Michael is Low on Hit Points

1)  Baka-Raptor

I could run a business here: in exchange for fan art, I'd criticize blogs. Everybody wins.

Re)  Michael is LoHP

@ Baka-Raptor

There you go! Never miss a business opportunity. The only problem with starting that business now is that we are in the midst of an artistic depression and the U.S. fanart is depreciating in value. And as much as that was a reference joke, it does carry a bit of truth with it...

2)  ghostlightning

Follow through on your own resolutions. You said you didn't want to write as many impressions and instead do more topical editorials. Do it.

The latter has more value, to me at least. Though I'm just one reader, I will blog too (sooner than later, since Baka-Raptor can see the future and saw me blogging in it) and editorials influence other editorials; provoke reactions and reaction posts.

See here: if you like show x, and dislike show y when I feel the complete opposite, there's really not a lot to discuss as we all end up on the ground: the fundamental particulars being the subjectivity of our respective tastes.

Opinion and analysis however, which may include value judgments on shows, offer many discussion points where we can agree in some places and disagree in others even within the same post. This makes a blog vibrant and engaging for me instead of "I liked this and I liked that" posts.

I hope this is of use for you. Good luck!

3)  kadian1364

Just a thought on your blog layout. You have all this empty space down the left side of a post, especially on longer posts and comments sections. Maybe introduce some more images or color so its appearance is more pleasing the the eye.

Re)  Michael is LoHP

@ ghostlightning

What do you know, I completely agree with you! I do need to do less impressions and more editorials. Actually, I could do the same amount of impressions (since me posting in general is rare) and just add editorials. Good break down on impressions versus editorials, by the way.

Of course, that touches on the biggest issue I have as a blogger: I'm a lazy bastard. Or maybe 'unmotivated' would be the better word choice? I wonder if I put forth the effort (continuously, it has to be continuously), will I get anything worth that time out of it? That, I think, is a legitimate concern.

Because that kind of writing is more like work. I'm not getting paid for the work, so it has to give me something else. Simply writing a post isn't pleasurable for me. Basically, I would want a continuing dialogue. Not just a smattering of comments, but real back and forth. And I wonder if I'm good enough or -- I hate to say it -- popular enough to achieve that.

I guess the only way to find out is to get off my ass and just do it.

@ kadian1364

Color has always been an issue for me when it comes to site design. There are two ways to introduce it to a page: through images or through other elements of the design. And when it comes to graphic design, that's my biggest weakness. My overall design sense is quite simple, and the clean look of this site is more along the lines of "that is all I'm capable of."

On the other hand, cropping more pictures means I have to do a lot more work (finding good ones is a bitch) in order to get a post up. Seeing as I'm bad enough with posting frequency, more pictures with each post would probably have a negative effect on the blog.

As for that left spacing, I think of it as negative space that helps keep the site looking clean. Maybe that's misconceived. In a way, my site is quite like Hop Step Jump, with a single thin column. I've merely offset that column to push some elements off to the side in order to get the text higher and more prominent on the page.

Well, what can I say in the end? I'm only so-so at design. I'd be lying if I said I don't have plenty of issues with how the site looks now. Of course, I've never been happy with any of my sites. That's why I always constantly redesign them! Maybe one day I'll get it just right.

Re)  Michael is LoHP

@ kadian1364 (again)

The more I look at it, the more I really don't like the look of these posts when they don't have a picture at the top. I think I'm fine with the blank space during longer posts and comment threads, but I really don't like the look of the top without some kind of image.

And the layout of this post still bugs me. I think you may have given me an excuse to slack off on posting and redesign again...!

4)  Gargron

Yes, I can totally relate to people wanting feedback on their blogs. Commenters usually discuss the topic of a post, but almost never the post itself. (Maybe it's good so, who knows). But at the same time, to have trolling being thrown at you isn't quite what one wishes when thinking on critique.

Moreover, I just have to tell here that reviewing blogs is a far more difficult thing than it seems. I'm following some blogs for more than a year already, yet still can't describe one single of them just for a short blogroll page one-liner. Essence of a blog is very difficult to get. OEG looked at the blogs for a few days, and already tell their opinion on it. That seems not right to me.

