Review of Moms Morning Coffee

This weeks FREE blog review from Bloggers Helping Bloggers is Mom's Morning Coffee.

Header

It is nice and clean, except the logo is blurry. It was probably stretched a little larger than the original size.
 
I love the header! I'm even impressed at the ad placement. It's unobtrusive and still on-topic. The SumoMe floating social media icons overlap with the navigation bar, though. Can they be smaller?

I like the simple and clean lines of the header.  There is a large ad in the upper right corner that I find a bit bothersome.  It seems like the ad is more important than the blog header itself.

I liked the logo. However, in mobile there is no divider to set it off and I thought that caused it to look a little lonely up there. In Desktop I noticed that there was a divider/menu bar...I would suggest a new color for the menu bar because it didn't quite match the color scheme and it also was not an appealing color either.

I love the picture, font and color in the header.  However, I think the ad is distracting and might be better placed elsewhere.  The header is great so I would put it front and center.

Sidebar (appearance and arrangement) 

The pictures look large and uncluttered.  I didn't see how to follow them on social media sites though. There was a small broadcast icon as part of their menu in the upper right and you can get updates via e-mail but to me it seems buried.  I don't like pop-up follow ads.
clean and easy to read. I like that the popular posts are large images. However, your pop-up does cover the sidebar.

I found the sidebar easy to navigate in mobile and desktop. I like the popular posts feature with the unified theme.

I really like that your picture/about me is right at the top of the header.  You might want to add a little blurb like "click here to learn more about me" (or worded how you like) because it's not immediately obvious that you can click the picture to get to the "about" page.  I also like seeing your popular posts.

Love the branded photos linking to popular posts. Can you add a short bio or blog description under the photo? I like to know who a blogger is or what a blog is about on the home page, without needing to go to the about page.

How easy it is to follow on Social Media

Easy once I found the bar to the left. I instinctively usually look for those are the top of the page or in the right sidebar.

This is probably my biggest suggestion for this site. They have a very large floating social share bar that obscures the left side of the screen in both mobile and desktop. They also picked a rather large one at that, so the colors of it are very jarring compared to the subdued color scheme of the site.

I also could not find their social share icons anywhere. People usually aren't willing to spend that much time searching for how to follow.

I could not find any icon to follow you.  I did see the share icons but if I want to just follow you on FB (but not share the article), there's no way to do so.  If you do have the follow icons, I couldn't find them so you might need to put them in a more prominent place (but I really looked).

The SumoMe buttons are share buttons, not follow buttons. I don't see a way to follow you on the home page.   

As I mentioned above, I couldn't easily find it.  You can easily share the post on social media but not easily follow them.

Content 

the content is good, though I wish there was a little more "teaser text" on the homepage for each post.

I thought it was great!

I enjoyed your content.  I related to many of your posts and found them easy to read. I also thought it was smart that you always added some kind of interactive statement at the end of your posts.

SumoMe bar overlaps with the content, making it difficult to read.

I like the Questionable Movie Night suggestion. It definitely differs from some conservative Christian perspectives that think shielding your teens from everything will somehow keep them safe in the real world. I think the idea and the guidelines would appeal to all families, religious or otherwise.

I don't have kids yet, but my husband and I have discussed the potential of homeschooling depending on what schools will be available when we do have kids. I appreciate the post on electives for HS students. I've seen tons of homeschooling resources for kids, but not really the same for HS students. I know families with kids in private school or homeschool often transition to a public school because of greater options. I think homeschooling families will find your resources helpful to realize their kids can still have greater options with homeschooling.

I like the contents.  I generally love food posts and they have other interesting subjects too.

How easy it is to read (fonts, etc.)

the general fonts are easy to read, though the popular posts images are a little harder to read.

Again, the floating social bar was annoying. Also, the large social share icons that appear over the images as you scroll down are not appealing.

I found the fonts easy to read and love that you used the same fonts in all of your edited images.  It gives you a unique and recognizable look.

 

Very easy to read!

 

Fonts are large and easy to read.

How easy it is to navigate, and find what you are looking for.

very simple. I would suggest adding in a search bar.

I thought the navigation worked fine...maybe a little more specific than I would want, but then I guess a person can go directly to what they are interested in. The About tab almost seems hidden at the very bottom of the site. Since it explains their heart and the reasoning behind their site I think it could have a more prominent position.

The tab was set up well and made your site easy to navigate.  I also loved how you had a search button as well as a category list.

Love how organized the navigation bar is

The search box is easy to find in the upper portion of the side bar and they have lots of menus with different subject material.

