Bloggy Award

Powered By Tofu
Powered By Tofu is a blog about the “adventures of a twenty-something Pacific Northwesterner who ditched her marketing job and MBA for a year-long round the world trip. Call it a quarter-life crisis or just the travel bug; either way, this blog documents the adventure. One year later, take a look at my rehabilitation back into daily life.”

Visual Aesthetics - 10
I have to say that the visuals of Powered By Tofu are amazing. It is very well designed, and you can’t help but admire the work. From individual photos to the other page elements - they blend well to create an excellent overall look.

User Friendliness - 9
Powered By Tofu took a really long time to load. I tried doing it using different ISPs - same result. It’s really the only thing that I can complain about. All the others - links, more info, they’re all there.

Reading Enjoyment - 10
Who wouldn’t enjoy reading all about food and travel? There is so much to read in this blog and you will find yourself wanting more!

Useful Info - 10
From travel tips to recipes - Powered By Tofu will not fail to provide you with something you can use. The good thing about the posts is that they actually provide you with concrete info. You don’t even have to look at other web sites for details.

Overall Experience - 9
Powered By Tofu is an excellent blog. It gives you lots of eye candy and backs that up with information that you are looking for. Keep up the good work!

Team JAPANiCAN Staff Blog
Team JAPANiCAN Staff Blog is the companion blog to the web site JAPANiCAN. In this blog, one can read about current offers on tours, accommodation, and other events happening in the land of the rising sun.

Visual Aesthetics - 10
The look of Team JAPANiCAN Staff Blog is very polished and is pleasing to the eyes. The background is mainly white with a little shading on the right, which adds more texture. Each post is accompanied by relevant photos, which seem to bring the sights to life. More so, the visual elements come together very well, giving a very professional look to the whole blog.

User Friendliness - 10
Whether you are a first time visitor or a returning visitor, you will not have problems navigation Team JAPANiCAN Staff Blog. The pages load up very quickly and you have all the information you need within the pages. The left column contains all the links you need - archives, topics/categories, and recent entries. You even have the option to search for tours and hotels, as well as other info you may want about Japan.

Reading Enjoyment - 10
Who wouldn’t enjoy reading through the posts of Team JAPANiCAN Staff Blog? For someone like me who has always wanted to visit this country, discovering this blog only made me yearn for a trip there more. The posts are well-written and very engaging. What I found really enjoyable is the fact that the posts are written in first person, making the blog quite different from many travel guides.

Useful Info - 10
Team JAPANiCAN Staff Blog scores perfectly in this regard. More than being an enjoyable read, the blog provides tons of useful information. If you are planning a trip to Japan, you need not look any further - Team JAPANiCAN Staff Blog will have the necessary information for you.

Overall Experience - 10
Team JAPANiCAN Staff Blog is one of the most informative and most well-designed blogs I have seen about Japan. It is definitely at the top of its niche. For those of you looking for info on Japan for whatever purpose, this blog should be in your bookmarks!

Fountains Of Truth
Fountains Of Truth, the blog, is a supplement to the web site of the same name. The blog title gives you an idea of what the focus of the blog is - seeking truth and spirituality in this world.

Visual Aesthetics - 10
I really like the clean look of Fountains Of Truth. The background is a pure white, with large readable black font. There are relevant photos included in each post, breaking up the “whiteness” of the pages. This is a good example of simplicity = beauty.

User Friendliness - 8
I didn’t have any problems with load times as I browsed Fountains Of Truth. The pages loaded up quite fast, in fact. My only concern is the fact that I had to scroll down so many times to get to the end of the page. More so, there seemed to be an endless column of Amazon ads on the right. The archives are way down at the bottom. This could be fixed easily to make the blog more user friendly.

Reading Enjoyment - 10
Fountains Of Truth is a very positive blog with well-written posts. The posts are easy to read and really make sense - I could use this blog in the morning as I try to put a more positive spin on my day!

Useful Info - 10
There are gems to be found in the pages of Fountains Of Truth. The insights that the blogger offers will be very useful to most people.

Overall Experience - 9
Aside from the issue on user friendliness, Fountains Of Truth is a very good blog. I recommend it to everyone who is sick of negativity.

