Karen Shanley: Author Mom With Dogs

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Blog Being Reviewed: Karen Shanley: Author Mom With Dogs
Reviwed By: Diva Dee

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At First Glance: Hmmm... Blah. The template doesn't work well in IE, but it looks fine in Opera.

Template/Design: I went shopping this weekend for the kiddo's school supplies, and I loved how excited the kids got over picking out crayons and markers. So when I see this template, I sit here and think how much I wish I had my very own box of Crayola Classic Markers, and a BIG box of Crayola crayons to give this blog template a bit more color. The graphic has been photoshopped (per the author). But WHY? That's my question. Why change the photo? It looks like it would have been fine on its own. But this blog, like so many others we review, need some OOMPH! Some pizazz... this one doesn't entice me to stick around long enough to read anything.

I'm not real crazy about the click-throughs to get the rest of the post in the archives. I like to be able to just read it. Not read a paragraph, click to read the rest, and then go back to the main page. Argh. It just doesn't flow. The posts aren't that long that they require a sneak preview to get to the real thing.

Content: I've noticed Karen has an old soul. Please don't take that as a derogatory comment, because its not meant to be. She seems to take a lot of time to think about the way another person or animal thinks and feels; she's extremely observant. I read her post about her "garden journal" and I was inspired. I want to be one of those people. The ones that remember there's more to life than computers and technology. She's a published writer, and it has gotten superb reviews. Top that with a beautiful daughter, a husband, and some fun-loving animals, and she seems like a great gal to hang around with.

What is the first thing I would change about this blog? Publish the entire posts in your archives. Thats just my opinion.

What is the best feature of this blog? The content.

Rating: 8