Beaver Beer Review

Assignment: Choose 5 blog posts you believe best demonstrate strong blog writing and then explain IN SPECIFIC DETAIL why. In your analysis of each post, please make reference to the advice, tips, mistakes offered in the readings so I see you have A) completed the readings and B) absorbed the lessons enough to apply them to actual writing. Choose posts from different blogs and select a variety of both strong a weak examples.

Example #1: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/29/ehud-olmert-iran-strike_n_1462928.html

In my opinion, the Huffington Post is a great example of strong blog writing and great blog format. The homepage of this site is very intriguing and the stories they report on are current and interesting. A nice feature that they have on this blog is that they usually include pictures and video that pertain to there stories, and sometimes they have links to other websites if you want to do further research on the topic. The blog seems very interactive and easy to navigate. This particular story was about the former Israeli prime minister voicing his opinion about attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities. I thought the story was informative, concise, and got the point across clearly without going too overboard.

Example #2: http://mashable.com/2012/04/29/video-job-interviews/

I thought that this blog post was well written, but I thought the way he had it organized was the blog’s strongest attribute. Instead of having a single bold title for his story, the author broke it up into sections, each with its own clear title. The article was about online interviewing for students studying abroad. The author decided to break the story up into sections about the advantages, the effectiveness, and job listings link. Another feature I liked about this blog was the fact that the author included his Facebook link and Twitter account link for easy follow up questions the reader may have.

Example #3: http://www.slashgear.com/six-year-old-boy-may-set-world-computer-expert-record-29225192/

This was a decent blog article, however the author could have sounded more professional with his vocabulary. I think to appeal to a larger crowd, the use of slang should be avoided. For example the author writes, “he is also a boss when it comes to games like Call of Duty and Metal Gear Solid.” I think some older generation reading may be confused by this analogy. But either way I thought the blog article about the 6 year old computer whiz was pretty interesting, and I liked the fact that the author included a picture so the reader has a visual image of what they’re reading about.

Example #4: http://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/a-users-guide-to-qat-the-grossest-drug-in-the-wo

I think this blog post could have included more information, at least a paragraph or two to describe the story and issue at hand. Instead the author used bullet point and picture to tell the story. I thought the pictures that the author included had more of an effect on me than the actual writing did. The story is about a stimulating drug that is commonly chewed in the Middle East called “Qat”. The story was told by describing little bits of information at a time while including a picture of people chewing the plant. Overall the pictures told most of the story, and the writing could have been longer and more detailed.

Example #5: http://gawker.com/5906142/dutch-court-continues-to-ruin-everything-upholds-law-preventing-sale-of-cannabis-to-tourists

I enjoyed reading this article, not only because the story was interesting, but the author used descriptive language and humor to make the story more appealing. The story also a custom designed graphic as the header, and a nice bold title to hook the reader in. The facts of the story were clearly highlighted, and the author’s personal opinion was obvious and unbiased. He simply stated the issue, and how the issue is being dealt with. The issue at hand in this story is that beginning May 1st, the sale of marijuana to tourists in Amsterdam will be illegal. The local “coffee shops” where weed can be purchased and consumed has been a big tourist attraction. But the author points out that Amsterdam has much more to offer foreigners than just good weed, it also has beautiful scenery and historic places such as Anne Frank’s house.

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