Peer Reviews

Today I am reviewing DocPepsi’s website, Joystick Journalism, for their marketability towards their intended target audience. DocPepsi reviews old games, including Overwatch 2, the Call of Duty MWIII Beta, and The Riflemen. They also provide commentary posts on recent news topics relevant to the gaming industry, such as “Van Gogh, Pikachu, and Scalpers” and “NFTs, Crypto, and Gaming“.

I can assume that Joystick Journalism is intended for the gaming community, specifically those interested in finding out more, or looking for another opinion on a game before purchasing them or the latest technological advancements that have impacted the gaming industry.

From the start, the site’s title and logo are perfect depictions of the topics at hand – I knew exactly to expect. That said, the overall brand consistency, accessibility, and fast loading speed undoubtedly caters to the fast-paced, quick-and-easy, and aesthetically-pleasing desires of the gaming community. The additional mobile and tablet compatibility adds to the seamless and enjoyable browsing experience.

As for the writing and visual content, the topics discussed are very diverse, engaging, and tailor well to many different gaming genres. Reviews go in-depth into the cosmetics, bugs, gameplay, monetization, alongside other aspects of each game. As well, reviews and commentary span a wide range of topics, from first-person-shooters, strategy games, and monetization information and mistakes on behalf of certain companies. All of such topics add great credibility to the site and content, while maintaining the attention of readers through consistent and useful headers, interesting titles, and relevant imagery.

Additionally, DocPepsi’s pure honesty about his gaming abilities, being a “jack of most trades”, I believe, contributes to the building of connections with his viewers, reminding them that they don’t need to be pro gamers, nor beginners, to read and find value within the content.

For suggestions, I would recommend perhaps adding more tags to posts to increase the reach of the website and prioritise SEO. As well, I would make body text larger and a slightly bolder font to help with legibility.

Overall, I believe that DocPepsi has done an excellent job curating a website for the intended audience. From graphics to text and content, Joystick Journaling is a solid and reliable source for fellow gamers to learn more about and find relatable for their favourite or potential games and topics. The site’s variety and detail within each post is what I imagine would be exactly this audience’s desires. I could definitely see myself following DocPepsi’s posts – I can’t wait to see what else is to come! Keep up the great work!

Please check Know Your Phones via the button below!

Today I am reviewing Rajat Agrawal’s website, Know Your Phones, where they review smartphones ranging from the latest iPhone 15, to the OnePlus 10, and more!

To start, the theme suits the topic extremely well – it reminds me of all the other tech review websites that I have looked at over the years, giving me an immediate sense of trust in the posted reviews. The simple, legible font adds to the synergy of the entire website. I really appreciate that, when I hover over hyperlinks and the menu, the text transitions from black to red. As well, I noticed that as I scroll down posts, a red progress bar builds at the top. I think that these small additions add a lot more depth and interactivity to the site, showcasing Agrawal’s technical expertise in conjunction with his tech reviews.

As I dive deeper into Know Your Phones, I recognize that certain facts and ideas are bolded to create emphasis throughout the writing. Each page and article, including About Me includes distinct, organized, and detailed text, headings, and images to add to the visual appeal, and for easy reading. For those who would rather skim than read every single word of an article, like myself at times, this consideration comes in handy for the quality of the website. Moreover, great use is made of the website real estate through the practical side bar displaying all the posts, categories, and a search bar.

Furthermore, I find it very interesting that Agrawal has added the dropdown to translate the website into different languages. There is a very large population of the word that is unable to access the vast majority of English content simply due to language barriers. By adding this simple dropdown, as well as the other accessibility button on the left-hand side, opens access to Know Your Phones to whole communities from around the world! Not to mention, the implemented “View Random Post” button within the menu on the top right adds just a little bit of extra spice to encourage viewers to find out more without any exhausting decision-making of where to look next.

As for suggestions, I would recommend perhaps changing the pale green, pink, yellow, and brown colours that are used as ‘featured images’ for each post to deeper and create more contrast, in order to make the sight more accessible to viewers with visual disabilities, like colourblindness. Or, for the content posts, change the image to an image of the phone that is being reviewed instead.

As soon as I click on this website, I find myself browsing an incredibly professional, detailed, and well-thought-out smartphone review website. If I hadn’t just bought the iPhone 14 two months ago, I probably would have wanted to read what Agrawal had to say about the iPhone 15 instead! My dad is also constantly boasting about his Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, so he’ll be fascinated to read the facts about why Samsung is better than Apple (uh oh… controversial…). I can’t wait to see what else Agrawal has in store for his reviews and development of the site itself. Keep up the great work!

Please check Know Your Phones via the button below!

Today, I am reviewing Celine’s food blog, Celine’s Tasty Tales, where they discuss anything and everything food.

To begin, the background of the website makes me feel comforted as it reminds of those somewhat old cooking shows I used to watch with my mom, like the Marilyn Denis show – I feel like I’m safe here. I’d also like to mention the comforting yet intriguing words on the Home page – very short and sweet paragraph clearly shows readers Celine’s intentions and gives an overview of the content covered – “food reviewing and mouthwatering recipes”. I now know what to expect as I go exploring through the world of food with Celine.

As we head to Celine’s About page, we discover her personal storyline, what sets her apart from the rest, and why they’re a trustworthy source for this content – they’re interested, passionate and, of course, an enthusiast. This one paragraph answers all the “why”s that all readers have when first stumbling across a blog, including the most important, “why should I be here?”.

Moving toward the Public Post page, titles and snippets of content are intriguing and great hooks, I’m dying to read more! Each individual post works well to engage and connect with viewers through gorgeous images and clear and well thought out steps and recipes. I’m curious to see what other recipes will connect readers together in the future!

Finally, we get the chance to explore Celine’s PUB 101 section of Process Post, Mini Assignments, and Essays. The weekly Process Posts enclose very specific and insightful looks on the classroom content. By reading these posts, readers can get an in-depth understanding of the technical terms and concepts of PUB 101, as well as Celine’s consequential thoughts and opinions. Furthermore, the mini-assignments, including a cooking-related meme and Iron Man’s smoothie recipe are insanely creative and genuinely made me laugh (haha)! I am excited to see what other interesting takes Celine has in November via the written essay.

Overall, Celine’s Tasty Tales is fantastic representation of a comforting, professional, and educational food blog that brings readers together to enjoy good eats and reviews. Celine has done a fantastic job at maintaining an colourful and easy to navigate site with up-to-date content. The addition of phone accessibility made it easy for me to review this site, as well! I can’t wait to see what else Celine has in store for the future!

Please check out Celine’s Tasty Tales via the button below!