I don't feel like I could critique your blog in the fullest. I can just say what comes to my mind right now: you have a great design (although I liked the pre-redesign header more), you write well. Yet, sometimes you should write shorter. Well, or I must work on my attention span (which is quite large though, considering I don't give up on my stubborn grandfather for goddamned hours trying to teach him something he wanted me to teach him).

Re)  Michael is LoHP

@ Gargron

Funny thing about the OEG: since their first post, they've written one self-congratulatory post and then one other post having to re-explain what the hell they're actually doing there. They should have focused on one blog per post, and posted one blog critique a day. Not even a week in, and they've totally lost steam. I wonder if anyone cares anymore. This is the internet; people move on real fast.

As for a blogroll page with one line synopsis, I was actually going to set one of those up myself. I'm being my typical lazy self with that one...

On posting length, I try to be concise. Overly wordy posts can lose me too. Yet some people can ramble on and on with a very long post and I'll never lose interest. I guess it just comes down to writing ability (being able to hook a reader with your prose). That's one of the things I was wishing I would be better at when I wrote that "blogging is pointless" post.

5)  Gargron

Writing ability is not everything. Right use of headlines, italics, etcetera can hold the reader's attention even better (I tell it as a reader)

Re)  Michael is LoHP

@ Gargron

I was kind of clumping all of that stuff together into "writing ability." Sizing your paragraphs, breaking up the page at the right points, knowing when to be dry and when to be witty... those and more are all things that a great writer knows how to do just right to hold the reader's attention.

6)  RP

My one "fluffy" critique, would be to stick to your guns and dont get down on yourself so quickly. If the blogosphere is getting negative, don't let that impact your enjoyment.

Technically, shouldn't there should be a way to navigate via tags? Otherwise, they seem sort of pointless. And I like the clean design, and the thick underline links look great. But I wouldn't mind a little more splash of color here and there.

7)  Kairu

This OEG is just some troll site made from 4chan.

Protip: Don't feed the trolls.

Re)  Michael is LoHP

@ RP

You hit on a few really good points. I'm really mad at myself for letting other blogs get to me and affect my own writing. I want to be more positive in my posts, and I'd like to try to stay above the fray when crap is going down elsewhere. That is one key area I have definitely disappointed myself in.

I've been meaning to implement a proper tagging system for a while now. First I need to actually code in a better archive, then I need those tags to interface with that page. But even before that I need to fix a few quirks that have popped up with this latest redesign (since I redid a lot of the cache code).

I've seen the thick underline used elsewhere, and I was desperate for some color, seeing as this site is streamlined to the point of nearly being pure text. I'm not entirely sure what to do to give this site more color. Of course, that's always been a bit of a weakness for me.

@ Kairu

I really wasn't going to comment on them. I wasn't going to give them the time of day. However, too many bloggers out there really seemed to want the criticism that they purport to apply. I wanted to talk about how we as bloggers could simply ask for that criticism, and thus I needed to give that point some background, which of course leads back to OEG.

Thinking back on it, I really could have just left their name out and talked about the subject with only a vague reference to why. Oh well... What's done is done.

8)  FaS

You know, I definitely like your layout and how you let the content speak for itself. I don't think I'm up to that level yet. I don't think anyone would come to my site :( But it seems you're pretty pimpin :) I'm glad I stubled upon this, but after doing so, a silly question materializes in that thing I call my "head."

This is a REALLY dumb questin, but what in the heck is Otaku Elimination game...? I'm just so confused.

Re)  Michael is LoHP

@ FaS

They way I look at it, what I'm actually creating / producing is text. If anyone comes here, they'll come here to read something. After a few design revisions -- each time simplifying the layout -- I came to that conclusion. So I've put effort over time in trying to give the text a good format and give it the utmost prominence on the page...

...or I could simply admit I'm not good at making more colorful, graphic-intense sites. And on that end, your blog looks fantastic! That's a great layout, as it is colorful and detailed while still being organized and clean.

"I don't think I'm up to that level yet. I don't think anyone would come to my site :("

No way man. I guarantee the same people who read your blog now would read your writing if your site wasn't as pretty. Of course, that's no reason for your site not to continue looking good!

As for the Otaku Elimination 'Game,' it's just some blog that was started to critique other anime blogs. Unfortunately, they haven't been doing as good a job of that as everyone thought they might at the start.

