Movie review blog

[9cupsoftea]

I've been plugging away at writing a movie review blog for a few years now, and used to get a few hits, however in recent months I've got barely any. I know that its not the most attractive proposition - in depth reviews of some pretty obscure movies, but I still think it would be of interest to quite a few people.

I recently added some new sections, as well as a facebook 'like' option, but I was just wondering if anyone could give me some first impressions or tips on how to improve it. I'd greatly appreciate it, thanks!

http://drunkdetective.blogspot.com/

[veinglory]

Hi there.

On my 1024px wide monitor your banner does not display fully. It is not crucial for the whole picture to display but for those with smaller monitor resolution you might want to but the title and other text on the left rather than right side of the banner.

Your reviews are pretty good but rather than repeat them all on the right sidebar I would suggest listing tags leading people quickly to niche areas they might be interested in, like genres, countries, directors etc.

I have not problem with advertising but i think ads between each post and at the top of the sidebar... may be a bit much.

[9cupsoftea]

Thanks for that, yeah im still figuring out how to change the way ads are displayed. I just chose the default option really, I'll have to read up on how to remove those ads beneath each post.

One question: did you notice the different pages that are listed on the top? i'm worried the font may be a bit small, and unfortunately i have no idea how to change it. (the pages called about me and recommendations)

[veinglory]

To be honest I didn't notice the pages, but they don't strike me as crucial. One is identical to the blog, one seems the same as a widget on your side bar--About me is good but IMHO doesn't need its own page. Just my 2c. You get return visits by hitting niche/under-served subject and getting repeat traffic.

[garnerdavis]

This review is difficult for me, because I'm not a fan of the type of movies your blog covers. Nontheless, take whatever you feel is merited from my comments. First off, I don't have a problem with your layout, although I viewed the blog on a netbook, and your banner got cut off for me too. Second, substantively, I thought there were a couple of grammatical issues, and the sentences didn't come across as smoothly as a novel's, but I don't know whether beautifully crafted sentences are as necessary for a movie review site. The only glaring omission I could see is the lack of a thumbnail rating system at the beginning of each review (i.e., 4 stars, 2 thumbs down, etc.). I would think even obscure moviefiles might appreciate a down and dirty idea of what they're in for, to decide whether to read on, particularly for such in depth reviews as yours.