Site Review: DerekSemmler.com
Derek of DerekSemmler.com decided to take me up on my free blog review offer, so here it is…
What is DerekSemmler.com?
The site is the personal blog of Derek Semmler and, as his logo says, it’s about money, motorcycles and cars (with a little bit of everything else). He’s got an About page, which is good, and he’s had the site in operation since March 2007.
Site Design/Theme
The site uses the “(Not so) Fresh” theme and has a clean, Web 2.0-ish, look with the large RSS and Technorati icons predominating the upper part of the page. The site logo is nicely done, providing a personal touch.
Navigation is easy although I’d prefer to see Recent Posts above the commentators stuff. He uses the dagondesign.com sitemap generator just like I use here which helps finding older articles.
The only monetization I noticed was an affiliate link for Text Link Ads and a few private sale links (I think that’s what they were). He had apparently removed Auction Ads and Adsense just recently. That’s probably not a bad idea on a personal blog since these really work best for niche sites.
Content
He has quite an array of interesting and entertaining articles. Here are a few I liked:
Why I Will Never Spend Another Penny At Best Buy
Are You Willing To Sacrifice To Reach Your Goals?
How Often Should You Respond To Comments?
His writing style is very engaging. While some articles are the typical blogosphere echo chamber type posts he does a good job of putting his own spin on them. His original content is where the site really shines though.
As I looked through his posts I noticed that he has a good community of commentators on his site it seems so that’s perhaps why he has the commentators areas high up on the sidebar. It’s always a balance to decide between old, loyal, visitors and new ones.
Get Your Site Reviewed
If you would like your site reviewed by me for free, just like Derek did, leave me a comment or use the Contact page to request one.
Thanks for the review!
You make an interesting point about moving the Recent Posts up a little higher but I was trying to reward my readers and commentators with a little extra “pub” above the fold. But this is certainly something for me to consider.
I appreciate the kind words and feedback on the site and my writing style. I try to keep it interesting and entertaining for the readers and am always willing to listen to the opinions and ideas of the readers.
Thanks for stopping by Derek and I’m glad you liked the review.
Yes, like I said, it’s certainly a balance between rewarding loyal readers and commentators who consistently visit vs. capturing new visitors.
Best of luck on your blog!