Overall Appearance

overall I like it. The one other suggestion I have is to shorten how much is in your right side bar (or lengthen the teaser text) on the homepage. Right now it goes way past the content of the page.

 I really liked the content of the site. I think the color scheme works, but could benefit from one more secondary color. The ad space at the top really takes away from the scheme in mobile mode because the green color clashes so much with the site colors (not quite as bad in desktop because it is set apart).

I like the overall look of your blog.  The only change I might make would be to move the ad from the very top to right under your navigation bar.

Color scheme is warm and inviting. Graphics are beautiful and Pinterest-friendly.

  I like the overall appearance of the site.  It doesn't take long to load like some other sites do.

 

 Other Comments or Suggestions

Mom's Morning Coffee looks like a nice blog with a good future.
 

If you want your own FREE blog review don't forget to link up at Bloggers Helping Bloggers - beginning Tuesdays at 7:30 am and running until Sunday evening.

 

   
 

 

 

My Do It Yourself - Blog Review

 Header

Why do you repeat the blog title three times? That's unnecessary. I like the mint background. I'm not crazy about the header font. The light green on the black is hard to read. The welcome is nice, but add spaces after the punctuation.

 

The header is really eye catching.  At first I was unsure of the title appearing 3xs, but then I   decided it went really well with the overall theme.

I like the header font but think it could me more streamlined - have the title appearing once, with larger text and maybe a short subheading explaining what the blog is about.

Sidebar (appearance and arrangement)

 

The sidebars are crowded. I would delete the traffic monitoring parts. You have two options for all the buttons. Move them to their own separate page that's linked from a tab, or use HTML to center all the buttons <center> </center> and to add space between the buttons <br>

 

I like the calendar and placement of your Pinterest follow.  However, it would be really helpful to have a separate menu page at the top for all the great link parties :D

I find the sidebars to be very cluttered and unorganized and distract from the blogs content. I personally do not like double sidebars and prefer one sidebar on the right, as it's a more common layout.

Would like to see an about me at the top of the sidebar, and might put all the link parties on their own separate page - except Bloggers helping Bloggers because it rocks ;) and would probably get rid of the live traffic feed all together - it serves no benefit to visitors and you can find your own stats under Google analytics.

Had some ads that began playing loudly and startled me - I am not opposed to advertisements but prefer them to be silent as I was searching to turn down my volume so it wouldn't wake my sleeping babies.

How easy it is to follow on social media

 

I only found Pinterest. Consider adding buttons above-the-fold (that is, the area that is viewed when a user is scrolled to the top of your page).

 

VERY easy to follow

Would like to see social media icons at the top of the sidebar, and like the Pinterest widget.

Content

 

Gorgeous photos! Nice branding in the corner of each photo.

 

 

I actually took German in college so I understood most of it!  The content was helpful, inspiring, and displayed the heart of DIY.  I love the abundance of pictures so that even if someone can't read the German, there is still an obvious idea of what you are doing.

Although I have no idea what your posts say, I still enjoyed looking through all the before and after pictures - you are obviously a talented DIYer.

How easy it is to read (fonts, etc.)

 

Light font on dark background is very hard to read.

 

content was easy to read/follow

I find the black background somewhat off putting, and would probably prefer a dark text on a light background as its generally easier to read.

How easy it is to navigate, and find what you are looking for

 

The tags and archives tab are great. The search button in the left sidebar is good.

 

very simple and easy to navigate

Tags and archives make it easier to find things but didn't actually see a search bar unless I missed it?

Overall appearance

 

I like the color scheme, but all the animation makes the blog look unprofessional. Consider deleting any animated parts from your sidebars. Also maybe invert your colors, like have a light gray or mint as the body background with a black or dark gray as the text. You can still have the main patterned background.

 

 

It's unique, eye catching, and flows together quite well

I like the blog, love the mint colour but would probably try to unclutter it and lighten the background, the projects are amazing though!

 

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Beautifully Bohemian Review

If you would like your own FREE blog review link up at Bloggers Helping Bloggers - beginning every Tuesday at 7:30 am EST and running until Sunday evening.

This week's review was Randi for Beautifully Bohemian.

 

Header: 

LOVE the header!  The font and design are so pretty and it's laid out nicely.

Love the header! Original. Easy to read.

I like the header it's original, beautiful and conveys the theme of your blog. I might crop it slightly so I can see your popular posts at the same time but, I have a small screen.

Sidebar:

Randi maintains a simple sidebar. Most of her relevant information can instead be found in the header bar, which includes tabs called home, about, blog, videos, explore and shop. There is also a nice, easy-to-use search bar in this area. The sidebar itself is used primarily for ad display.

The square photo is jarring. Could it be a circle or an oval? 

