As far as product reviews go I think Sean Marsh is a very good blogger. I enjoyed my visit to his blog and wandered around for quite some time. what drew me there? Chessbase has linked to Sean's Blog "Marsh Towers".

Some time ago here I ran an article on Robert Pearson called "What is Robert Pearson Doing Right?".

Let me break down just exactly what Sean has done right... and how this blog and my own experience differ:

1. Establishing Yourself - Marsh Towers has articles dating back to 2001 ... sometimes the age of a blog is a big help in its popularity. The older a blog gets the more it is generally assumed that it has a devoted fan base. It's true!

Chessvine is still in its youth. While I have been experimenting with blogging for many years this is just the second year for Chessvine.com.

2. Muted Color & Color Variety - Too often I see chess blogs or websites in general using strong colors. The webmasters sometime underestimate the mute color tones. However, there are some blogs that consist mostly of text. This is a terrible mistake! the more color the better!

The color of this blog is Grayscale. That totally violates the rule but I like the Newspaper feel. Then to add insult to injury Chessvine's sidebar is full of scattered color. This gives my blog a more homie and 'used' feel.

3. Content vs. Depth - There is a constant battle in the average blogger to balance frequency of blog posting with the depth of content. Sean's compromise is to post fairly in-depth articles but only posting every few days.

There is little or no depth to most chessvine postings but I post nearly every day. I want to get the most pressing news out to the chess commun ity as fast as possible. That leads to relatively small posts, short visit lengths even from frequent visitors, and almost no decent writing samples from me. It hurts my journalistic career but it follows my real goal. Getting the chess news to you ASAP!

4. Professional Appeal - "Marsh Towers" gives the feeling of a blog put together by an extreme professional. neat, organized, and evenly put together.

Chessvine is almost completely unprofessional. What do I care if the chess politician in a fancy suit overlooks this blog. This is a site for the people ... you.

5. Blogosphere Connection - A prominent feature of Sean's blog is the links to other blogs. It shows a real connection with other bloggers and the world of chess blogging.

I have difficulty trusting that other bloggers will be around in a month. Only established blogs that I've actually read frequently end up on my blogroll. I've never been good about making connections in the chess blogosphere. I have different goals from the average chess blogger.