Okay.

I've been away for a minute.

I humbly apologise to everyone out there who has been reading and expecting a review or a post from me on a topic (Fizzymidasquil, that means you).

I'm sorry.

The struggle is real in this time of change.

Make una no vex abeg.

Now, let's do this:

For today, I have something different in mind.

I'll be reviewing three different sites, all in one post.

I know I titled this "Simple, Short and Sweet" but fact is, I never really know how long a post is going to be till I start smacking my keyboard.

I will say this though. Get a chair and get comfortable because I have a lot to talk about.

Without further ado, let's begin.


1. Temolad blog - /M8 or temolad..com

I. First things first, I think you need to get rid of that "/M8" URL whatever that is.

A URL should give your visitor an idea of what your site is about.

I mean, on the surface, it seems spammy, like something those people trying to market a product (or offer you some "get rich quick" scheme) send you and tell you to click it.

Then it redirects to temolad..com.

It doesn't make sense. Get rid of it.

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule like "www.google.com".

But those are in situations where you're trying to build a brand around a name.

And if that's what you're trying to do, temolad..com offers you a better name.

Like me though, you still need to get hosting and get rid of that ..com extension.


II. Your tagline

Article "Plannet" World.

2 main issues:

One, "Plannet" is misspelled. The first thing your visitor sees on your site is a misspelled tagline.

That is doing you no favours.

Two, what exactly does Article Plannet world mean?

I mean, it sounds like a stockpile of random articles. It doesn't tell your reader that your site is for him, leaving him confused.

And you know what site visitors do if they get confused?

They either click the back button or the little 'x' at the right hand corner of your site tab in their browser.

Either way, you get no love.

Here's what you do- Get a better tagline that tells your visitor that your site is for him or not for him.

Not for him?

Yes, you read that right.

You can't please everyone, so you should figure out who your audience is and only write for them. Everybody else is secondary.


III. Simplicity.

Steve Jobs once said "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

I concur.

Once you scroll past that tagline, it becomes a bit more clear what your site is about. It seems like a cross between Lifehack (www.lifehack.org), Tiny Buddha (www.tinybuddha.com) and Dumb Little Man (www.dumblittleman.com).

While your site is not necessarily my cup of tea, I can see the idea behind it because I once had a blog in that niche.

I love how simple your site is to navigate through. It's not cluttered with confusing ads or pop-ups. To read a post, you simply scroll down and click on it.

Easy. Simple. I love that.


IV. Your About Page

While reading through it, I kept asking myself- "Who is Prof Temolad?" , " Why should I care?"

I looked through your Google + profile and you don't look like a Professor. So where is the Prof Temolad coming from?

I feel you're better off dropping the whole Prof Temolad act and just telling us a real story. You know, like who are you, what are your experiences and what inspired you to start writing the blog.

Like they always say, "Real recognise Real".

If you want real visitors that keep coming back for more and more, you have to be real.

And unless you have obtained some Ph.D or the highest level degree in a particular field (which you can show us), you are not a Professor.


V. Grammar and Spelling

Your posts have more than a few mistakes in either spelling or grammar.

Now, that is not enough to ruin your site, but it can slow things down a bit.

Of course, writing for the internet gives you more leeway to break a lot of typical grammatical rules, but there is absolutely no acceptable excuse to type "five fundamental fact" and forget about the 's' that shows that it's more than one fact you're going to write about.

You're obviously trying to appeal to an intelligent audience so you need to get this sorted out.

It's annoying having to correct your mistakes while we are reading. It slows down the reading, disturbs the flow, and makes us really question your "Professor-ship".


VI. Your big blocks of text

I think I have written a lot about this. And I can't seem to stress this enough.

Nobody reading online sees a huge block of text and goes: "Oh wow, I can't wait to read all that".

Well, maybe just the people who are really really interested in what you have written. Actually scratch that. Let's say maybe just people who know you will be on their case if they don't read what you have written.

Keep it down to two sentences a paragraph, with an occasional one sentence paragraph.

This makes your posts easier on the eyes for your readers.


VII. You are too liberal with Italics and Bold text.

Italics. Bold.

They're really cool. Really a good way to make your words look really interesting.

But just like with every good thing, too much of it can be bad... very very bad.

In your posts, the italics and bold filters were not the welcome distraction from the mundane text.

They became the mundane text!

Use it like a spice.

I mean salt is good, but if you put in wayyy too much salt in any soup, it will no longer be soup. It will be sea water.