Social Media: 

It was really hard to find your SM and I had to scroll all the way to the bottom.  The icons themselves are cute and they stand out but I would put them closer to the top of the page.

 Randi offers three options for following on social media. These buttons are located at the bottom and require a bit of scrolling, but are otherwise easy to use. 

I prefer social media links to be higher on the page. They should be really easy to find. Maybe make them part of the static nav bar or add them to the sidebar.

Would probably prefer to find your social media icons under the about me, but I think your icons are adorable!

 

Content:

I am not very "bohemian" so the content wasn't personally relevant to me.  However, I do think your posts are well written and would be enjoyed by others that live that same lifestyle.

Randi is a clear writer and chooses nice, crisp images for her blog. While I do not endorse all her views, she is a cohesive communicator, striving to add value to discussion on a variety of topics, which she covers in depth. 

I'm not vegan, but I am interested in home births, doulas, midwives, birthing centers, basically all birth stuff outside of a traditional hospital. So from the most recent posts, I decided to read the one on home births. The post is thorough, interesting, and informative. I did notice at least one typo, a missed word.

How Easy To Read:

I liked your fonts and found them easy to read.  It might look good if you changed the category colors at the very top to the same one you have in the main header.  I didn't like the black & white quite as much, but that could just be my own personal preference.

Some people might have trouble with the curly fonts, but the main text is fine.

She uses a consistent font throughout. Headers and creative use of bold text make the blog simple to read and further enhance its overall lovely appearance.

Navigation:

I felt like your blog was well laid out and easy to navigate.

Easy, but I would add drop-down boxes from the stickied nav bar.

Overall Appearance:

I felt like overall, you have a really good blog.  I liked your fonts, the layout, and the assortment of different things thrown in the mix (a few ads, recent posts and recipes on the sidebar) and I felt that your posts were well written.

Matches the theme of the content

Randi's blog, Beautifully Bohemian is a visual treat. From her delightfully simple header featuring beautiful fonts to the changing, high-quality images just below, her blog commands the reader's attention.

And don't forget to link up at Bloggers helping Bloggers for the chance to get your own blog review!

 

Review of Granny Fabulosa

 This week's free blog review from the Bloggers Helping Bloggers Link Party (which runs Tues 7:30 am EST to Sunday evening) was Granny Fabulosa!

Header

Clear and concise. I like the blues. I would swap the photo and the blurb about Grannies or put the blurb at the bottom of the header.

nice, but it takes up too much space above the fold!  I think she could shorten the height a bit and then offer ad placement there (720 X 90)

I llove the "prologue" (for lack of a better word) at the left...very cute!

I really like the image of you and your grandchild, and I also like the blurb about grannies but i think I would change the layout of the header. I might make the title Granny Fabulosa larger and have the quote underneath the image and title.

Sidebar (appearance and arrangement) 

Sidebar could be shorter - and the alignment should all be the same - as the Find me here is left aligned.

I like the prominence of the social media buttons at the top but I always look for an "about me" there as well.  I was a little disappointed not to see that, although I can always look at the tab on top.  

I think the right sidebar is a bit too wide; there's lots of dead space around the ads, space which could be added to the main content column (an easy fix!)

I did not see a subscription opt in, only the Atom RSS on the bottom. Maybe she will make a nice subscription opt in with a freebie...this just in case she wants to bring more subscribers :).

how easy it is to follow on social media

Social Media buttons are large, easy to find at the top of the right sidebar.  Follow via e-mail should be easier to find.

easy-peasy, but I'd suggest she change her FB page from personal to a business page if she's using it for her website...

Social media icons are clear and easy to find.

content 

 

I like recipe posts, so I like the subject.  The post kind of rambles on but that's okay.

love her writing style!  Especially in this recipe:  http://grannyfab.blogspot.ca/2015/07/i-cooked-ribs-in-pressure-cooker-and-no.html#more she intersperses her own comments and thoughts to really personalize it!

how easy it is to read (fonts, etc.) 

There are a lot of different fonts and color being used and I don't think it adds anything to the posts.

 font type and size is excellent...very easy to read (which reminds me to increase the size on my own blog!)

how easy it is to navigate, and find what you are looking for 

The site is easy to navigate and there are several pages indexing posts.

 I found the "Hear it" tab a little confusing... Really liked the index-format of the "Cook it" "Paint it" and "Try it" tabs, although I might have waited a bit longer till I had more content to include there...  

And on a personal note, I appreciated her "CSA" tab, as I'm looking into them in my own community!

also blog navigation is easy. Website tabs good organized!!! This is a big +! 

overall appearance 

Website is looking good, but if I wanted to change something -the blue text on the header and the blue backround is not very clear...I think is not matching to well...I think a gold dusted handwrite will bring more spark to "first impresion".

