Blog Review: Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin' Blog

Fantasy and Sci-Fi Lovin' Blog
http://sqt-fantasy-sci-fi-girl.blogspot.com

Description of site:
The author gives comment, opinion and review on a wide range of contemporary literature, movies and TV programs, mainly of a fantasy genre.

Appearance:
Custom Blogger template with three columns. The site has a brand new animated banner – very flashy.

Organisation:
This is a very busy blog. There are a lot of elements crowded on to the page and I find the amount of sidebar clutter disconcerting. Maybe it’s the fact that sidebar content is raining in from both directions – it is overwhelming relative to the average post length.

Navigation and Functionality:
Sidebar links and blog archive. Three columns means lots of links and the tabbed browsing is very functional and Firefoxesque.

Advertising:
Amazon associates book ads located on each sidebar. Google AdSense link unit, ad unit and Picasa referral button located on the left sidebar. I'd be interested to know if the author is making much money from AdSense – I suspect not. Referral buttons don't attract too much revenue because most people can't be bothered to install the program. Link units don't attract any payment for clicks – you only get paid if someone clicks on a link from the list that appears (eg. people need to click at least twice for the publisher to get any payment). Much better to focus on ad units – one click equals one payment. There are also a few stand alone advertising banners dotted about the page.

Comments:
This is a requested review.

The author is what I would describe as a prolific poster. Despite this being less than three months old there is a lot of material to get your teeth around. It's going to be difficult to write a comprehensive review because I’m at odds with some of the subject – literature is not really my thing. Luckily there is some talk of Sci-Fi TV programs and movies and it isn't long before Star Wars features – now you're on my wavelength! The author provides a short breakdown of the first three movies which, naturally, aren't as well filmed or story lined as episodes IV – VI. You'll also find lots of comment on the big novels that made it to the big screen – the Harry Potter stories, Lord of the Rings trilogy and Chronicles of Narnia to name but a few. Comic book super heroes are also the order of the day, with appearances by Spiderman and Superman. For TV fans there are also lots of interesting musings about Battlestar Galactica, Lost and Buffy.

The high number of comments is reassuring to see. The author has obviously been working overtime to promote the Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin' Blog and has attracted a loyal following of regular comment leavers.

An interesting site if you’re in to literature, movies, fantasy and science fiction. Sadly it drops a mark because of the towering sidebar situation.

Rating:
7/10

Reviewer:
Tom