Has ‘Write Side up’ got it wrong?

By Sarita Pillay

Blog: The Write Side Up
Rating: * * * ½

The title caught my eye immediately – it is intelligent and captivating but not overtly attention-seeking. The title summarises the nature of the blog, thoughtful but inconspicuous and not very colourful.

I found the blog refreshing in that it simply reflected, contextualised and shared. Many of the Journalism 1 student blogs have, in their desperation to be read, over-emphasised their uniqueness and forced their point of view. In contrast, whether purposefully or not, Write Side Up has succeeded in creating a readable blog without much pomp.

Most of the posts, particularly those made by bloggers Chelsea Geach and Justin Archer, are insightful and well-thought out. Varying from Feminism to Julius Malema, the blog posts were relevant, current and readable. A definite positive was the emphasis on South African political side-shows. Interestingly, the blog did not aim to punch above its weight by raising controversial issues or opinions. Positively, this prevented the blog from failing in its pursuit for ‘otherness’ but negatively, it didn’t evoke a response from the readers.

The blog falls short in spelling and grammar with a few telling mistakes. These recurred in cases where proper nouns were not capitalised and where there was a lack of a comma or two. Cringe-worthy spelling errors, like ‘anials’ instead of ‘animals’ and, in one article, four variations of the spelling of ‘Agliotti’, seem to imply a lack of pre-post checking in some instances.

The blog succeeds in creating something astute and readable; however, it fails to add a splash of colour through blog format, vivid pictures or challenging pieces.