Lazyczech Playlist

The Proposal

I see that the first choice for the title of this project was "the playlist" which, if was a website I stumbled across, would probably not click on. However, the name "Lazyczech Playlist" is fun, original, interesting, and kinda humble. I am glad you went with this name.

Your proposal states that you will be putting together posts that are somewhat filter, and somewhat topical. This is great because it leaves a lot of wiggle room for how your posts should look. I wonder if you should add in that there will be parts that are some what personal as well?

The Project

Starting with the About page..I really like what I found on this page. The picture is perfect, it's so consistent with how bloggers make choices to show only parts of their world and themselves.

The content here is pretty much perfect. There is enough information to grasp the goals and background of the blog, without being lengthy or difficult to process.

I can immediately pick-up on the writing style and tone. There is a tendency to use words that are rich and dramatic, without sentence filler of "fluff."

The tone is humorous, witty, and slightly sarcastic. Right up my alley! and it is the unique style and tone of writing that really draws me in and makes me want to read more.

The blog posts feel well crafted as I go through this blog. Content is broken-up by images that match well with the writing. There is obviously professionalism at play here, as sources, links, and background facts are always given. The reader feels a sense of trust for what the writer provides, because the voice is so honest.

I did find a few things to consider changing, however.

My computer is pretty old, but I use it at home for everything. It has a very difficult time going to this website and loading because the length of the site is so long, and there are many types of media embedded within the posts. If there is a way to tweak how many posts can show-up on the main screen, I would consider shortening the amount considerably. It would be a good way to make people want to read your blog and not give up because it takes to long to load.

Personally, I do love music, but I do not enjoy learning about most music. From that piont of view, some of these posts do get very lengthy. The honesty and ongoing humor really push the reader forward. I appreciate how they are broken up, it does make a huge difference. When your eyes can visualize just how much they'll need to read before they get a break, these large posts are not nearly as intimidating because there are many places to stop reading and take a break. The photos and other media you include do a fantastic job of helping to break-up your posts as well.

However, I do see that the writer has put some time into trying to organize posts, and I think a list of categories would be very helpful to a person who was searching more specified posts.

Overall I am impressed with how willing the writer is to share every detail and thought with his audience, even if it means starting a fight between Music reviewers or fans. This is what makes the writing so good, and gives the readers a foundation to build trust.

After visiting this blog, I feel I would definitely come back before buying new music to see what was being recommended and why. I have this undeniable feeling that if it's been reviewed by the Lazyczech, I wont be disappointed.

Sign Language Encyclopedia

The Proposal

I know very little about Sign Language, but have always been interested in language that is unspoken, and how people communicate with body language. This writer clearly knows at least some basic information about Sign Language, especially American sign language it seems. I feel confident that what will be presented in the wiki will be well researched and fact driven. I trust that I will not be given incorrect information with the purpose of filling the wiki with content.

This seems to be a very broad topic, and the writer has many well planned goals to achieve through the developing of this wiki. I wonder if the contract should actually be for 1000 points?

The project

When I click on the link to get to this site, I am taken to a page where I am asked to register or login. If I did not know to click on the link that says "Sign Language Encyclopedia" I may have just searched for another sight rather than trying to find this specific site.

I am taken to the main page for this wiki, where the first image I see is the gesture "hello," which comes of as very inviting and welcoming.

As I scroll I find History which is followed by links, FAQ, images of Sign languages around the world, and videos of people who are signing.

If I were looking for something specific, it may be quite difficult to find at this point. I would really love to see side links that take you directly to certain points of the page, rather than having to scroll down. Also, the embedded videos make the page somewhat difficult to load.

The writer has certainly done thorough research to find the content thats presented to the audience. All the sources are given as links within the text, so a reader can easily find where the information came from, and a possible source for more information specifically about one point of sign language.

