Keeping it nice and simple

Blog improvement

The sites I've chosen to highlight this week and the next are perfect examples of what blogs are for. They each illustrate (for me, anyway) the very epitome of what blogs should be used for, and in fact, who they most benefit.

This week, I'll tell you about Tuk-Tastic ( www.tuktastic.com ). I'm surprised I'm so late to discover it.

Effecting introductions
The author tells you about himself: "My name is Samson and I am an Auto-Rickshaw driver here in Chennai, formally known as Madras. You can find me outside of the Taj Coromandel Hotel in the heart of the city. I am a very safe driver and can take you anywhere you would like to go. I know Chennai very well so whether you are looking for a tour of the city, somewhere to eat and drink or wishing to venture further afield, I would be happy to assist. I can also help you find almost any type of goods from curtains to clothes and silver to stationary, just name it! And the Tuk-Tuk is far more fun and cheaper than a taxi too!"

Layout is easy on the eye
The site itself is really simple, either Samson or someone else has done a really good job with the layout, and there are easy-to-negotiate tabs, with links to stuff about the city, shopping, eating out and so on.
There is also a photo section that urges you to send any pictures you have to the webmaster, and a link to Samson's friends, who will drive you around if all of you can't fit in his rickshaw. This clever little website illustrates just how anyone, and I do mean anyone, can use the Internet to work in their favour. Samson also provides his phone number, if you want him, send a text and he'll pick you up. Okay, so it's probably mostly geared towards foreigners. But still.

An atypical blogger
I love the fact that blogs have spread far and wide into the hands of people who probably get a lot more out of it than you and I do. I'd be curious to know if Samson is very much in demand after he made himself a website, probably, right?
Also, it's a good example of how to make the Internet work for you. The KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle of almost every art applies to blogs as well. To blogs, especially. You should have a look at Samson's site, even if you're not looking for a rickshaw driver, just to have an idea of what a perfectly simple and yet, perfectly viable self-promotional blog looks like.

Next week, more principles of good blogging! Meenakshi writes a blog at the compulsiveconfessor.blogspot.com. Send her your queries at meenakshimadhavan@gmail.com