Okay, review time. This is the review of TechNewsSource.net. It was part of the first place package from our contest that just ended.

For this review, I want to do it in two sections. The good will come first, and then the bad (which will include suggestions of what I would change). Let’s go!

The Good

Honestly I love so much about this website. There are so many positive things to say! I have been reading this website since the owner first commented on my blog a while back. It provides information on cool new web startups and updates. It’s a really cool blog if you just want some “easy” reading and to keep up to date with some projects that are coming up on the web.

I love the theme, and the content is well written. The color scheme is easy on the eyes and the author is active and posts daily. These are all the landmark characteristics of a successful website. It is one I will continue to read once every few days to once a day.

The Bad

Unfortunately, I do feel that there are some bad elements of this website. The first is the logo. Although it is decent, honestly its just a box with some lines and some text. Spice it up a little bit. Developing a mascot never hurts. Even if it is a cartoon drawing of yourself it adds a little bit of a personality to your blog and could be good for branding later. Also, you don’t need to state your name in plain text at the top since it is included in your logo right below.

Your Rss subscription area is very unclear. Although the buttons are there, they are difficult to find (you have to look for them instead of just seeing them). To fix this I would signal my RSS area with some text (that goes with the theme of course), saying “subscribe to our rss” or whatever. Also, in the introducing welcome statement, I would hotlink the “signup for our rss feed” to the feed location (should convert to more signups).

Finally, I would have to complain about the right hand side bars. There are two columns of ads at first. Although they don’t look bad per say, they aren’t useful. One column of ads would be fine. The other just blocks some data that could be displayed but is just pushed down the page. In its place I would put “categories” and/or perhaps “site stats”.

I feel if these bad things are fixed/cleaned up the website would become an ever greater online presence that it is now. The blog is without a doubt a definite “should read” if you have a minute of spare time. All I have to say is, Technewssource, keep up the great work. You have something going for you and just keep chugging along!