Make sense?


Okay, there are still other issues like what your long term plan for your blog is, etcetera shmetcetera, but I feel you can take these things I've pointed out and make a few changes that will help your blog become better.



2. TechCorb (www.techcorb.com)

First of all, Tech Corb why?

I looked at your site a few weeks back and I was ready to write an awesome review because I felt you were doing an awesome job, but then you change it up to this?

I mean, the green layout and design was kicking more ass compared to this.

I know, I know.. I came late to the party, but damn, does that mean you should not remain cake for me?

The layout on this new site is just not it... as compared to the previous one.

I was really looking forward to writing a great review and pointing out the amazing things you were doing (and hopefully finding out who your website designer was) but then you had to go and ruin everything.

Whatever, let's talk about your new site.

I. The Color Scheme

Now, for most people who didn't see that green, elegant site you had before, this pale blue or off blue might seem cool.

But trust me, it isn't.

Your audience is gamers and techsavvy peeps. The pale blue is a bit dull. Go back to the green.


II. I love that you identified your niche (for the most part)

You picked out a target audience and you created content they will be interested in. That's Step One when you're trying to build a great blog.

Find what your target audience wants to know. Give them the info.

Awesome.


III. You need more content in that Reviews section.

I think this is pretty obvious. No need to explain further.


IV. Your Science and History Pages.

I don't really understand how those pages serve you.

You could make an argument for the Science page but the only article you have on there is about something that scientists find interesting.

Your audience is not really composed of the scientists that the article is for.

And the History page? Like really?

I mean, your site is not about history. It's about the present. It's about what is happening in tech and gaming right now. Either keep the History articles to a bare minimum or get rid of it.

You are not Wikipedia. Don't try to be.


V. That Find Us On Facebook "thing" at the right bottom half of your page.

That looks like it was a link that was supposed to take the visitor to your Facebook page... except it doesn't.

It's currently not even a link. As such, it serves no purpose.

Either link it to your facebook account or remove it and replace it with social media buttons.


VI. Your posts are actually at a good length considering gamers might not really have the time to pour through "textbooks" of text.

There was one I had beef with though- The Ghost Rider MOD one. It just seemed like you were not interested at all, or you just slept on your keyboard.

Don't just write for the sake of writing. Either put out great content, or don't put out anything.


VII. You could also offer tutorials, cracks and cheat codes for different games.

Now, as long as it's not illegal, I think this is a perfect way to attract more gamers to your site.

Get a sizeable following and you could easily come up with a product to sell to some of them that will make you a lot of $$$ easy.


I do believe you need to go back to that previous design with the awesome layout and all. As soon as possible.


3. TechNest-Nig (www.technestng.com)

First of all, great work!

You picked a niche and from what I see you have created content that spans over any and all things involving technology from mobile to startups and so on.

There are just a few issues I feel you need to address and you'll be golden.

I. Your title bar says "Bringing technology to live". That last word should be Life.

It's not a major dealbreaker but you should rectify that.


II. Your home page looks a bit crummy.

I'm not sure if that's the right word, but let's put it this way, you have way too much going on on your home page.

Every page is supposed to serve one purpose only.

Your home page is supposed to be like the entrance to your house.

Do you hang washed clothes, cook, sell akara, sleep and shit in front of your house?

I don't think so.

I'll point out these issues and how you can rectify them as we go on.


III. That space at the top of your page.

I don't know how you did it, but the ads you place there take up much more space than the title of your site.

Your site title is at the far left corner, barely noticeable and the ad stands out more.

Not a good look.

Change that. Try to put your site title in the center and make it a bit more prominent.

Also try to work your tagline in there.

It tells a visitor that needs info on tech that he or she is in the right place.

And the ad.. if you can't completely get rid of it, make it smaller in comparison.


IV. Your left sidebar.

(a) the newsletter widget

I feel you could better display that, but not in the left sidebar. Make it a pop-up message that says something like:

" You don't have to be left out anymore. Sign up for our newsletter and Get updates on the latest in tech"

and then underneath, have a button that says "Yes, I want those updates" and then another that says "No, I prefer to remain ignorant" or "No, I would rather be a JJC"

Then when people click on the Yes button, it should then link to the sign up form that should just have two fields: One for the Name and the other for the email address.

(b) You don't have to repeat the "Follow on instagram" thing when you already have "Follow:" with the symbols of the different social media accounts.

