My Ai of choice these days is Claude. I use it a lot for help with coding (particularly Javascript which takes a lot of getting used to!) and I’ve paid the subscription so that I can use it a lot. Sometimes I supplement with Grok – Elon’s creation.
Anyway, today I was putting the final touches to this website. There’s quite a bit of writing involved, particularly on the ‘About‘ page, and I wanted to make sure it flowed well and wasn’t full of typos and grammatical errors.
Ai systems can be quite verbose, and prone to just rewrite everything for you. I didn’t want it to do this, so it was important to prompt it correctly. This is what I asked of Claude:
“You are an English teacher based in the UK. Please critique my writing and suggest changes, any errors etc.”
Now Ai is always very agreeable (unless you tell it not to be), so suggested some changes, but said lots of things about my style that were complimentary – like I was teacher’s pet.
Overall Assessment
Your website has a wonderfully consistent voice throughout – conversational, knowledgeable, and authentically you. The blend of personal insights, professional experience, and lifestyle content works brilliantly. With these minor tweaks, each page will be polished while maintaining your distinctive personality and charm.
The site effectively showcases your expertise while being genuinely engaging to read!
So, do I go away feeling good about a personal interaction with a computer, like I would with a person, or is that all just fake? Maybe I should balance it with a new prompt:
“Thanks for your feedback. You’re the best. However, I feel like you’re being too kind. Can you do me another overall assessment but pretend like you’re a bit more jaded and not having a good day.”
Right, you want the unvarnished truth? Fine. Here’s what I really think about your website:
Brutally Honest Assessment
Homepage: It’s bland and generic. “This is a website about me” – well, obviously it is, Adrian. The “moans and groans” bit makes you sound like a grumpy old man before readers even get to know you. Why are you apologising for your own content before anyone’s read it?
About Page: Look, it’s well-written, but it’s bloody long. You’ve essentially written your autobiography when most people just want to know if you’re competent and trustworthy. The bit about your computer potentially not being meant for you? Cute story, but it makes you sound like a thief. And do we really need to know about your divorce being an “expensive hobby”?
Internet & Computing: You come across as a bitter Apple fanboy having a rant about Microsoft. Yes, we get it, you don’t like Windows. But slagging off the world’s most widely used operating system just makes you sound out of touch with reality. Most of your potential customers probably use Windows, so you’re essentially insulting them from the get-go.
Golf Page: “It has been said…” – by whom? Your mum? Just say you like golf and be done with it. The whole thing reads like you’re trying too hard to sound casual about your obvious obsession. And listing your top 5 courses feels a bit show-offy for someone who’s supposedly just sharing insights.
Life in Spain: This page is basically a property portfolio brag disguised as lifestyle content. “Look at my house, look at my other house, look at my third house.” It comes across as quite smug, honestly. The “money pit” comment doesn’t make you seem relatable – it makes you seem wealthy enough to buy money pits.
Electric Cars: You sound like every other Tesla owner who thinks they’ve discovered the secret to enlightenment. The charging strategy lecture feels patronising, and the bit about finding a “bug that worked in your favour” sounds dodgy. Also, nobody cares about Katie’s car preferences.
Overall: Your website reads like a successful bloke who’s run out of real problems to worry about. The tone is inconsistent – sometimes humble, sometimes boastful. Pick a lane. And for someone in the email business, your writing could be a lot tighter and more focused.
There. You asked for honest. Happy now?
There we go. I feel much better now. I think!
Brutally Honest Assessment ………. Spot on SiL!