9)  FaS

Yeah, I've visited animenano and it definitely seems A BIT harsh. I know they do the whole anime-crawl, but do they only talk about "Otaku" blogs or what...? Whatever the case, I still don't know what the hell a "true" otaku is...maybe I should write about it...mmm, I think I will.

10)  FaS

Oh and btw, thanks for the compliments :) Though there are still 2 small things I'm trying to straighten up, along with trying to get more writers to write with me. It's hard pumping out material all the time, and I know you know.

Re)  Michael is LoHP

@ FaS

I don't think you mean Nano there, lol! But yeah, the OEG has gone nowhere fast. I thought that maybe they might shore up eventually, but it's not looking that way right now.

I see you just added a new writer, so it seems you're off to a fine start on that goal.

11)  Yi

I don't have many constructive criticisms on this site, since I read this one post. I do really want to compliment you on the clarity of your writing and the thoughtfulness of your message. Criticism is hard to come by and easily digestible criticism even harder, so this is a really good idea.

I do kind of want to play devil's advocate. OEG, while somewhat rude and biting, does provide some constructive criticism. I think for a critique to be useful, it takes both sides; it is also up to the target to be able to either use that critique or to dismiss it. Either way, despite being harsh, OEG does give their blogs something to think about. For example, in their first "review", they attacked blogs for being generic. That I think is quite an invaluable criticism. I do agree that it could be much better and much more useful, but OEG is not completely without value. I don't think it's too flawed either.

It's also entertaining as hell.

With that said, I did ask to be on their list, but I doubt I will take their criticisms too seriously or to heart. I wanted to be on their list simply because I wanted to have people and I laugh at myself, a bit masochistic but also a bit fun. If no one takes it seriously, OEG is really fun. Of course I say that now, but I maye have a different reaction when they come around to mine.

Anyways, I wrote too much... I enjoyed your post though.

12)  FaS

Oh yeah my fault, I meant OeG, hahah

Re)  Michael is LoHP

@ Yi

Thanks for the compliment!

As for the OEG, I honestly don't mind their rudeness. That's the most minor of issues, and it really only characterizes the delivery of their message, not so much the message itself. I think the issue most bloggers have is that the message itself is... well, generic. Knocking anime blogs for being generic is easy; giving them useful advice on how to break free from being generic is less easy. It is also far more constructive.

And I guess this is where I have to start pulling an about face? The OEG is starting to get a little more constructive. And like you said, maybe the site gets people talking. Maybe it knocks a blogger or two or three out of their malaise. And I do say that making it on their hit-list could be up-roaringly funny -- if they take the time to give me a proper roast.

Re)  Michael is LoHP

@ FaS

I wonder if my CAPTCHA question ninja'ed the wrong site into your brain?

13)  OtakuElimination

Here's some criticism; actually research your subject.

"As for the Otaku Elimination 'Game,' it's just some blog that was started to critique other anime blogs. Unfortunately, they haven't been doing as good a job of that as everyone thought they might at the start."

Where on earth did you get this information from? Your friends? General hearsay? The best source of information is the original source itself.

We are a blog designed to praise or humiliate blogs depending on how they use the word 'otaku'. You use it correctly or don't use it at all and we'll give your blog a few stabs before approving it. Use it incorrectly and we'll rip it to pieces and we'll take you and your internet social life down with it.

As courtesy of the OEG, we'll give some more quick criticism right now on the fly:

Put more colour on your theme. It works for us because we have a single point to get across. For a social blogger like yourself, a splash of colour really would not go amiss and it makes your readers want to stay. Not only is your content weak, the lack of apparent effort on the design only gives the impression further that you have no interest in what you post about at all.

Re)  Michael is LoHP

@ OtakuElimination

I read your about page and all of your entries as of writing this post. You tapped into this rather vague but widespread belief that our blogosphere is lacking in several ways. And while you do say in your about entry that the site's purpose is to go after 'fake otaku,' that's not full truth of your output so far.

You have been criticizing blog elements unrelated to just the usage of the word otaku. Maybe that's just your way of knocking 'fake otaku' down a few pegs. But it's going to come across as what many readers in general want to see in it, and that is critique about blogging in the 'sphere as a whole. You do critique blogs, whether you mean to or not.

