Username & Diary Title: (7/10) geekbetty - Your name's Betty and you consider yourself to be a geek. It's simple. I like! It's cute as well so I would be tempted to click on your name. "a dork is a nerd is a geek is a... you get the point." - alrighty, continuing with the geek theme here. It's okay. It doesn't make me want to click off you, but it doesn't entice me too much either. It's alright.

First Impression: (13/20) Nice background pattern! And I like the photos at the top. But I see more photos and a tiny 'uh-oh' is popping up that this might be one of those diaries with really long entries and photos to accompany everything. Lots of mad links also. I'm apprehensive!

Layout: (20/50) Okay, so I've already said that I like the background and the photos on the top. Photos are your own, I'm guessing? That's nice, it makes it personal. It's a very wide layout. Now here's where I seem like I'm never satisfied, because while I have a 'thing' against those tiny little layouts, I also am just basically scared of very wide ones. It makes paragraphs look ominous. I like the 'about you' section at the side. Methinks there may be too many extra links on there? Yes, it gives us something to do if we get bored, but to me it also looks a bit distracting. I think your diary should focus on you and maybe make an extra links page if you really want us all to see those other things, but honestly, I think they're rather pointless. The side navigation bar just looks messy to me once it's past 'mosey around'. I like the background for your archives, though generally the two should match. And what's this - less links and an all-round tidier feel on the archives page too? It looks miles better, why not have your index page matching? My main thing of this template is that.you've gone for the web-logging style of entries, with several on one page. I'm a simple soul and that kind of thing confuses me - I'd go as far as to say I despise it (I'm feeling a bit dramatic, obviously). Your 'after' link doesn't work either. So I have to go to your archive to read each individual entry and you've got several on each page, so I don't know where the hell I am. And the 'cast' link doesn't work. Your one proper extra and I can't even find it! Obviously, points for this being self-designed (as far as I can see, anyway), and for the nice background.

Content: (50/55) After finding a way to your entries and working out which order they were in (nightmare!), I actually enjoyed your writing. It's general family-life day-logging stuff, but I enjoyed that. You're funny too. I was picking out favourite quotes right from the word go. Some of your entries were pointless, proving that one entry a day really is good enough. As well as the regular funny anecdote about your daughter (who sounds lovely by the way), you have your serious entries where you analyse or remember things. I got a very good vibe from your diary straight away and so didn't really feel the need to go way back and look at past entries, I found all I needed to within this month's entries. Probably because you have so many of the damn things! Like I said, one entry per day is fine. So yeah, I liked your diary much more once I actually started reading it. You strike me as the sort of diarist that would wind up on Quoted, or something. But not in an annoying 'every entry MUST be funny' way becase you're happy to have less-than-cheery entries as well. It's good, it makes it seem more natural to me. In general - I like you.

Contact: (3/5) Notes. And comments.

Extras: (4/10) All the extra links, which I'll give you points for even though I hate them. The 'about you' section. The Flickr thing. These are alright and I suppose they count. No cast though, no review page, no rings page... no internal links for your other entries at all!

Am I Linked: (0/5) There's no review page that I can see. So I'd have to guess at no?

5 Words to Describe You: Mother, funny, very-American, slightly-eccentric aaaaaaand... nice?

Memorable Quotes: Like I said, there were lots to choose from!
"That's right. I turned into that self-righteous mother who jerks kids out of the chair by their ears and tells them to "clean their language up, get a hair cut, and while you're at it wear jeans that fit". I never thought I'd see the day. I really didn't."

"Betty Boop was a slut..... hmm perhaps she and I do have something in common."

"Take the "I see dead people" stage she went through at about two. Oh and again at four... and five."

Your new name: Becky. It sounds very American and young, I think. But I think Betty's a good one. Just for the Boop...

Your lyrics: With no offence meant here, "Where did you come from, where did you go, where did you come from Cotton Eyed Joe!". 'Cause it's American (I seem obsessed with your American-ness I know. I don't know why) and country-ish. Reminds me slightly of Betty Boop perhaps?

Personal Advice: It's not personal, but sort out your layout and ditch the web-log thing! For personal advice, I can't say I have any. You seem to be doing alright. Carry on not listening to what your daughter tells you to wear!

Would I Come Back: (15/20) I enjoyed your entries. I'm not sure how much we'd have in common, but that can be the joy of diaryland.

Total Score: 112/200

[reviewed by: Claire]