The actually text does get quite lengthy however. I realize this is meant to look professional and not to be cluttered with images or other filler, but I find myself unable to read all of the content, so I start scrolling and skimming rather than reading. IF there was anyway to help break up some of this content or condense it a bit there would probably be a lot more reading rather than skimming.

I did find one small error, and being that you must be a member to leave comments, I would rather just ignore the error rather than set up an account and tell the writer about the error. It's down in the video's of signed songs, "apologize" is a song by "Timbaland" and not by "Justine Timberlake" and while that is not specific to Sign Language in anyway, it does bother me in a pet-peeve sort of way. It very well be annoying enough to make someone go to a different site.

Overall, this project is coming together quite nicely. The writer is planning ahead and anticipating what will be the FAQ's, and what kind of information the general public may be seeking when looking for sites about sign language.

Suspension Of:

the proposal

I really like the idea of a blog that is dedicated to a band, especially one that is local and still finding their sound. While this blog may not get many readers at first, it certainly makes this band unique, and may one day have many new and returning readers.

When a new group first breaks into the "main stream" or begins picking up fans as the music becomes more known, people who are truly interested will take the time to find information regarding the band, the music, and everything that goes with it. When you leave this part open for other bloggers and forms of journalism to present, your fans may not like what they find. However, if consumers find that the band is keeping a weblog, and has been doing so quite diligently, they will be more likely to connect with the humble, human side behind the music playing "machine."

I don't care for the part about little to no personal opinions being given in this blog, however. I understand the desire to not just be putting out an "artists diary," but I do think it is nearly impossible to continue a blog of this nature without ever expressing opinions. Your fans want to see a different side of the band than what they are already getting. Purposely leaving out opinions may at one point lead to problems when it feels there is no content to provide without adding your opinions (be them negative, positive, or neutral) and could lead to a generic sounding voice.

About

There is only one paragraph describing the band itself. I don't know if this can truly merit being on a page all by itself.

About the band members is really fun! This writer obviously has a great sense of humor. The given information lets fans see into the personality of each band member, and also get a feel for how this band works and fits together. The Duck Norris part is especially hilarious.

The Project

This blog is quite fun to read. The way the writer forms sentences, leads to an actual feeling of suspension at times. As this is the name of the band, I find it to be a very nice parallel.

Some posts are very short and straight to the point. Others are longer with more content, but these are generally broken-up very nicely with images or sentence breaks. The writer does well to not delve too deeply into the personal feelings and thoughts connected with what he is sharing, but gives just enough of his own personality to give the writer a sense of what some assumed feelings or thoughts may be.

For example, the latest post explains how vocals for 2 songs were done with the help of a huge water bottle. The reader can then go on to make assumptions about why it was so difficult to get through those 2 songs (strep throat, allergies, asthma?) and while he could have gone into details, he has made it clear that this site is not a "dear diary" site, and therefore it is not expected for him to give that much information.

I really like how he's given us background info. on the people in the group, and now writes in every entry as though we are expected to know who these characters are. If some one stumbled on to this page and didn't read the "band members" page, they would still not have difficulty reading the posts and getting something valuable from them. However, if you do read the band members page before going on to read the content, it does help to enrich the experience quite deeply. I would consider making this page easier to find, or including other ways to get to that page rather than just clicking the tab on the top of the screen.

If this band doesn't already have fans, it won't be long until there are. Which is a good reason to include an easy to find way to subscribe to this blog. That way fans can keep a closer watch without having to do the work of always checking back and searching through all of the content.

Another thing to consider is including categories, or a tag cloud for your audience to have another way to navigate through the site. This would probably be a helpful way to get more readers to your site as well.

Overall, this is a great project, and the writer is very closely following what he had originally outlined in his proposal. While I can't be certain that I'll ever hear the music this band produces in the mainstream, I do feel drawn to stop back now and then just to see how the band is progressing, and get updates on current projects.

Studio Tour Grade Contract

This studio tour is contracted for 150 points. This is the most insightful I can be on the current projects I have critiqued.