BerksTV
The first thing that struck me about this blog is how clean it looks. Neatly arranged on the left are all the tools you might need for RSS and other things, and below this are links and other standard blogging tools; and in a clean, nicely-spaced column down the middle runs the blog itself. I’ve seen so many blogs that are just blah and all over the place, this was a refreshing treat.
Visual Aesthetics – 10
The quality of the blog itself is excellent and appealing, but also the quality of the video clips included and the still shots – outstanding! I have seen professional news pages done by international organizations that do not match up to this quality. Call me highly impressed.
User Friendliness – 9
Very nice. As already noted, the arrangement is neat and orderly. Of course, that seems to be a trait of Pennsylvania, Land of Great Signage. Kudos to you! Very nice.
Reading Enjoyment – 8
This is the only weakness of this blog, and it’s not too bad. Berks TV is written like a local small-town newspaper. While this can be a strength in some markets, for me it was a turnoff. Still, the writing is strong, the news element excellent. I suggest using a more personal touch, getting rid of some of the journalist.
Useful Info – 8
8 is for bloggers and others at large. This is a fine example of how to put together a video blog, and how to target it to a specific market. I can’t say enough nice about that. But the data included is very local. Local readers must certainly find this blog a useful alternative to local news! Really fantastic idea.
Overall Experience – 9
This is a beautifully done blog, and a model for all those who want to start video portals for local projects. Not only is it enjoyable, but I can also see a hundred different ways it could be profitable.
