Peer review #1

Peer Review #1

This week I had the task and pleasure of checking out Rachel’s website, “Reading with Rachel” . The purpose of Rachel’s website is for anyone to learn more about books she has read and authors she has found interest in. As a lover of reading myself, I was super excited to check it out.

When you enter the site, you are greeted with a simple theme and clear identity. I found her website to be very easy to navigate and filled with plenty of valuable information already. The overall feel of the site was basic, and this is not a negative but more a choice of what style Rachel wishes to take. I found the fonts and typography a perfect fit with her theme and do not think it is mandatory for colors or picture throughout the site. Though, considering addition of this may provide an opportunity to share more about her personality. That being said, the identity of the site is clear and engaging. I believe there were no broken links, and the functionality was great around the overall content.

When navigating the website, I could always find myself reading a new piece of content without being confused or needing to follow multiple subpages. I found that Rachel has a talent for expressing her thoughts around her book reviews and portraying a concise but detailed picture. Relating to a course reading, Erin Glass speaks on the need for social paper and how in this day and age we have the great ability to share and publish reflection as easy as a press of a button. Rachel may read and review many books, and to be able to easily share this with the world is awesome. She has defined her target audience and can use this to her advantage. I think this an important consideration when making a website and retaining readers.

If I were to make recommendations for her website, as of now I can list a few. Firstly, when entering the site, the home page is a little empty. I do not think it is necessary to have a bunch of information but perhaps considering adding a simple explanation can immediately entice users and set the tone of the site. I really enjoyed the review she gave on “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover and to share a snippet of this review with a link on the homepage to the rest of it could be a good way to get more eyes on this writing. The other recommendation I had for Rachel’s site is to offer a recommendation section for her readers to share books that they have read or would enjoy hearing her review. I believe creating a point of conversation with her and her followers will create a more engaging experience and in turn retain more readers. Lastly, I thought to share a few extra pieces to consider adding within the full book reviews: A similar books portion, a voting poll for your next planned review, and if the book has a movie maybe share what was better and the differences between them.

All in all, Rachel has done a great job with her site, the reviews and the overall theme. I think there is minimal changes needing to be made and I am excited to check back in for more reviews!

If you want to give Rachel’s website a peep: Read with Rachel