Ok before I get on to the review and my comments to them I thought I should give
a little background story. I mentioned some of this in the comments to my review
by Adam. I originally applied for a review in the diaryreviews site and I tried
requesting either Melody or Lissy. In my experience I have found it advantageous
to select a particular reviewer based on common traits like someone closer to
your age or in my case someone with a design background. If you are a writer at
heart it's also a good idea to to select a reviewer whose writing you admire.
Melody seemed like a good reviewer for my diary. The diaryreviews site doesn't
really allow requests, it's more of a random selection process. I dropped a note
in Melody's guestbook just in case the reviewers themselves had the ability to
select from the list of requesters. This was not the case however. Melody was
nice enough to reply to my note indicating that I have already been assigned to
Adam and mentioned that she reviewed for another site usareviews, which allowed
requests for particular reviewers. So I promptly placed my review request for Melody
and the result is the review you see before you:
[http://liquid-mojo.diaryland.com | v.liquid-fade.1.7.3]
First Impression = [5/5]
I'm in love with this layout. I have to tell you, I've dropped in at least 10 times before doing this review just to play with the pics.
Where's the link? = [6/5]
On the review page, where else? What? Did you miss it there? It's on the profile too!
Layout = [35/30]
I don't remember the last time I gave bonus points for a layout, but you deserve them. Self design, black background, white text, purple links. Your graphics are amazing, I could play with them all day. The banner up top is beautiful. When you run the mouse over the banner, it has kind of a liquid effect when it highlights where the mouse is. You have all your links listed neatly to the left, another beautiful graphic which also lights up when you hover, and then your entry. More awesome graphics to play with under the navigation that also have the hover effect, linking to other things. Man, I used to think unjane- had the most beautiful layout on diaryland, but yeah, I think you beat her in my book.
More stuff to play with on the older page! Guestbook is a perfect match. I love the fade between pages.
Likes
Uhm, do I have to say it again?
Dislikes
Not a dislike, but a suggestion. Ever consider dropdown menus? (Yeah, I'm pushing them a lot lately). Since you have quite a few links, it may help those with smaller browsers (I'm on 1024x768, but I checked it out under 800x600). On a smaller browser, there are just too many scrolls. But condensing your links either with dropdowns or fewer pages could help. You could then bring up the last 5 and your disclaimer, and it would be browser friendly. On the guestbook...why no scroll for the navigation like the other pages? Also, could just be my browser setup...but the text is a little small, especially when you use italics.
Content = [20/20]
I have to tell you, I read this review the second it was posted and awaited your reply. I felt so bad not being able to help you out, but I'm glad you still got a decent score. I thought your maturity to the review was really astounding; I think the majority of reviewees don't feel the way you do. The one about your grandmother really touched me and made me think. You're right, life should be feared more so than death. The picture of her made it a little harder to swallow a tear or two. The end of this entry caught my attention. Listen, I've said this before and I'll say it again. This is your diary. Don't change what you write for a reviewer or anyone else. If you do, then it becomes less you...and you might as well stop writing then.
I thought the anniversary was really touching, it's nice that two divorced people can still celebrate like that and stay in each others lives. Sometimes being friends is better than being married, but then again other times it's a disaster. The entry about sex, well one of your entries about sex anyway, I can understand...and I'm a woman! It's probably 'slutty' of me to say, but I think once in a while it would be nice to just go and do some stranger. Not like the old days though my friend, too much going around. Internet connections are easier because there are no fears. You're not worried about what you look like at the time, or first impressions. It's an exchange of words without the worry.
Jumped to the beginning of your diary, and read your first entry. Trust me, I understand male scorpios, I'm with one! In the middle of the entries on this page is a very hot and steamy story! Damn boy, you know how to make a girl need a cold shower!
Errors = [5/5]
Yeah right, this guys a perfectionist! Eek, spoke too soon. Not sure if this is a dland problem, my problem, or your problem, so I won't take points off, but on this entry, the next link refuses to get off the current entry.
Contact = [4/4]
Guestbook, guestmap, notes, email, aim.
Organization = [10/10]
Like I said under layout, you could condense some stuff. But it's organized at least. You have more than enough previous and next links...it's under navigation twice and then under the entry! Your older page looks great, all is good on this end.
Updates = [10/10]
You have a few skips here and there, but multiples as well. It all evens out.
Bonus = [6/5]
I refuse to list them all! Okay, I'll try, but most likely will miss something. Self design, readers, faves, recommend link, about me, ethnicity, 100 things, philosophy, liquid-mojo link, guestmap, photos and art, quizzes, quotes, wanted, friends, more links, two other links, some more links, bonus galore!
Will I be coming back? = [6/6]
You're already on my faves.
What I thought of the diary?
Yes, you're a guy. Yes, you talk about sex. But it's not really all you talk about as some others seem to say. There's a lot of soul searching to be found in this diary. You write about your struggles with love and relationships as well as sex, and that's okay. Your diary appears like more of a roadmap through your emotions, trying to figure out what makes you happy, what you need, what you want, and what you desire. Keep it up, it's perfect as is.
Number of entries read = Oh boy, 70 maybe?
Total: 107/100, welcome to the Hall of Fame.
Reviewed by: Melody
Given my history of mediocre reviews (aside from the rave reviews from
my friends conquestgirl and Tashina of course) this review literally blew me
away. This is the kind of review result I would expect from a good friend like
conquestgirl with all the in-depth analysis, the compliments and appreciation or
Tashina who had given me my first "better-than-perfect" score and both
have been keeping up with my diary and vice-versa for some time before the
review so I had the advantage of both familiarity of my diary and affinity
towards my writing style.
