CSS || images || 800x600+ || NS4+ / IE4+
2003-06-10 - scoring

Everybody starts out with 50 points. This is because you can score negative points if something I expect to see isn't there or is too hard to find or doesn't work, or if something else is done badly or pisses me off.

Nobody's final score will be 50 - it will be 45 or lower or 55 or higher. 45 or lower is a bad score. 55 or higher is a good score. Diarists scoring 90-100 will be added to the archives template as a "best".

So for each thing I check you score between -5 and 5 points. -5 for bad, 0 for average (doesn't exceed my expectations), 5 for above average. In some cases you will score 2.5 points or -2.5 points if full points aren't warranted.

There are also bonus points. The bonus points aren't included in your final score but give you extra props. :)

The 0 (average) is known as a "neutral". If all your scores are neutrals your final score is 55. You can still get bonus points on top of that. If you have a lot of bonus points you might get an honourary higher final score as well as your official final score.

When I commence reviewing I will start with your archives page (if you're on diary-x I will use "?entry=split" - if you have a custom archives page linked from your entries I will consult that as well). I will count back 20 entries from your current one and start reading there. If I really enjoyed those I may go even further back and read more, but I will always read entries in chronological order - earliest to latest.

  • first impressions
    How fast does it load? Does it look nice? Can I see what's what straight away? (this does not get scoring points, although bonus points are possible)

  • general aesthetics
    Does your layout play nicely with the text? Can I read the text without fiddling with my monitor or selecting the text? Is the text a good size?

  • layout
    Does it piss me off or does it make me sigh with pleasure? (I don't care how many different layouts you have and I don't care if your archives layout doesn't match the entries.) If your layout is a designer job, do you credit the designer in an obvious way? Do you have a zillion links, rings and blinkies on every entry? (Tip: I won't approve.)

  • user-friendliness
    I don't like non-standard hover cursors. I don't like links hidden in lyrics. I don't like navigation that is coded in such a way that I can't tell where it's going to take me when I click. (External links in a drop-down are okay, since they're not part of your diary and I don't have to go there.) I don't like scrollbars where I can't see the damn bar. I don't like links that always open in a new window. I don't like scrolling messages in the title bar, status bar or all over the page - they distract the eye and interfere with normal browser functionality. I don't like sites that resize the window (I'm always maximised - leave that alone, please). I don't like sites that crash my browser. (If your code or add-ons crash me I will decline to review you and will inform you via email or notes or guestbook, whatever I can find without having to go back to your diary.)

  • navigation
    Can I find the navigation? Is the navigation easy to understand? Is the navigation laid out appropriately? Do other links stand out from the text?

  • continuity
    How often do you update? Are there huge gaps in your narrative, leaving the reader wondering what happened? Are you excessively cryptic or obscure?

  • comprehension
    Do you use ordinary English or some variety of net-speak? Can I understand what you're saying? Do you use apostrophes and in the right places? Do you have any understanding of grammar? Do you punctuate? Can you spell? (I am aware that Americans use 'z' and 'o' while Aussies and Brits use 's' and 'ou', eg realize/realise and humor/humour; you will not be penalised for using your native spelling.)

  • content
    Do I feel like I'm starting to get to know you after reading several entries, or do I feel like I don't want to know you no matter how many entries I read?

  • contact
    I expect an email address in some form (even if you display it in such a way as to foil harvest robots, eg "me AT something DOT com"). If you also have a guestbook, I'm happy. Diaryland notes do not count since only other diarylanders can post them.

  • link back
    Did you link back to moo-review? Can I find the link easily? Does the link work?

  • extras
    The only extras I care about are a visible hit counter (showing a number) and an imood. If you don't have them, no big deal. If you do have them you get points. You don't get scoring points for anything else (and I may not even look at all your extras) although I might give you bonus points if you have an extra I really like.

Unlike most reviewers I will not round off with a comment telling you what to change - unless it's something to do with bad html (or ugly css) which has seriously interfered with my ability to navigate your site. You are not expected to take my advice - it's just a part of the review.

I will however comment on the structure of your archives. (Tip: millions of entries all listed on the one archives page will take a long time to load and therefore piss me off. On the other hand, too many separate archives pages are a pain to navigate. Recommendation: split by month or by quarter-year.)

Your scores will be summarised thus:

Total negative points: (x)
Total positive points: (x)
Number of neutral scores: (n)
Final score: (x)/100 [ plus (x) bonus points ]

If you didn't get any bonus points you will only see the final score. If you got an honourary final score it will appear below the official final score.

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