here I go

[wordsmith]

Would love a blog review. Thanks! :)

Link's in my siggy. The blog is called Musings from the Mitten.

[Georganna Hancock]

I'll take a swipe at this blog reviewing, beginning with Musings from the Mitten--I presume you're from Michigan? Otherwise, is "The Mitten" your nickname? Just joking!

Interesting color scheme. Best of all is the content of the posts. That is the most important factor if you're interested in attracting search engines and ranking higher. My guess is that the relative newness causes no PageRank as yet.

You might want to add some graphics/photos to the individual posts to catch the eye and draw viewers into being readers. And I mean in each post. I see the cute baby at the bottom of the page!

There's a lot of space in the right column that could be used for features, especially instead of that long list of tags (and in such large sizes). Or, you could shorten the page by setting your blog to show fewer posts on the main page. A rule of thumb is to not force the viewer to scroll down more than 1.5 times.

But over all, my thumb's up!

[L M Ashton]

Musings from the Mitten
What is this from or what does it mean? It's interesting, and I wonder if it can be expanded upon.
Thoughts from a wordsmithing WAHM on writing, parenting, being a WAHM and life in general.Not a lot of punch. I'd be inclined to do something like:

Wordsmithing WAHM on writing, parenting, and life as a WAHM, although that can be improved on further, I'm sure.

The medium grey text is a bit light for my eyes - I want more contrast between text and background color. I suggest a darker text for easier readability.

There's no About Me on there. Huh. I want one! You could add a small picture of yourself if you like, and give a brief description of yourself and your name - whether real or pseudonym, it doesn't matter - so we know who owns the blog and who we're reading about. Gives context to the blog entries. Okay, I found your tab that gives a longer About Me, but I'd still be inclined to do something brief on the front page. Hmm.

I'd also be inclined to put the Tags section higher on the right hand column for two reasons. 1. It gives your readers a better idea - immediately - what kinds of things you write about, so they know if there's more there to interest them. 2. It gives your readers more of an excuse to browse through your entries if they're interested in your subjects. But, instead of a list, if you can change that into a tag cloud so it takes up less space in the column, that would be even better.

Now, for your writing... You have a way with words. A lovely, lovely way with words. :) I find you entertaining and captivating. :)

As with everything, take what works for you and discard the rest. :)

[wordsmith]

Would you believe that I forgot to subscribe to this post?

Thank you both so much for your critique/reviews. I really appreicate it...and I am touched that you like my content. :snoopy:

"Musings from the Mitten" I'm originally from the East Coast, but now live in Michigan, which is shaped like a left mitten on the map. Georgianna, the color scheme (which I hope reads the same on other browsers) is as close to "gold and blue" that I could get, being a Univ. of Michigan alumna by injection. And, since Michigan is the Wolverine State, it made sense to me to pick the same colors as U-Mich, whose mascot is the wolverine.

I like the change to the subtitle, Laurie...thanks.

I will be making some changes over the coming weeks. Thank you, thank you, thank you to you both! :)

[melaniehoo]

I'm originally from Michigan AND the child of U of M alums, so I got it. ;) I read your blog regularly and like your writing style. I don't have children but I still find your posts entertaining. I agree more pictures would be fun - I loved the ones of your son stuck in the basket!

[wordsmith]

Thanks Melanie! :) (Go Blue!)

I made some changes to my blog. Added an about section on the front page, which I think I really need to shorten, and maybe put the full length one in my "about geisswordsmith" page.

ETA: Okay...I shortened it, and changed the right sidebar up a bit.