An Enchanted Life
An Enchanted Life is the personal blog of Tangerine. You can read all about her experiences, from laptops to school to career choices, in the blog.

Visual Aesthetics - 9
An Enchanted Life has a very nice overall look. I really like the header, which matches the title of the blog. The only thing that is missing, really, are more photos and images in the blog posts themselves.

User Friendliness - 10
An Enchanted Life is very easy to navigate. The archives section and labels section are both in the right column, very easy to find. There are no problems with page load times as well.

Reading Enjoyment - 9
Tangerine has an easy writing style. Her blog posts are very easy to read and most of them are actually interesting. Even if you did not know the blogger - which was the case for me - you can still find yourself enjoying many of the posts.

Useful Info - 6
There really isn’t much in An Enchanted Life by way of practical information. This is usually the case with personal blogs, but there are some insights which you can find anyway. In any case, who needs practical info when you can enjoy the writing?

Overall Experience - 8
An Enchanted Life is a nice personal blog which you can visit, especially if you are looking to make a new blogging friend. I suggest paying it a visit and judging for yourself.

Guardian Digital Forensics
Guardian Digital Forensics is a niche blog focusing on computer forensics. It is full of information about this topic for both newbies and experts alike.

Visual Aesthetics - 8
Guardian Digital Forensics is very professional looking. It has only two columns but packs a lot of information without looking messy. The only suggestion I have is for more visuals to be added to the blog posts.

User Friendliness - 10
Guardian Digital Forensics scores perfectly in this regard. There are no problems with load time. Relevant links are always provided. Additional resources can be found. The archives section and labels section are present.

Reading Enjoyment - 10
I am not a forensic expert but the topic fascinates me. Guardian Digital Forensics provides real life information on this topic and one cannot help but get engrossed in the blog. Well done!

Useful Info - 10
Guardian Digital Forensics is overflowing with useful information on forensics. It is a very good example of a niche blog.

Overall Experience - 9
Guardian Digital Forensics is a very highly recommended blog for those who want to know more about the topic. The only thing that can be improved is the visual aspect.

The Water Bowl
The Water Bowl is the blog of Adam and his beloved pets. As you can see from the blog URL, he has three dogs and a fish.

Visual Aesthetics - 10
The Water Bowl uses a two-column template, making the most out of the space. There are interesting and relevant photos scattered throughout the posts, which add to the viewing experience. Certain words are also highlighted, colored, and scattered throughout the posts, giving an added element to the visuals.

User Friendliness - 8
With regard to page load times and navigation according to timeline, The Water Bowl does excellently. I would have loved for Adam to use more links within his posts. For example, when writing about the Georgia Aquarium, he could have linked to the official web site for more information.

Reading Enjoyment - 10
Who will not have a good time reading about dogs and fish? I also like how there are themed days. There are tune-riffic Tuesdays and Foto Fridays. Excellent way to put focus in the blog.

Useful Info - 7
A couple of fronts from which you can find useful info in The Water Bowl: music and possible destinations. There is not much practical info but the enjoyment makes up for it.

Overall Experience - 8
The Water Bowl makes for wonderful light reading. Adam’s personality shines through, and I think you’ll like what you will find.

A Pug’s Life
A Pug’s Life is the personal blog of Monica, and in it she shares a hodgepodge of things. From make up to fashion to little every day things - you can read all about this in her blog.

Visual Aesthetics - 10
A Pug’s Life uses a simple template, with a white background and two columns. The simplicity is accentuated with various photographs which are related to the blog posts. More so, there are visual elements incorporated into the right column, making for an overall visually pleasing experience.

User Friendliness - 9
Navigating A Pug’s Life is a breeze. There really is no problem with load time and the archives provide for a guided experience. However, I would have loved to have a category cloud to help in finding posts about specific topics.

Reading Enjoyment - 10
I really enjoyed browsing through the posts in A Pug’s Life. While I do not really know anything about the blogger, I was able to relate to many of her posts; and this, in my mind is a good mark of a personal blog.