(c) That " Answer it quick" game and the other pic below it serve no purpose ... except pissing visitors like me off.

Get rid of it.

(d) New year was a month ago. You can retire the Happy New Year banner now.


(V) Your right sidebar

That place is basically begging to be arranged. like for realllll.

(a) The Google badge should come lower down the page. Preferably after the rest of the things there.

(b) It's a cool design you have there for arranging your posts and all, but it's not really intuitive.

I mean when I first saw that, I didn't know what it was.

I wasn't even interested in clicking on it.

I feel you're better off just arranging them as follows:

- 2-3 recent posts
- Popular posts
- Categories

Easy peasy


(c) No need to have MORE written at the top. Put "Search" there instead.

When we see More there we are stuck trying to figure out "More what?"

Search, at least, will tell us we can search for things there.


VI. Don't let your page suffer from "Adson's disease)

Yes, I totally just coined that phrase.

You have ads up and I can see they are about tech. Please ensure it stays that way.

It's easier to sell bibles to Christians than it is to sell pork to Muslims.

Get it?

I hope you do because your site looks like it is doing great already and it's only going to get better than great.



Okay, I know I said Simple, Short and Sweet and this looks like a 3 hour read.

For that, I'm sorry... or not.

I write it as I think it.

And sometimes things get a bit longer than I even know when I start writing the post. Feel free to comment, point out any things I missed, etcetera shmetcetera.

Now, lemme go and get a midnight snack.

Happy Hustling!

Great review! Things will be solved out asap. Thanks for this.

II. Your tagline
Article "Plannet" World.

noted!

Here's what you do- Get a better tagline that tells your visitor that your site is for him or not for him.

Tagline has been modified! ...click to view

You can't please everyone, so you should figure out who your audience is and only write for them. Everybody else is secondary.

inspired!

I love how simple your site is to navigate through. It's not cluttered with confusing ads or pop-ups. To read a post, you simply scroll down and click on it.
Easy. Simple. I love that.

thanks man.

Please Review Techvoy.com.ng. Thanks

Thanks for your comment, man but I don't do reviews for free any more.

Emmysky:
Please Review Techvoy.com.ng. Thanks

Thanks alot.
i will put those changes to effect.

i have been away from the internet in some days and i just saw this now.

i appreciate the review.

Copycracker:
Okay.

I've been away for a minute.

I humbly apologise to everyone out there who has been reading and expecting a review or a post from me on a topic (Fizzymidasquil, that means you).

I'm sorry.

The struggle is real in this time of change.

Make una no vex abeg.

Now, let's do this:

For today, I have something different in mind.

I'll be reviewing three different sites, all in one post.

I know I titled this "Simple, Short and Sweet" but fact is, I never really know how long a post is going to be till I start smacking my keyboard.

I will say this though. Get a chair and get comfortable because I have a lot to talk about.

Without further ado, let's begin.


1. Temolad blog - /M8 or temolad..com

I. First things first, I think you need to get rid of that "/M8" URL whatever that is.

A URL should give your visitor an idea of what your site is about.

I mean, on the surface, it seems spammy, like something those people trying to market a product (or offer you some "get rich quick" scheme) send you and tell you to click it.

Then it redirects to temolad..com.

It doesn't make sense. Get rid of it.

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule like "www.google.com".

But those are in situations where you're trying to build a brand around a name.

And if that's what you're trying to do, temolad..com offers you a better name.

Like me though, you still need to get hosting and get rid of that ..com extension.


II. Your tagline

Article "Plannet" World.

2 main issues:

One, "Plannet" is misspelled. The first thing your visitor sees on your site is a misspelled tagline.

That is doing you no favours.

Two, what exactly does Article Plannet world mean?

I mean, it sounds like a stockpile of random articles. It doesn't tell your reader that your site is for him, leaving him confused.

And you know what site visitors do if they get confused?

They either click the back button or the little 'x' at the right hand corner of your site tab in their browser.

Either way, you get no love.

Here's what you do- Get a better tagline that tells your visitor that your site is for him or not for him.

Not for him?

Yes, you read that right.

You can't please everyone, so you should figure out who your audience is and only write for them. Everybody else is secondary.


III. Simplicity.

Steve Jobs once said "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

I concur.

Once you scroll past that tagline, it becomes a bit more clear what your site is about. It seems like a cross between Lifehack (www.lifehack.org), Tiny Buddha (www.tinybuddha.com) and Dumb Little Man (www.dumblittleman.com).

