Shadows Galore

I am not sure if there is a difference between a website and a blog. Initially I though there existed some distinction. But I have increasingly begun to feel there is no clear black and white demarcation and there are lot of them that occupy the space between a pure commercial website and a personal blog. Most of the blogs I have reviewed so far were more like personal blogs. Shadows Galore I feel comes closer to a commercial website. I was very impressed by its professional design and content management. So I shall review the blog from two angles: one as a professional website and other of Puru, the main blog author as a writer.

As a professional website, the blog has lot of content. It covers a whole gamut of places in India and abroad. It is well organized and rich in content from multiple guest authors. The general appearance is quite attractive and the posts are all well formatted and the posts have a good balance between text and photos. The navigation is excellent and site is well maintained with good interaction with readers. However as a professional site, I feel the blog lacks clear focus. In my opinion it should narrow down its focus and try to be a one stop shop for information on travel to any destination in the world. The other sections such as memoirs, reviews seem to be diluting the focus. Too many topics also create too many items to navigate, making it a bit confusing. On the topic of navigation, it would also be nice to have a search functionality to search by specific key words and also for navigation by type of places like hill stations, jungles, trekking etc.

In terms of the blog name, it is an intriguing name and attracts attention but does not clearly convey to a new visitor what the blog is all about. Also it would be nice to have a catch phrase for the blog, some kind of one liner to go with the title.

Now to talk about Puru’s writing style, most of the posts are well written and cover all the necessary information. The language is good and it is quite easy to read. The photos are brilliant and stand out as the strongest point. An area that can be considered for development is to add a bit more of an artistic touch to the writings. The current writings tend to be more factual and at times are like reviews of places. Whereas this makes the write-ups extremely useful, it does not make the writings an interesting read for a reader who is not looking for travel information on a specific place. So if the blogger wishes to make his travelogues interesting to the general reader, it needs some artistry. It could be poetry, some kind of philosophy, humor or weaving the travel events with local myths and telling it like a story. Different travelogues writers have tried different things. I would recommend that the blogger read authors like William Dalrymple, Gerald Durrell, R L Stevenson etc., explore the possibilities and try out what works best for him.

Overall I feel the site is a great place to find interesting experiences on different places. I especially recommend the site for the range of coverage and the excellent presentation of posts. It’s a testimonial of my high regard for the blog that I have chosen to write a guest post for the blog and shall probably consider doing so in future as well. Please find below a sample of Puru’s writings from Shadow Galore.

22 comments:

Jayashree Srivatsan said...

I agree TF, Travel blogs need an additional touch to make it interesting to the reader. Also, it would be good if the descriptions do not get too dragging as well.

umashankar said...

Apt analysis, as usual. Puru seems to be a well-travelled blogger who has assiduously collected images of his adventures and exploits. His writing has a personal touch that holds the narration close to the readers, unlike many travel blogs where substandard images are all that speak for the author.

T F Carthick said...

True. It is an art to make descriptions interesting.

T F Carthick said...

Thanks umashankar

Rachna said...

You have done a good review again. I haven't visited the blog so must see for myself :).

T F Carthick said...

Thanks Rachna.

Puru@ShadowsGalore said...

Thanks a lot for the review ! Some of the points which you have raised, I have been thinking about those for some time - like theme dilution and language.. I guess it is time to make some changes :) This review comes as a great support to go ahead and make those changes :)

Reg the name of the blog, it came from the first post which I had posted - it was for a Inter B school photography competition and the theme was "Lights and Shadows" -- never thought of changing it :)

DS said...

An excellent review of a very good travel blogger. I have been there a few times and really, its a good blog.

Ashwini said...

Being a frequent visitor to Shadows Galore,I can agree to the points mentioned here. Excellent tips!!

Soulmate said...

Nomination for the Liebster blog award. Please go through the link:

http://snehal-tripathi.blogspot.in/2012/10/surprise.html

indu chhibber said...

I must run & improve my blog before you come to it TF.

Unknown said...

As a newbie to Indiblogger, reviewing blogs is a completely new kind of beast -- I'll have to give it a shot soon. Your post offers tips on how to go about i.

Off to check the reviewed blog.

T F Carthick said...

Glad you found my comment useful, Puru. It would look forward to see your blog become the 'Travel Blog' for information on any place.

T F Carthick said...

Thanks DS.

T F Carthick said...

Thanks Ashwini. Glad you found the tips appropriate. Guess yours would be coming up soon.

T F Carthick said...

Thanks a lot, Snehal. But do give me some time to take it up. There is already another tag given by Rickie pending.

T F Carthick said...

If you improve it yourself, then there will be nothing left for me to say, Indu.

T F Carthick said...

Do it Damayanti. There is a huge demand for reviewers in blog-o-sphere.

Purba said...

I loved the tone of this review - thorough with some good suggestions for the author.

Jugmendra said...

Shadow Galore is completely Indian based blog. All insights, photography, travelogues and tips are based on India and good efforts made by Puru and Ekta.

T F Carthick said...

Thanks a lot, Purba.

T F Carthick said...

Glad you found it useful, Ashwini.

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