Useful Info - 8
As with a lot of personal blogs, you may not expect a lot of practical information in A Pug’s Life. There are some that you will find useful, though. Some examples: fashion tips, mattifying gel, and such.

Overall Experience - 9
A Pug’s Life is a personal blog that can appeal to a wide audience. It may appeal more to women, though, but it is a blog worth visiting. All its elements gel well together, and gives you a good example of what a personal blog can be.

City Buoy
City Buoy is the personal blog of Nyl Lim, a 22-year-old guy from the Philippines. He describes himself as being “fond of adverbs, a slave to the corporate world, to the people he loves, and the vices of the world.” That kind of description is certainly holds a lot of promise, eh?

Visual Aesthetics - 10
City Buoy makes use of a simple template, reminiscent of a default one really. However, Nyl has done a good job of putting his personal touch on it, starting with the header. The posts themselves include graphics that add to the visual experience; all in all a good mix.

User Friendliness - 9
City Buoy is quite easy to navigate, and the pages load up very quickly. All sorts of links and banners and a chat box can be found in the right column, for those who need these kinds of things. There is also an archive section, which definitely helps in navigation. My only suggestion is to place the archives section in a more prominent place and maybe add a category cloud?

Reading Enjoyment - 10
City Buoy was submitted not by the blogger, but by a reader. After reading through some posts, I understood why the reader highly recommended City Buoy. It is very well-written and has a lot of quirky topics that just make you want to read more.

Useful Info - 7
City Buoy is a pleasure to read but I have to say that there isn’t much by way of practical information, which is quite common with personal blogs. However, Nyl does have a lot of insights to offer his readers, making his blog worth reading.

Overall Experience - 8
City Buoy is one personal blog that many people can relate to, even if they didn’t know the blogger personally. I suggest giving it a try - you’ll probably end up being a follower.

Mobile Slate
Mobile Slate is a blog for those who want to be in the know when it comes to all things mobile. These days, mobile phones are being used for all sorts of purposes and this blog promises to give you the dish.

Visual Aesthetics - 10
Mobile Slate focuses on content a lot but the visual aspect has not been overlooked at all. The design is simple and clean, making the overall look easy on the eyes. There are also some photos and graphics that add color to the posts.

User Friendliness - 9
Mobile Slate has tons of content but the blogger has made navigation as easy as pie. Archives, a tag cloud, and recent posts - you have all you need to find what you want to read about. One more thing - in post links are always given for more information. I had one slight problem - load time.

Reading Enjoyment - 10
To be honest, I didn’t find myself laughing or even chuckling as I read the posts. However, I don’t think that is the aim of the blogger. I can say I enjoyed the posts simply because they were informative and written decently.

Useful Info - 10
This is the main strength of Mobile Slate - the whole blog is rife with information. From news to insights to other gems of info, Mobile Slate has it for you!

Overall Experience - 9
This is a niche blog at its finest! My only suggestion is to take a look at the load time, but other than that, thumbs up!

Why I Love Chicago
Why I Love Chicago is the companion blog of a web site with the same name. It is basically a resource blog that provides information about the Windy City.

Visual Aesthetics - 5
Why I Love Chicago recently got a facelift, I am assuming a new template. Perhaps this is why it visuals aren’t that great yet. They are probably still working on the look and other elements. The template has 2 columns, the bigger one containing the posts and the smaller one in the right with ads. There are no visual aids as of yet, and everything is so plain. It is my hope that they will add more visually stimulating elements soon.

User Friendliness - 7
The simplicity of the blog adds to the ease of use. More so, there are not many posts, so it really is not possible to get lost in the blog. However, there are really no tools provided for navigating within the blog. An archives section as well as a category cloud will help.

Reading Enjoyment - 10
While there are only a handful of posts, I can see the huge potential of Why I Love Chicago. The posts are interesting and well-written, and anyone wanting to know more about Chicago will certainly enjoy them.

Useful Info - 10
Another strength of Why I Love Chicago lies in the nature of the content. The blogger has a very good vision and if the posts are more frequent, I see this blog to be a major source of useful information about the city.

Overall Experience - 7
I see Why I Love Chicago as having a very bright future. They just need to work on providing more content and prettifying the blog.