While your site is not necessarily my cup of tea, I can see the idea behind it because I once had a blog in that niche.

I love how simple your site is to navigate through. It's not cluttered with confusing ads or pop-ups. To read a post, you simply scroll down and click on it.

Easy. Simple. I love that.


IV. Your About Page

While reading through it, I kept asking myself- "Who is Prof Temolad?" , " Why should I care?"

I looked through your Google + profile and you don't look like a Professor. So where is the Prof Temolad coming from?

I feel you're better off dropping the whole Prof Temolad act and just telling us a real story. You know, like who are you, what are your experiences and what inspired you to start writing the blog.

Like they always say, "Real recognise Real".

If you want real visitors that keep coming back for more and more, you have to be real.

And unless you have obtained some Ph.D or the highest level degree in a particular field (which you can show us), you are not a Professor.


V. Grammar and Spelling

Your posts have more than a few mistakes in either spelling or grammar.

Now, that is not enough to ruin your site, but it can slow things down a bit.

Of course, writing for the internet gives you more leeway to break a lot of typical grammatical rules, but there is absolutely no acceptable excuse to type "five fundamental fact" and forget about the 's' that shows that it's more than one fact you're going to write about.

You're obviously trying to appeal to an intelligent audience so you need to get this sorted out.

It's annoying having to correct your mistakes while we are reading. It slows down the reading, disturbs the flow, and makes us really question your "Professor-ship".


VI. Your big blocks of text

I think I have written a lot about this. And I can't seem to stress this enough.

Nobody reading online sees a huge block of text and goes: "Oh wow, I can't wait to read all that".

Well, maybe just the people who are really really interested in what you have written. Actually scratch that. Let's say maybe just people who know you will be on their case if they don't read what you have written.

Keep it down to two sentences a paragraph, with an occasional one sentence paragraph.

This makes your posts easier on the eyes for your readers.


VII. You are too liberal with Italics and Bold text.

Italics. Bold.

They're really cool. Really a good way to make your words look really interesting.

But just like with every good thing, too much of it can be bad... very very bad.

In your posts, the italics and bold filters were not the welcome distraction from the mundane text.

They became the mundane text!

Use it like a spice.

I mean salt is good, but if you put in wayyy too much salt in any soup, it will no longer be soup. It will be sea water.

Make sense?


Okay, there are still other issues like what your long term plan for your blog is, etcetera shmetcetera, but I feel you can take these things I've pointed out and make a few changes that will help your blog become better.



2. TechCorb (www.techcorb.com)

First of all, Tech Corb why?

I looked at your site a few weeks back and I was ready to write an awesome review because I felt you were doing an awesome job, but then you change it up to this?

I mean, the green layout and design was kicking more ass compared to this.

I know, I know.. I came late to the party, but damn, does that mean you should not remain cake for me?

The layout on this new site is just not it... as compared to the previous one.

I was really looking forward to writing a great review and pointing out the amazing things you were doing (and hopefully finding out who your website designer was) but then you had to go and ruin everything.

Whatever, let's talk about your new site.

I. The Color Scheme

Now, for most people who didn't see that green, elegant site you had before, this pale blue or off blue might seem cool.

But trust me, it isn't.

Your audience is gamers and techsavvy peeps. The pale blue is a bit dull. Go back to the green.


II. I love that you identified your niche (for the most part)

You picked out a target audience and you created content they will be interested in. That's Step One when you're trying to build a great blog.

Find what your target audience wants to know. Give them the info.

Awesome.


III. You need more content in that Reviews section.

I think this is pretty obvious. No need to explain further.


IV. Your Science and History Pages.

I don't really understand how those pages serve you.

You could make an argument for the Science page but the only article you have on there is about something that scientists find interesting.

Your audience is not really composed of the scientists that the article is for.

And the History page? Like really?

I mean, your site is not about history. It's about the present. It's about what is happening in tech and gaming right now. Either keep the History articles to a bare minimum or get rid of it.

You are not Wikipedia. Don't try to be.


V. That Find Us On Facebook "thing" at the right bottom half of your page.

That looks like it was a link that was supposed to take the visitor to your Facebook page... except it doesn't.

It's currently not even a link. As such, it serves no purpose.

Either link it to your facebook account or remove it and replace it with social media buttons.


VI. Your posts are actually at a good length considering gamers might not really have the time to pour through "textbooks" of text.

