Fel's Photos
Revised Full Review by Twisted Fairytale
As a preface, I would like to say that I am super excited to write this review! I've gotten permission from LunarScorpio as well as Phio_chan to write a new review type, what I've kind of known as the "freestyle" Full Review. This review focuses on a list of pointers to hit and considers each for a certain amount of points. It goes off of the same rubric that we use for the Full Reviews, but allows much more flexibility for the reviewer. In addition, it cuts out spaces of the site we can't really review, so it gives a much better appearance of the review. This is boring, so I'm going to get with reviewing!
Just a quick note, score will be assimilated throughout the review. Whenever you see one of these: (
+#
) or (
-# ) that means that score has been added or subtracted for the aforementioned reasons. Enjoy!
This review will take us on an journey through what makes Fel's Photos the internet photography blog that it is. We will dive into some cool features and some pro's vs. con's about certain aspects. In the end, we'll see where Fel's Photos comes out compared to our all-powerful rubric! Muhahahah!
At first appearance, Fel's Photos is a relaxing site. There is a beautiful panorama of the ocean placed as the first point of view (
+3 ). It's a beautiful image, but there seems to be a problem. I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but that image is copyrighted (
-1 )! There is a watermark running the length of the image right below the social media icons. It's a great image, but to those that notice the watermarks, it can ruin the mood (
-1 ). And you know what, I just realized that it's the watermark for Fel's Photos! Heh, I could barely read it. Anyway, a watermark is a watermark. While other people may be able to read it and see that it's yours, I think it also impacts the impressiveness of the picture. Maybe consider removing the watermark? The rest of Fel's Photos tries to follow the same color scheme as the beach (
+3 ), but I'm not too sure about this main menu bar. The color seems very 'off' to me. It looks like there was an attempt at some 'coral' color, but it doesn't fit in too well with the backdrop, which is why it only was awarded two points. Continuing down the blog, I see that many other elements are the same color as the menu. It's an off-setting color but it's not too dire.
The front page is organized with recent posts. This keeps all returning visitors fresh with the new content (
+3 ) so there is always something new. It's organized in a very simple manner, making navigation a second-nature. Directly below the homepage content lies the subfooter and the footer. The subfooter is divided into three columns. The first being "Proud Member of" containing the affiliations of Fel's Photos. Referring to a past review when I mentioned that they were askew and out of place, they have been rearranged and are now very organized (
+2 ,
+2 ). Having these affiliates also adds to how professional Fel's Photos presents itself (
+3 ), even though it is a casual blog. The second column, "Latest Photos" shows the same content found on the front page, but a little less. This isn't necessarily bad, but can get repetitive if you're on the home page. Finally, there is the "Get the Latest Photos in your Inbox!" column. While I would normally correct the capitalization there, since "Latest Photos" is actually referring to a specific section of photos, you've ousted me and made me double guess myself, only to turn out correct (
+2 )!
The real footer contains text links that link to important, but not menu bar, pages (
+2 ). These are pages like the Copyright, Privacy Policy, and Subscribe buttons. In addition, a repeat of the social media buttons are down there, with a few credits. All-in-all, a pretty generic footer.
Let's take another look at the menu bar for a moment. In my past review, I had mentioned how the "Start Here!" button was a very good idea. However, I feel that it could be getting in the way of normal users' navigation of the site. While new users could definitely benefit from something like this, it could be a good idea to allow users to hide that button somehow. That way, every time a regular returns, they are not greeted with a "tutorial" like button. Other than the returning users, I think it's a great idea for new visitors, because I was certainly lost the first time (
+1 ).
Taking a look at one of the only pages with a lot of text, the About page, I find that it is very well written and has a unqiute personal touch (
+2 ,
+4 ). The about is very informative and engages me, somewhat, in the life of Felicia Moore.
The categories page seems to have the same organization as the home page, except for one part. The homepage has two rows of four pictures. For some reason, each category is broken into rows of three pictures, leaving a huge blank on the righthand side of the page. Not only is this unattractive, it's a space that is unused (
-1 ). Tsk tsk, let's get something in that space!
Now to take a look at the bread and butter of Fel's Photos: the photos! It is obvious that Felicia is taking part of some A to Z blogging challenge by her daily stream of photos (
+3 ) that are related to letters. One of these challenges is a great way to get a content boost and provide reliable, daily content to your readers. Clicking on a few of the pictures, I find myself looking at high-quality pictures, each coupled with a well written description of the same quality as the About page (
+1 ,
+3 ). All of the photos posted are all one of a kind because they were shot by Fel, and have an expression of her personal life all over them (
+1 ). Unique content is always
vital to a successful blog or website.
Overall Scoring - (36 of 50 / 72%)
Appearance -
9 of 15
Content -
12 of 15
Professionalism -
11 of 15
Reviewer's Opinion -
4 of 5
Final Remarks:
Overall, Fel's Photos is a very well established personal blog with a decent readership. There is a steady stream of quality content every day which will keep users retuning to view the new photos. In addition, Fel's Photos also seems to have some good connections with their affiliates, which sheds a nice, professional light on the site as a whole. Fel's Photos is a successful blog, run by Felicia who gives it tender loving care, daily. There is not much to improve in the long run, which is unique for a blog such as this. Great job, Fel's Photos!
Strengths:
- - Simple, beautiful theme
- Personalized blog with quality content
Weaknesses:
- - Watermarked (even though it's owned by the site) logo
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