So here comes Melody, someone who is largely unacquainted with my diary. She
is practically a stranger, someone with whom I barely spoke with previously,
taking the time and the effort to read so far back into my diary. To say I'm
flattered would be putting it mildly. Really I'm not used to this level of
flattery as I am typically poised to accept the blow of a low to mediocre score.
This time the "perfectionist/egotist" within me is completely
satisfied while the humble/meek person within me is sent reeling. One of my
initial reactions to this review is "I don't deserve such high
praise". Like when she mentioned unjane's layout and compared it to mine,
at first I was like "woah". In my opinion unjane's diary has one of
the most perfect, flawless and well-designed layouts in diaryland. In my
personal opinion my diary is more of a diamond in the rough in comparison to
unjane's flawless gem. But this is Melody's personal opinion and thus she
obviously found my design that appealing. To make an appealing layout is of
course one of my goals as a designer, but to be appreciated at this magnitude,
it was just "wow".
I also realized that that there are very subjective
factors involved in the review process. In the same way other reviewers found
elements of my diary unappealing (like my constant sexual banter) Melody has
had the opposite reaction (with both my content and layout) and actually found my layout very appealing and scored my layout according to that appeal.
Even more serendipitous was the fact that my review right before this one was
conducted by unjane- herself on the same day just hours before, it's almost
surreal how things like this happen. It makes me wonder how people and things in
the universe interconnect in a way that seemingly goes well beyond random
chance. She also gave some constructive advice
concerning the use of dropdown menus. I may incorporate something like that in
my next redesign placing some of my extras and links and perhaps my contact info
under those types of menus while leaving the main navigation items as is.
As for the other minor scoring elements I've gotten perfect or better scores
on all of them, Errors, Contact, Organization, Updates, Bonus and Return, all
good stuff. She actually went all the way back and tested my earliest
entries for errors. The majority of them were very long weblog style entries.
I'm not sure if this glitch is unique to my diary or if others who have weblogs
style entries have experienced this type of problem but I have no idea how to
fix the %%back%% and wetnuts.html functionality of all those older entries. =/
Fortunately she gave me the benefit of the doubt and did not take points off for
that minor glitch.
Now to the heart of the matter, my content. This is the one area where
most reviewers (and I suppose most people in general) have most trouble relating
to. Now this is just a theory, but I think it might be because I write about sex
alot in my diary. Like OMG does this fucking guy ever stop talking about sex? OK
I admit it, I may have a slightly high ratio of sexual to non-sexual entries. I
have tried broadening the subject matter as a result of some of these reviews,
but eventually the topics reverted back to their natural state of horniness. If
anything I tried to evolve my style of writing to incorporate humor,
introspectiveness and emotions like the sheer longing and frustration along with
my sexual thoughts while trying to offset my egotistical male tendencies in an
attempt to draw rather than repel the reader into the happenings of my mind. I
think that's as happy a medium as I am ever going to achieve. I anticipate a
time when I will find a partner, have my constant sexual desires and cravings
satisfied and thus freeing my mind for more evolved writing. Perhaps I can start
writing about the grander things like joy, love and beauty of the universe and
maybe even the eventual relationship woes but until then what you see is what
you get.
On that note Melody is one of the few reviewers who has both acknowledged the
substance of my entries and has not detracted negatively from my sexual entries.
I think this is reflected by the wonderful range of examples of entries she drew
from my diary capturing the pain and fear concerning my ill grandmother and my
affinity for my ex turned friend in my anniversary entry. She even related to
some of my more sexually-oriented entries. *gasp* She even suggested that I go
out and get laid, well of course she put it much more eloquently, but I think
that's a painfully obvious suggestion since it has been suggested by other
reviewers and friends who have actually read most of not all this stuff. Believe
me, I'm working on it. =p Melody even went so far as to go all the way back to
the first entry. If memory serves me she is the only reviewer who has done that
and she is the first person in diaryland at least to catch the only steamy sexual
anecdote (based on actual experience) buried deep within one of my lengthy
weblogs. I'm tempted to dedicate that entry to it's own separate page. That was
such a beautiful memory for me and the fact that she was one of the very few
people to catch that entry independently says alot about her as a reviewer and
as a perceptive and empathic person in general.
I guess that last thing I want to do is thank Melody profusely for going
above and beyond the call of duty by going into so much detail with her review
of my diary. So thank you, thank you and finally thank you Melody. :) I also
thank Melody for seeing fit to give my such a high score. Being atop the
"Hall of Fame" in a review site is something I'm definitely not used
to and it's probably not something I am going to see very much of due to the
nature of my writing so I am going to enjoy this moment of perfection while it
lasts. I do have one little secret that perhaps even Melody doesn't know about
(well maybe she does now if she has either read enough of my diary and/or if she
read this particular entry). Long before this review I stumbled upon one of her
many other diaries she maintains. I think she's a diary junkie but we'll keep
that our secret. ;) Anyway the diary I'm referring to is her letters2dad
diary which is now closed. I sent her a note and even dedicated a diary
entry to her just sharing how much I related to her on an emotional level to
what she wrote. It wasn't just me though, looking at her other notes it seems
like she touched so many other people. I never got a response to that note,
mostly because those letters were just too personal. That diary was a conduit to
communicate with her father who had passed away. Having known and suffered a loss
of that magnitude and intensity in my own life somehow I knew that there would
be an immediate connection should our paths ever cross. It seems I was not
mistaken. To say I want to continue this connection in the form of a friendship
would be an understatement...
