Overheard in New York

Only in New York could the overheard conversations of locals, tourists, drunks, and homeless people provide so much entertainment. Almost every BlogLaughs reviewer used the word "original" or spoke glowingly about the "great concept" behind Overheard in New York.

"I love Overheard in New York," said one reviewer. "It is part of my everyday reads. Each one of the stories make me extremely homesick."

"I think the idea behind this blog is good," said another. "There is great potential for some really funny stuff. Surely in New York if you listen long enough you will hear something hilarious eventually! I didn't find very many of the posts here to be laugh-out-loud funny, but many of them were worth a chuckle at least. I would continue to check back with this blog because you never know when something really hilarious might be said!"

"Very original, very unique," said another reviewer. "I've never seen a blog like it before. Although there is not much creative and original writing, the funny things people overhear in New York City is just absolutely priceless. It's also an interactive site, as readers are encouraged to submit funny stuff they hear in New York."

CONTENT - 8.3
With 70 percent of the final score based on content, Overheard in New York has set the bar relatively high with an average score of 8.3 on a scale of 1-10.

"I had a few good moments where I laughed out loud," said one reviewer. "I enjoyed the short entries since I have a short attention span."

"Some [posts] are funny, some aren't," contended one reviewer. "Some are missed on folks like me who don't live in New Yawk."

Another said, "The content is hit and miss, and many are too short to sustain more than a chuckle."

Still, the lowest content rating from our reviewers was a five among a sea of eights, nines and tens.

DESIGN - 5.9
One reviewer said, "The color scheme I didn't like much, but maybe I'm the only one who finds baby blue annoying."

Ahhhhhh, contraire.

"For a blog that is primarily text-oriented, choosing to go with a color scheme of white on light blue is nothing less than user-hostile," said one reviewer. "The header is a bit bothersome because this is a New York blog and hardly any of the rotating photos say 'New York' to me. Not terrible, but it could use some improvement for readability and identity."

"Overheard recently changed their format," explained one long-time reader. "I'm not too crazy about the new one (too much blue ... everywhere). The blog has gotten very cluttered in the past few months and I don't like the new 'topical headings' that divide each little vignette into categories. Yuck."

"The design detracts from the content," said another. "It's a little busy and the color scheme isn't very friendly on the eyes."

"Too fucking blue! I could get past that, maybe, but it's not even a pretty blue. The sidebars are a little busy but at least nothing is blinking at me."

"Except for the blue-ass template, nothing else really irks me."

All and all, this comment pretty much sums it up. "I wasn't fond of the web design but the content was great."

WRITING QUALITY/GRAMMAR - 7.3
The quality of writing, grammar and punctuation at Overheard in New York is a mixed bag. Some gave it lower scores. Some chose not to score this category. Most chose to give a relatively high grade because, as one reader put it, "It is what it is and seems to capture the intent of the subject. It's difficult to put much criticism on its faults."

"Grammar shouldn't be a big deal as many folks contribute to this," explained another. "If the final text were edited, I think you would lose a bit of personality of the contributors."

"Since these are direct quotes from strangers," said another, "I think the authors do well in making them realistic. Of course they're not going to be grammatically correct all the time or well-written."

"I think the grammar mistakes are a large part of this blog's charm," explained a reviewer. "Most of us don't speak proper English. This blog shouldn't be edited that way either."

INTANGIBLES - 6.9
"Loses a few points for being a bit overtly commercial and a push to read the book version," said one reviewer. "Ad content is prominent, but mercifully restricted to a single sidebar rather than spread out everywhere, which is a pleasant surprise."

Another said, "Lots of ads in the sidebars. Posts are not open for comments."

FREQUENCY - 10
This category is not voted upon by our reviewers. The BlogLaughs moderator will assign this score.

"They update with astonishing frequency and I cannot possibly keep up with them unless I'm willing to sacrifice other aspects of my life such as my job, my husband, meals, and pee breaks. Also, I cannot read them at work without laughing out loud and causing my office mates to think I'm insane."

Another said, "There are several entries each day so the content is always fresh, which I like."

WOULD YOU READ THIS BLOG REGULARLY - 84% Yes
"I do read this blog regularly," said one reviewer, "since 2003 in fact. It is the one blog that has survived on 'my favorites' for that long."

Another said, "I already read this blog. It's the voyeur in me that loves this blog! Wouldn't define it as 'funny,' but interesting to say the least."

"I would probably read this blog once a week," contends another. "It's just not funny enough for me to read daily or every other day."

"The idea is unique and appealing in it's simplicity," explained a reviewer. "It's fun to read through once, but overall it lacks depth and fails to draw the reader in to establish itself as a regular read. It would have a more powerful affect if some of the quotes were funnier and a bit more involved. The ads also overpower the content a bit."

OVERALL - 91.7
Unlike some of the reviews to follow this week, almost all of our reviewers gave Overheard in New York favorable ratings. Reviews for this site featured lots of high numbers in every category except design.

Overheard in New York's overall score of 91.7 sets a respectable mark for others to aspire.

"For what it sets out to do," explains one reviewer, "Overheard in New York does it very simplistically and very well."