Clean and simple, love the blue color, I'd just cut down on the dead space.

The overall appearance is pleasing.

other comments or suggestions 

 

 

The page seems to be too wide.  I don't like to have to scroll to the right to see the right sidebar.

Love the bright colours of the social media icons, maybe you could incorporate it more into your blog -  like in your menu tabs. But, thats just me.

Happy Mama Tales Review

Last weeks blog that was chosen for a free review at the Bloggers Helping Bloggers Link Party was my good friend Britni's from Happy Mama Tales.

Header:

 

A really cute header, but it's so little and being above a big add, it took me a couple seconds to find it.

Her header is hidden.  I actually wasn't sure I was on the right page at first.  I thought it was an ad page because I see two big ads front and center, and her posts are rotating beneath (which added to the sales-y appearance).  She has such a cute logo.  It should be MUCH bigger and front and center.

I absolutely love your header. But think its way too small - it's so pretty and it needs to be more prominent.

I love this blog's header graphic, very creative and visually attractive, but so small and tucked into the corner.  I don't mind seeing ads, but they shouldn't be the most prominent thing you see when opening the blog.

I really love the header.  However, you have to look for it and I think it would be better placed where the banner ad is now (maybe put the ad below it).  When you have a good logo, you want people to see it and this one seemed kind of hidden up in the corner.

Super cute Header! I think it would make more of an impact if it were bigger.

The header is way too small! It's lost of there in the corner of the page. That being said, though, I love the flags and the colors; it's too cute not to show off!

Sidebar (appearance and arrangement)

very clean and well-organized

nice side bar – even though the recent or popular posts aren’t on the side bar there is the popular click on the menu bar.

I wish the "About Me" section was under the subscription box.  Other than that, I think your mix of ads and connections to you are pretty good.  They don't distract me, and their purpose is clear.

I think your about me should be first in your sidebar - above your subscribe me box. I think your about me and subscribe box are both pretty and concise by the way. I like how every thing has a small border around it makes them really stand out but, I think some of the widgets like blog her or rivit could be moved to a footer but that's just my opinion.

The stuff you advertise is great!

I think you've done a good job with the sidebar.  The only thing I would do differently is to move the "about me" up a few notches but that's more of a personal preference.  Otherwise it looks great.   

I do like the look of your sidebar. A couple things that may help: You have a lot of blank boxes in the sidebar that I think could be removed for easier reading. Also, I'd like to see your picture above the "Top Mommy" Blogs. I know you want people to vote for your site, which is perfectly fine. I'd just like to know who you are before voting.

I love how clean your sidebar looks. It's streamlined and very well put together. Your About Me photo took me a minute to find because I thought it was an ad and your search bar should be higher up the page.

How Easy it is to Follow on Social Media

The buttons on the left side are a little small but colorful so they are clear enough if I’m looking for them, but don’t jump out at me if I’m not.

It's easy to follow on social media, but would love to follow on Google+ too!

very easy to find the buttons since they're close to the top

The buttons are available, but light colored and below the fold.  I am not sure they draw as much attention as she would prefer.  They need to be above the fold and brighter.

Easy to find...that's right where I would look if I were trying to find them

I can easily find your social media buttons, however, when I clicked on the email, it just led me to gmail.com. I would not have been able to contact you through email using your email icon.

Your social media buttons were easy to find and the link I tested worked.

Content

I read the post on cleaning your serger - mostly because I had no idea what a serger is.  The first photo of the lady hanging out of the washing machine made me assume it was about something on a washing machine. It wasn’t until I started scrolling down a ways that I realized we were actually talking about a sewing machine.  So, maybe a different photo that deals more with the subject at hand.  (Although the photo was funny.)

I then clicked on the “Learn to Serge” series and noticed that even there serging wasn’t explained.  Although the explanations of what to do do serge were very thorough, it would have helped to have examples of your finished work so readers know exactly what you’re creating.

I really liked how you explained mormonism.  Although not a mormon, I found myself wanting to know more.  Well done.

Content is great, easy to read with nice pictures and informative information

I figured I would check out a few posts.  Her pictures were great.  I really enjoyed the post I read on "10 Ways You can Be a Better Mom Today."  Loved the post on "How We Paid off $40,000 in One Year" (misspelled Nazi). I was amused by the title "How to Get Pregnant," so I had to read that.  Good tips ;)

I love to sew and don't know how to serge.  When I get a serger, I am going to stalk that category on her blog.  Excellent. I would have to say that the content was great. Really.  I like her style, and I would definitely follow her on Bloglovin or Blogher if she was a member.  As it stands, I am following on Facebook and Pinterest.

