Blog Readability Test

By John Freeman on November 27, 2007

(with thanks to Gad Sir! Comics). According to this simple Blog Readability Test from the Critics Rant web site, you apparently have to be a genius to read the downthetubes blog.

It appears to work on some HTML based sites too, so we did a few checks. Top-selling UK tabloid newspaper The Sun’s web site gets “Junior High School” while both The Times and The Guardian‘s is “High School” (it couldn’t read the Daily Telegraph‘s site, which is perhaps no surprise).

Apparently, you have to be a post grad to understand the Star Wars and Star Trek official sites and a college undergrad to understand the official Doctor Who site. (Yes, this is obviously an American test site).

As dtb contributor Jeremy Briggs points out, the Genius level for this blog doesn’t mean that you have to be a genius to read it – but that you have to be a genius to understand it!

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.