I love me a good collaboration (seeing “ft.” on a track title really does bring me so much joy), so this week we’re pumping out Moods & Mixtapes X Four Purple Walls in the form of a peer review!
CONTENT, BABY, CONTENT!
Four Purple Walls is a space created by Tiffany Chang, where online users can find book reviews and recommendations of all sorts of reads that she finds to be inspirational, interesting, and seemingly everything in-between.
One detail that I love about her reviews is the fact that there is no need for the feared “SPOILER ALERT!” signal. Yes, you read that right, a glimpse and evaluation on a piece of work which doesn’t rob you of the enjoyment of figuring out plot twists and character developments on your own. Tiffany maps out her reviews in a way that tells readers just enough detail to convince them to pick up one of these books themselves. In fact, after reading the review on Rachel Hollis’, Girl, Wash Your Face, I may or may not have a copy waiting for me at my local library.
Another element that stuck out to me was the fact that many of the feature photos for the blog posts are images which I assume that Tiffany took herself. I appreciate the little personal touches like that, and it proves to users that she truly did enjoy these books. Even enough to own them!
PUTTING UP WALLS
In regards to the look of the space, allow me to remind you that the site is entitled Four Purple Walls. And let me tell you, the design follows through with the name. It’s bright and fun, and well, purple! A definite expression of who she is.
Upon loading the blog, visitors will be met with a static homepage which greets users and introduces them to her space, much like being greeted at the front door of someone else’s home. I found that to be a smart choice as I personally wasn’t too sure of what content to expect when told the name of the blog.
Four Purple Walls is also organized in a myriad of ways. From the main menubar across the width of the home page which categorizes posts, a sidebar which lists recent posts/comments, as well as a growing list of monthly blog archives—if you’re looking for something in particular, you’ll be able to find it in no time. (A definite improvement from last week’s layout!)
I gotta say, this method is a far cry from the format we have here at Moods & Mixtapes, but that’s not a bad thing. While the homepage here looks more like a collection of various sticky notes on an idea board, Four Purple Walls is sorted out like a library—how fitting for the type of content we create!
IS IT ME YOU’RE LOOKING FOR?
Ah, the “online self”. Quite the hot topic in publishing these days.
When considering the voice employed in the writing featured on Four Purple Walls, there’s no doubt that the online
However, I’m not too sure that I could pick out her voice in a pool of other blog posts. I suppose I’m just on the search for something that is distinctly home to Four Purple Walls. Perhaps the use of certain language, a recognizable sign-off, or a few more personal anecdotes scattered here and there could go a long way in articulating a developed online self.
That being said, the blog has only been up-and-running for about four weeks now (happy one-month anniversary!), and as someone in the same position, I know a thing or two about the difficulty of getting acquainted with your own, personal domain and online identity for the first time. And much like wine and 80’s music, I’m sure that it’ll all get even better with age.
READ MORE BOOKS, FOLKS
So, the next time you find yourself browsing online or on the hunt for the next book to crack open, be sure to check Tiffany out at Four Purple Walls!
And just like that, we’ve come to the end of our first collaboration.
1 Comment