The articles are not the sort I would normally read, but they seem to be well written and the tone is friendly and engaging.

I like the slideshow that displays popular or recent posts.  It's a nice, quick and visual way to skim for content.

Motherhood, marriage and health issues are very general, and also very subjective topics.  That's why I am tickled to see sections of the blog devoted to a practical and straightforward topic like serging.  That is a skill I am interested in developing, and I'm glad to know where to find good tutorials.

I would like to see more finished serging projects.  Perhaps a photo gallery?  The tutorials are very detailed and technical, which is good, but it would be fun to see more of "the payoff."  How do you put this skill to work?  What have you made with your serger?

Great content! It fit with the theme and while I only had time to read a few articles, they were very well written and helpful.

All the headings in your navigation bar are perfect for your content. I can tell exactly what this blog is about. Your content was great... I kept looking around at different posts, so it was engaging.

I love your variety of content. I think you really do have something that would interested just about any kind of reader.

I love all your content, and articles under happy mamma and happy wife. I looked under learn to serge and knew it was something to do with sewing but have no idea exactly what it is or how it differs from sewing with a sewing machine. I thought all the tutorials were cute, I am the opposite of a crafty person but loving seeing others finished projects.

How Easy it is to Read (Fonts, etc.)

same as with content – easy to read font, clear pictures, great information

Perfect.  Loved reading the posts.

Fonts are big enough and clear enough to read easily. the only thing that is a little small is the tagline, "The Tales of a Happy Mama"

I wouldn't mind larger and/or darker fonts to make the content a little easier to read. 

I found the articles well written and easy to read.

Easy Reading for sure. Your font and font size are perfect.

The size of the font for your content is good, but the font for your menus should be larger.

Overall it's fairly easy to read, I might change the main font to a shade or two darker grey to make it stand out a little more.

How Easy it is to Navigate, and Find What you are Looking For.

easy to navigate and get back to the landing page

Very easy.  You know who you are.

very easy to navigate. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but there seemed to be a wide variety of content and the menus seemed helpful in terms of organizing it.

I thought the navigation bar was clearly designed and made it easy to find what you were looking for.

This blog is very easy to navigate.

I like that you have several menu choices, but you could stand to have even more. Your content is so broad, it would stink for someone to miss out on a post because she wasn't sure where to look for it.

You do have to look for your search bar, but can find it easily enough if you are looking. Some of your articles don't seem to fall under the menu categories - like your giveaway but I know it's probably hard to have subjects that encompass everything you write about.

Overall Appearance

very user friendly with a nice overall appearance

When I look at your home page, I am not attracted to your blog.  The huge ads, little logo, and hidden "About Me" page tell me that you aren't looking to connect, but to sell.  I would have turned away.  BUT, since I was purposely trying to give you a helpful critique, I found a blog I really enjoy.  The home page appearance is really an issue for me.

I like it. it's very cute.

I thought that this was a well-designed site overall with a lot of great articles for moms.

I love the appearance of this blog. It's very neat, clean, and easy to get around.

Overall, it seems... small. The header is small, the menu font is small, the content area is small. There isn't any one spot to grab the eye. White on white content area and background is fine, but your header is so small that the whole page lacks color and pop. Increasing your header size would do wonders for the overall look.

I like the overall appearance of your blog - feels very feminine and pretty but I would probably lose one of the banner ads at the top of the page. I like the slideshow of the title images which are all well done but might make it a little smaller so the post summaries aren't so far down.

Other Comments or Suggestions

Congrats on the Liebster Award - I had never heard of that!

Great job growing your blog so quickly!

I would suggest you have a static front page that is dedicated to promoting you and your blog.  The posts can line up under categories.

Love your ideas! Started following you over on Pinterest. Glad I found your blog through the link up.

Is it possible to play around with your post previews and image sizes? Everything looks much more polished when the image size is the same height as the preview text (the Surface 3 giveaway post and the Liebster Award post are almost examples of what I mean, and I think those look the best).

My Overall Summary 

 

Pretty positive comments all around. Some recurring suggestions were to make the beautiful header larger and more prominent. Move the about me on the sidebar to a top spot. Explain serging to those of us who have no idea what it is lol, be available on more social network platforms and some differing suggestions on changing the layout.

And if you found this blog review of Happy Mama Tales helpful - don't forget to come back to Musings of an Average Mom and link up to Bloggers Helping Bloggers Link Party and have your own blog reviewed by your peers. Starting every Tuesday at 7:30 am and running until Sunday evening.