There was one I had beef with though- The Ghost Rider MOD one. It just seemed like you were not interested at all, or you just slept on your keyboard.

Don't just write for the sake of writing. Either put out great content, or don't put out anything.


VII. You could also offer tutorials, cracks and cheat codes for different games.

Now, as long as it's not illegal, I think this is a perfect way to attract more gamers to your site.

Get a sizeable following and you could easily come up with a product to sell to some of them that will make you a lot of $$$ easy.


I do believe you need to go back to that previous design with the awesome layout and all. As soon as possible.


3. TechNest-Nig (www.technestng.com)

First of all, great work!

You picked a niche and from what I see you have created content that spans over any and all things involving technology from mobile to startups and so on.

There are just a few issues I feel you need to address and you'll be golden.

I. Your title bar says "Bringing technology to live". That last word should be Life.

It's not a major dealbreaker but you should rectify that.


II. Your home page looks a bit crummy.

I'm not sure if that's the right word, but let's put it this way, you have way too much going on on your home page.

Every page is supposed to serve one purpose only.

Your home page is supposed to be like the entrance to your house.

Do you hang washed clothes, cook, sell akara, sleep and shit in front of your house?

I don't think so.

I'll point out these issues and how you can rectify them as we go on.


III. That space at the top of your page.

I don't know how you did it, but the ads you place there take up much more space than the title of your site.

Your site title is at the far left corner, barely noticeable and the ad stands out more.

Not a good look.

Change that. Try to put your site title in the center and make it a bit more prominent.

Also try to work your tagline in there.

It tells a visitor that needs info on tech that he or she is in the right place.

And the ad.. if you can't completely get rid of it, make it smaller in comparison.


IV. Your left sidebar.

(a) the newsletter widget

I feel you could better display that, but not in the left sidebar. Make it a pop-up message that says something like:

" You don't have to be left out anymore. Sign up for our newsletter and Get updates on the latest in tech"

and then underneath, have a button that says "Yes, I want those updates" and then another that says "No, I prefer to remain ignorant" or "No, I would rather be a JJC"

Then when people click on the Yes button, it should then link to the sign up form that should just have two fields: One for the Name and the other for the email address.

(b) You don't have to repeat the "Follow on instagram" thing when you already have "Follow:" with the symbols of the different social media accounts.

(c) That " Answer it quick" game and the other pic below it serve no purpose ... except pissing visitors like me off.

Get rid of it.

(d) New year was a month ago. You can retire the Happy New Year banner now.


(V) Your right sidebar

That place is basically begging to be arranged. like for realllll.

(a) The Google badge should come lower down the page. Preferably after the rest of the things there.

(b) It's a cool design you have there for arranging your posts and all, but it's not really intuitive.

I mean when I first saw that, I didn't know what it was.

I wasn't even interested in clicking on it.

I feel you're better off just arranging them as follows:

- 2-3 recent posts
- Popular posts
- Categories

Easy peasy


(c) No need to have MORE written at the top. Put "Search" there instead.

When we see More there we are stuck trying to figure out "More what?"

Search, at least, will tell us we can search for things there.


VI. Don't let your page suffer from "Adson's disease)

Yes, I totally just coined that phrase.

You have ads up and I can see they are about tech. Please ensure it stays that way.

It's easier to sell bibles to Christians than it is to sell pork to Muslims.

Get it?

I hope you do because your site looks like it is doing great already and it's only going to get better than great.



Okay, I know I said Simple, Short and Sweet and this looks like a 3 hour read.

For that, I'm sorry... or not.

I write it as I think it.

And sometimes things get a bit longer than I even know when I start writing the post. Feel free to comment, point out any things I missed, etcetera shmetcetera.

Now, lemme go and get a midnight snack.

Happy Hustling!

I'm glad to come across this wonderful post once again

I've taken to this review and it helps me a lot. You can as well [url=temolad..com]check it out![/url]

Thanks to Mr Copycracker!

Wow... hats off to you. I just checked it out and it's like an entirely different blog. Compared to what you had before, this is a major improvement. Keep up the good work.

Temolad:
I've taken to this review and it helps me a lot. You can as well [url=temolad..com]check it out![/url]

Copycracker:
Wow... hats off to you. I just checked it out and it's like an entirely different blog. Compared to what you had before, this is a major improvement. Keep up the good work.

thanks bro. I make a difference!


What remains my oga!