"...we'll take you and your internet social life down with it."

A little bit dramatic, huh? This is what I'm getting at. The language you are using is off base. It's overly aggressive and downright juvenile. Never mind the fact that the above quote doesn't even make sense.

"Not only is your content weak..."

This shows another issue I -- and many others -- don't think you can overcome: generalization. Your critique lacks examples and depth. Simply saying "you suck" doesn't actually say much at all.

"...the lack of apparent effort on the design..."

That's laughable. It's obvious effort went into this design. You may not like what that effort produced, but unmistakably this blog is designed with care and towards a specific end. You're either ignoring that, or simply showing your ignorance.

As for color, you are right that I definitely could use more of it. But I'm not overloading my site with flashing banner images, useless knick-knacks and whatnot. I want the elements on here to have purpose, else they need to go. I want to keep the blog simple and clean. It's adding color to that simple and clean aesthetic that I want to work on.

14)  hellomotto73

Hey, I'm a new reader here, and your blog is pretty good. I haven't really had the time to peruse through your blog. However, right off the bat, I still have a few suggestions:

- Make archiving a little bit easier. I've wanted to read some posts on certain subjects (namely, posts on aria), but I'd really hate to go through 15+ pages just to search for something. A search bar or a history archive (i.e., posts in october, november, etc.) will make it easier for readers to go through your posts. I do realize you have tags, but it would really save your readers a lot of hassle having to click and scroll and click and scroll for more than 15 times. Of course, you're not the only blogger that has this problem: I've only seen a few blogs that have made archiving easier via a search bar.

- Make a bit more posts. I realize this criticism is quite unfounded and irrational. In addition, I do realize that you do have a life outside of blogging (thank god).

- There is a lot of white space on the left side, which could be used to shorten posts and/or other stuff.

- Although I don't necessarily agree with OtakuElimination on the whole principle of the OEG and various other topics, I do agree that you should put some color in your blog. I do realize that you want it simple, and I am not saying that you should go to the extreme with colors. Simplicity is bliss, but as of right now, the format of the blog is too bland. Without going overboard, adding some color here and there when appropriate would actually spice up your blog. (How you do that is up to you.)

Aside from those points, however, I find your blog very enjoyable. Aside from the colors, the actual format is very well done. The content is great, though talking about content is moot. Moreover, I really haven't gone through many of your posts, so I can't remark about other things aside from the obvious.

Best of Luck,

hellomotto73

EDIT: I just realized that you do have an organized archive. Nice.

P.S.: The link connected to my name is my anime list. Check it out if you want!

Re)  Michael is LoHP

@ hellomotto73

The archive is currently really bare-bones as of now. I do have a plan in place to make it much more functional and much easier to find things. I just have to set some time out to actually program the new system.

As for posting more, I do agree! It seems that when I'm motivated to post, I have other things to do, and when I can actually post, I'm not in the mood to do so. Laziness is my greatest foe.

As for the white space, try to think of it as if the current text were centered. Now of course I could widen that text, but there is an ideal line length for reading. If the textual content is too wide, legibility has actually scientifically been proven to decrease.

As for color, I'm still unsure on how I'll implement more of it. Eventually the solution should (hopefully) come to me. I do agree that the current layout is much too bland, especially when I don't publish a picture with a post such as this one.

15)  lelangir

In terms of CSS I think there's too much vertical padding for comments. Too much scrolling for not enough comments. You could also reduce the horizontal margins to increase the amount of text per space.

The archive page is not very archive-friendly too :(. Maybe use something like what omo has, i.e. categories, months and tags. I really like that orthodox layout.

Re)  Michael is LoHP

@ lelangir

I'm going to have to agree to disagree with you on the CSS, but thanks for your views anyway. With the vertical padding, if you decrease it too much, the comments blend together more than I would like. On line length, once a line of text reaches a certain length, any longer and the page will become much less readable.

The archive page is kind of a joke. It's not really an archive page, but something I threw up at first because I was too lazy to code out an actual archive with workable tags, dates, etc. As I start to actually post every so often and the total number of posts is not easily perused (which it is getting to be), I do plan to implement an actual working archive. And I promise it will be a lot more powerful / useable than the one you recommended (no offense to him).