

While I like Halloween, and the colors orange and black, it's really not what I want to be looking at on December 4th.

She really should change her "alink" color to something other than the default purple. A lot of people don't even bother with it, but it is just the kind of thing I'd bitch about. Hey, I've got to keep to my namesake right?

Looks like she's been reviewed a lot lately. If I wanted to see all her reviews I'd just go to the review sites, thank you very much. A link would do just fine. Or, if you really feel the need to repeat what the reviewer said, at least write some more commentary on it. Or do people really go to read your diary to find out what other people thought about it?

Sometimes I'm finished reading the entry before the previous:next skeleton button is available to click.

Annoying writing habits: (2: 1)
::sigh:: (a variation on the well-known *sigh*)

Unique: (2: 1)
Her clix link is a quote from FightClub. I love that movie.

She has a link box for her archives because they're that long, not that unique, but worth a mention.

She has another diary totally devoted to what she wears? Okay.

Quotes from the diary: (2: 1)
"So, hey... if any mysterious benefactors are lurking out there just itching to shower me with gifts, you know where to go. ;}"

"When I first started stripping, I was 20. Guys weren't surprised when I said I didn't know what future career I wanted to pursue. Their response became gradually less immediately cheerful as time progressed. When I quit stripping regularly, I was 26, & when the inevitable "So, what are you going to do when you quit stripping" was met with "I haven't the slightest idea", there was usually a moment of uncomfortable silence, followed by a mumbled "well, you still have some time to figure it out" & a quick change of subject."

Would I go back for another read? (2: 1)
I looked through the archives to see what these other reviewers were raving about, then I realized that I'm not like other reviewers. I tell you how I see it, in not so politically correct terms. I don't think I'll be back. While I'm sure it appeals to a lot of people, I'm just not one of them.


posted by Eli Moose on Monday, December 03, 2001

Okay people the way to spell my name is Elioise, not Eloise the more common way. I've seen it as Eloise so many times that I had to finally say something. Thanks. Have people really thought I was misspelling my own name this whole time?
posted by Eli Moose on Monday, December 03, 2001

37th unrequested review is of TranceJen
Rating out of 10: 4

layout etc: (2: 1)
This layout is one step up from your average Diaryland template, except one thing: The link buttons are awful. I didn't realize people who updated their webpages this year were still using those things. Take my word for it, the goldish rectangle buttons are hideous and do not make your diary look better than say ordinary text links. Do away with them! Do anything else but use them!

Why does she have a link that says "powered by signmyguestbook.com?" Her diary is a diaryland diary, and there are links to the guestbook placed on the guestbook. That needs to be removed right away.

Below her archive list there are a few links and some odd pictures to go with them. They look out of place.

Annoying writing habits: (2: 1)
Giving people initals instead of making up some fake name or using their real one annoys me. If it doesn't annoy you, that's fine, but this is my CRITIQUE. So there.

These are not good: *snort*, and too-much-of-this-type-thing.

Unique: (2: 0)
Not yet anyway.

Quotes from the diary: (2: 1)
"I swore that I wouldn't talk about this on this site, because I realize it's really fucking tedious to listen to someone bitch and moan about something so shallow as their weight, and I understand tha eating disorders are so fucking lame and passe', but fuck it. You read about my boring-assed life, so you might as well read the bad with the good."

Heartfelt writing, wish there was more like it.

"My parents are thoroughly insane, neurotic, bizarre, anal-retentive, obesessive, and crazy; but they always mean well, they always support me, and they always have hope for me. I've put them through every kind of hell a child can inflict on a parent, and they still take my phone calls every time. And even though they could have adopted any scrawny little refugee, they picked me."

"I went psycho-ballistic on the disability insurance company's answering machine today. They sent me a really crummy letter, and I just flew off the handle. So they're probably going to remain true to crap weasel form and cut my checks down to, oh, I don't know...fifty cents. Bastards."

Would I go back for another read? (2: 1)
I think her diary has potential, in the layout department and the writing one. But, I just don't have the time to keep her on my to read list. I enjoyed some of the entries a lot because they were really open and honest. One in particular just happen to be when she was drunk. If people would think of their diaries as a way to let loose of their writing inhibitions then they'd write a lot more interesting stuff, and have a lot more readers. You may like this one more than I did.

posted by Eli Moose on Sunday, December 02, 2001

36th requested review is of my sweet exile
Rating out of 10: 8

layout etc: (2: 1)
I like the picture, but it's freakishly huge on my screen. My browser size is not small, and even though there are bigger ones out there, I don't think they're in the majority. Rebuke me if I'm wrong, I know you will.

I like the site navigation along the top, and I like the way it matches the colors in her picture. Very classy.

I don't think I've ever mentioned this before, but I think the diaryland profiles are crappy looking. I think if you want to have a "profile" page, you should make your own. I don't like the way the diaryland people set them up. And it doesn't go with the theme of the diary at all. But I know a lot of people use them, so I'm not taking points away for this, just voicing my anal opinion.

On her cast page she uses little pictures from some site (that I can't remember right now). It's cute. Visuals are always a plus.

Her previous:next link at the top looks obligatory (just for my sake perhaps?) at the top, but it works and I am grateful.

Okay now for a BIG one. I know that her title scrolling in the status bar should be considered a unique thing, and maybe it would be if only it didn't keep me from knowing where I'm going when I scroll over links. I like to know what is going to show up when I click on that little obscure link you provide, so why prevent me? It annoys the fuck out of me. Opps, I said fuck. There I said it again.

Annoying writing habits: (2: 1)
You know I'm looking!

*sigh* Yeah I know, I just don't like it!

I don't think this is an annoying writing habit, but I have become aware that the little emotion things that diarists use quite often get on my nerves. If you want to tell me how you feel, just do it in your entry. It may make them more interesting.

Unique: (2: 2)
Her archive page is unique because as she breaks it down by month, she also provides a small paragraph about each one. So you know in advance what was going on that month. I like that a lot.

She has incorporated the use of a free site (Geocities) to make her own pages as well as using diaryland for her diary. Although lots of people don't like Geocities, I think that it is a very good idea. It allows her some more freedom in making things. I like this. Her "cast" page is an example of this.

Yes, yes, my link was already there. Good girl.

Quotes from the diary: (2: 2)
"I know you’re rolling your eyes at me because this is so not a big deal and I should just get over it. I totally understand that. I’m just really tired of being 22 and having my mother yelling at me because I’m in her way. I’ve got shit to do and I hate that I live in a house where people act like whatever it is that I need to do is a secondary consideration."

"I took out my tongue ring during rehearsal so I could enunciate properly and loudly without lisping all over myself. I put it in my pocket. When I got home I was emptying my pockets and I found it, so I took a look at it before I put it back in. I’m glad I did. It was disgusting. I clean it every time I brush my teeth, but it needed a good soaking. I don’t even want to think about all the things that have been in my mouth since the last time I really cleaned it."

That was funny, and me either.

I just love this entry, and I couldn't find one particular quote. I like the mini-letter format of it.

Would I go back for another read? (2: 2)
Yeah sure. I like how when she adds things later in the day she just puts up a new time and adds it to the same entry. I like how her thoughts are sometimes muted, and jumbled. It's clever and it draws me in. I didn't have to read a lot of it to know I liked how she writes and that I'd probably be back.
posted by Eli Moose on Saturday, December 01, 2001