One of the problems with running a blog review website as well as my personal blog is that there's no way to get an objective review of my own blog. If I were to put my blog up for review, I would have no way of being certain that the resentful gripers would be balanced out by fawning sycophants. But if I were to refuse to have my blog reviewed, I would be subject to the charge that I, like Steven Seagal, am above the law. Besides, I want constructive criticism (and potentially an improved ranking) as much as anyone. What to do?
My admittedly imperfect solution was to create an anonymous blog called
Quasimofo, populated with older posts from my
Mattress Police site. I apologize for the subterfuge, but it was the best idea I could come up with. And don't worry -- I've set up the review editing interface so that I can't see who submitted which reviews. The review process is still completely anonymous. So I have no way of wreaking vengeance on whoever said I am "desperate for attention."
I deliberately avoided using any posts from the past two months, anything on my "Best of" list, and anything else that might have clued the reader in to who the author really was. I also asked several reviewers who are also long-time readers of my blog NOT to review Quasimofo. (Nor did I review the site myself, of course.)
I am pleased to say that I fared pretty well, though not (I hope) so well as to raise suspicion.
| Category | Score | Points |
| Content | 6.65 | 47/70 |
| Writing | 7.29 | 4/5 |
| Web Design | 5.06 | 3/5 |
| Intangibles | 6.35 | 3/5 |
| Read Regularly | 7.06 | 7/10 |
| Frequency | 6 | 3/5 |
| Total |
| 67 |
Percentile Rank: 83Rather than providing a sampling of the comments as I normally do, I'm going to simply copy and paste all of the comments, so you don't think I'm holding anything back. I've edited only for spelling, grammar and clarity (one hopes that a 7.29 writer such as myself can manage such a pedestrian task).
Really enjoyed the writing here. Super funny and creative.
Interesting blog. Some of the posts are hysterical and some not but overall I enjoyed the content. The template is a bit boring and could be spiffed up a bit. Also, what's with these really anonymous humor bloggers with cartoon heads or smile faces for avatars? It kills me to not know who these people are! LOL!
It was amusing, but not enough to make me want to keep coming back. But it's a more recent blog, so I think, with time, the writer will find his groove and it could become a good blog.
I find a lot of promise in this blogger's style of writing, and immediately bookmarked his site for future reading.
I really enjoyed his tips for people, especially noting his distaste for the Metric system. Way to go. Aside from that however, not so much.
I really liked this blog - the author is genuinely funny and has the rare gift of knowing how to build an entire entry rather than one joke with 500 words around it. The layout was a little plain (enough that I noticed), but I'll be making this a regular read for sure.
Alright. Nothing upsetting here, just not many laughs.
What in the blue hell is a guacamole pirate? Hilarious! I've a new favorite blog.
Blog is relatively new (only 3 months) and don't think author has found his groove yet. Writing is well thought out and articulated in some posts, desperate for attention in others. Need more time spent developing good content instead of worrying about generating traffic for the blog. Wouldn't say the blog made me laugh out loud often...but some of the writing is chuckle worthly.
Only 17 posts in and I'm a huge fan. This blog is hilarious in its matter-of-fact delivery. The template looks like WordPress filtered through blogger though. But who cares? Funny!
I like this blog. The topics are interesting, offbeat and funny. Its one bad thing is, like 90% of blogs, consistent posting.
Articulate, terrific writer covering non-hacky topics. Should be a novelist.
If you can't say anything nice...
Nice, clean looking site. If this guy doesn't make you laugh, you might be a zombie.
Again, sorry to have pulled a fast one on you, and I promise that I won't give you any more phony blogs to review. Also, thanks a lot to everyone for your comments. I think the reviewers made a lot of good points. After all, I
am desperate for attention. That's why I'm a blogger. What part of that was unclear?
It's interesting that a few reviewers mentioned that I hadn't found my "groove" yet. I'm sure that was true when these posts were written, and to be honest I'm not positive I've found it yet. I guess I'd better keep practicing.
Thanks, guys.