Blog Review: Comic Book and Movie Reviews by Jay

Site Name: Comic Book and Movie Reviews
Site Owner: Jay
Platform: Blogspot
Genre: Comic Book and Movie Reviews
Description: This is a daily updated entertainment website, for the geek whose a freak.

Cross Browser Check

1. ✓ Chrome
2. ✓ Mozilla Firefox
3. ✓ Opera
4. ✓ Internet Explorer 8
5. ✓ Internet Explorer 7
6. ✓ Opera Mini (doesn't provide mobile template - but still looks good)

Things Worth Mentioning

• Color combination is nice for a comic and movie review blog
• Fonts are well chosen
• Interesting Photos for every post
• Page contains only one H1
• Amazon deals as E-Store looks tricky

Things that Need Attention

• Background image is not advisable for sites that provide a lot of pictures
• A widget that runs on Flash on the sidebar

Tips from BTT

1. Background Image
   There is nothing wrong with using background images as long as you follow these:
   
   • Make sure that the background image is related with your site, I don't get the relationship of a river or pots with comic and movie reviews
   • Make sure that it compliments the content. Dark Background and dark wrapper for contents - isn't it redundant?
   
   
2. Search Bar doesn't look like a search bar at first glance
   Maybe you can do some tweaking on the button or the input part.
   
   By applying CSS for the following classes "gsc-search-button" and "gsc-input", you can customize its apperance
   
   Example:
   
   

   input.gsc-input{
    border: 2px solid red;
    background: #d3d3d3;
   }
   input.gsc-search-button{
    border-radius: 4px;
    background: red;
    color: white;
    border: 3px solid red;
    text-transform: uppercase;
    font-weight: bold;
   }
   

   
   
   
   
   Of course, you can always choose your own colors. I just think that red would look good on your current theme.
   
   
3. Email Subscription Placement
   I suggest that you place the email subscription on the upper half (aka 'above the fold'). This way visitors won't need to scroll down just to see it.
   
   
   
   
   Subscription forms are actually an important part of any blog so make sure that you are placing it on the right position.
   
   

BTT Opinion for Comic Book and Movie Review

Design 4/5 ★★★★★
I find your design neat for your niche. I think the color and fonts fit well. The way you present your blog makes it interesting - image works well on this genre.

Web Designers often use dark background with light text for game and comic related site this is because they want to emphasize the color of the images they are using, so I guess, how you chose the combination creates a nice atmosphere on your site.

The slider on the side makes a great way of showing off your archives.

One thing to point out though, your background image plus the tons of thumbnails you are loading creates a slower downloading of page.

Also, you may want to remove the post at the bottom (I think that would be your latest post that is displayed automatically). The reason behind this is, you are actually showing a lot of redundant contents.

Content 4/5 ★★★★★
Your approach on reviewing works well. Giving your own points of view in a way that as if you are talking with your visitor makes every article interesting. Attaching videos and images (even though some of them weren't really related) takes away the boredom on reading.

Branding 3/5 ★★★★★
Though the title really tells everything I need to know, I don't find it catchy enough. Also, your title on the header looks like a copycat of Marvel's.

The picture on your favicon -- I think that would "somehow" give an idea about your site. I've actually seen that icon/avatar (if I'm not mistaken) mostly on review sites. Though I couldn't figure where and when I saw it.

Your URL address or domain is too long, if I haven't cached it, bookmarked, or the visitor doesn't come from an organic traffic -- I wouldn't really try to visit it because it's too long to type.

Audience Impact 3/5 ★★★★★
I admit that I'm not a fan of movies and comic books, but your articles are worth reading if you are really into it. The only problem I got is, your loading time really s*cks. The large images plus the widgets and other things makes your site so heavy. I advised you tone down some of your elements, other than that, it looks good.

Guest Judge Opinion for Comic Book and Movie Review

For our guest judge today, we invited Mr. Payne to review Jay's blog. Mr. Payne is a Canadian English professor based on China and is fond of movies and interested on reading comic books.

DISCLAIMER

The views expressed in comments by the guest judge published on this blog site are those of the comment writers alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of Beneath the Tree, nor do they represent the views or opinions of www.ajibanda.com, or any entity of, or affiliated with www.ajibanda.com

Design 4/5 ★★★★★
Overall the design for this particular website is not too bad. A lot of websites hit you with gaudy colors and try to overload you with information and materials. This website is fairly easy to browse and the colors are not painful to the eyes. The search bar allows quick and easy access to the information that you are looking for. Also, for the recent articles that he has posted he gives a quick introduction and if you find it intriguing you can continue reading with a quick click of the mouse button. I found that some pictures did not download properly or took an extremely long time (maybe the Internet here in China). I enjoyed the variety of choices this particular website has for comics and movies but would even like more.

Content 4/5 ★★★★★
The author’s style of writing actually amuses me and brings a smile to my face as he seems to enjoy rhyming in many of his articles and makes me more intrigued. Also, he has a certain way of asking questions at the beginning of the article/blog that makes you more interested. I enjoy his way of writing and how he is not afraid to speak and plain and although he uses some obscenities in his writing he does not go overboard. The articles are interesting and informative (the ones that I have read) but, they are usually for things that I have already read or watched. That being said though I would go back to this particular website to gain some information or insight.

Branding 3/5 ★★★★★
I have found that overall the brand name and logo are very simplistic and are not that eye catching. The name is very simple and very informative of what the website would have information on. Maybe I am different but I find something that is catchy and exciting to really attract my attention.

Impact to Reader 4/5 ★★★★★
I would go back and look what this author has to say about items that I am interested in and I have already bookmarked this website. That being said I find that most of the things he has commented on are things I have already seen or read but do like to read what he has said about certain topics.

Summary

BTT Total Rating: 3.5

Guest Judge Rating: 3.75

Honestly, though I'm not a fan of comic and movies, the way he approach his posts and reviews make it interesting. Regarding the design, I couldn't suggest more (other than the background image) since I find your overall layout perfect for your niche.

---

So that's it, again this is just a friendly review from BTT. We aim for a better site and not to insult the owners and administrators. Whether you follow our tips and suggestions depend on your decision. Ciao!

To submit your own blog simply fill-up the form on this page or read this post. Thank you, we'll be happy to review your sites for FREE!