Best of Blogs

I stepped into this a bit hesitantly. I was used to reading my peers’ blogs every week but I wasn’t sure how to critique policy blogs- and a blog of my choosing?

After much scouring, here’s who made the cut:

The first blog I ventured into is the Bay Buzz: Political News of Tampa Bay. It’s a blog that offers the latest news on Tampa Bay politics by staff writers at the St. Petersburg Times.

At first, I noticed its appearance. The blog looks very similar to that of the “Breaking News” section of the website; short blurbs of information, the headlines are colored in green, and readers can comment on the pieces. I noticed however, that this is much more informal writing. I mean, I know that’s what blogs are (full of candidness and randomness) but I guess I found it a bit jolting to read the informal writing from staff writers and not columnists.

Drum roll please…..I found a typo!! And I’m damn proud of myself- but a little disappointed.

Below is the headline where I noticed the typo:
“Candidates lining up for Hillsborough commisison races”

I know these are blogs and more informal, but come on, writers should always double-check and triple-check their spelling. And I know blogs are quick, but they should still be given the time to go over at least once more before they’re submitted. Overall I enjoyed the blog- it had interesting headlines such as “Gibbons shaking trees in Tallahassee” and it listed the different categories under the blog on a sidebar, which is very convenient for readers.

The second blog I read is the Thinking Out Loud blog, which contains postings from The Tampa Tribune’s Editorial Board and from local community columnists.

With this blog, I personally liked the headlines of each blog post- they were intriguing and drew my attention greatly. Also, like many blogs, I appreciate the ability that readers have to post comments on each blog. I also liked that the blogs varied in topics, but they mostly all center around events and current news in the Tampa Bay Area. Also, what’s helpful is the fact that on a sidebar is a listing of all the contributors and their e-mail address, just in case readers would like to contact them themselves instead of having to dig around or call the Tribune.

I am not computer-savvy. I’m currently struggling advanced programs such as PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator, etc. I do, however, appreciate technology and for the wonders it does. So I cam across my third blog, Gizmodo.com. And it is hilarious. It is packed with funny blogs highlighting and poking fun at the latest quirky news associated with technology. The blog is also full of funny images that accompany many of the blogs, some edited with speaking bubbles alongside them. I really enjoyed this blog, hopefully I can learn something from it.