The (Western) World's Top 50 Blogs 2006

Here's a list of what are, apparently, the world's most linked-to blogs -- in the western hemisphere, anyway.

I sourced this via the New York Metro in early 2006, who based it some complex studies of how the world's top blogs all linked to each other to work out who was on top. On a Google search (to find and add in proper links to all these sites which the original article thoughtlessly left out), all of them were in the Number One spot. Anyway, it was interesting to peruse the "best of Blogs" and find, well, that they weren't, really, although there are some delights. All comments below are pretty much my own.

Obviously, given the paucity of updates on my own web blog, I'm No. 78,000000. Maybe 78,000001.

1. Boing Boing
A herald from the expanding fringe of Net culture: nerdy and fun.

2. Engadget
The Net's top tech blog from Pete Rojas.

3. PostSecret
An online art project which allows people to read your deepest secrets on scanned anonymous postcards.

4. Daily Kos
Started by a U.S. Army veteran, Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, a daily weblog with political analysis on US current events from a liberal perspective.

5. The Huffington Post
Written by a US, nationally syndicated columnist, conservative Arianna Huffington - and famous friends.

6. Gizmodo
Another top gadget blog

7. InstaPundit
Written by University of Tennessee law Professor Glenn Reynolds who is interested in everything, but whose chief interest is in the intersection between advanced technologies and individual liberty. He started spinning his libertarian-conservative punditry before 9/11 and ranges freely among tech issues, law, politics, and the war on terror.

8. Thought Mechanics
A mishmash of Web site design, code, music, and art. They say they think so you don't have to. If only.

9. Crooks and Liars
This blog from columnist John Amato averages more than 135,000 hits a day via Blogads and is composed mostly of links to video clips from the mainstream media. John happily pokes fun and barbed comments at various right wing US politicians and organisations.

10. spaces.msn.com/klcintw
The Horn Village Blog, in Chinese.

11. Michelle Malkin
US columnist Malkin writes about "America-haters, illegal immigrants, and Democratic windbag", according to the Metro. She's exposed corruption and received death threats from the Mexican mafia. Her column is syndicated in some 200 US newspapers.

12. SamZHU
In Chinese. Isn't Chinese pretty?

13. Dooce
A Stay at Home Mom (SAHM) or a S*** A** Ho Motherf*****. She says she does both equally well. Talks a lot about "poop, boobs, my dog, and my daughter" famous for being sacked for posts she made about her employer.

14. Beppe Grillo Grillo
This is the English version of Italian political satirist's site. He's very popular in Italy and his blog centres on topics like anti-corruption, anti-globalization outrage.

15. theme.blogfacom
In Arabic. URL didn't work. Isn't Arabic pretty?

16. Herramientas para Blogs
Madrid, Spain–based blogger Marcelino Madrigal writes in Spanish on music, graffiti, and whatever else he wants.

17. Lifehacker
Part of the Nick Denton blog empire. Computers make us more productive. Yeah, right. Lifehacker recommends the downloads, web sites and shortcuts that actually save time. Don't live to geek; geek to live.

18. locker2man
In Chinese. Don't ask me what it's about, my language skills are zero. But there some nice gadget pics on it.

19. Open Palm! silicn
In Japanese. This could be a guide on how to kill politicians with one finger, for all I know about Japanese. Or the writer may just be in love with his Palm handheld.

20. Think Progress
House organ of the Center for American Progress (surely a contradiction in terms?), a think tank led by former Clinton chief of staff John Podesta.

21. Official Google Blog
As the name implies. Googler insights into product and technology news and the company's culture.

22. Kottke
Jason Kottke blogs full time and was profiled in the New Yorker in 2000, which put his name on the internet map. An attempt to track and make sense of "material that connects the insights of science and culture, rather than using one to dismantle the other" (as Steven Johnson puts it).

23. Fark
A frenetic mix of Star Trek: The Next Generation tidbits and dorky Photoshop contests, apparently oft-visited by ST:TNG star Wil Wheaton (who has his own great blog, wilwheaton.net)

24. Gawker
Manhattan media news and gossip.

25. chattie555
Skinny adolescent Kimono-clad girls playing with hippos? In Japanese.

26. spaces.msn.com/gb2312
In Chinese. Ever seen Chinese people taking photographs of each other in the most dull places? This is where some of them end up by the looks of it. (Look, would you photograph someone standing outside River Island in Lancaster? Or shopping in Sainsbury's? I think not.)

27. spaces.msn.com/msn-sa
In Japanese. There's some beautiful manga-esque imagery to be found via this site, though...

28. lwhanz1981530
The blog of one pensive-looking Japanese boy. Gosh he looks really serious. In Japanese.

29. Wonkette
Politics for people with dirty minds. US politics, that is.

30. shiraishi seesaa
In Japanese. Nah, sorry. No idea, either.

31. The Space Craft
Help page for people foolish enough to use Microsoft's network of blog sites called Spaces.

32. Talking Points Memo
Commentary on political events from a politically left perspective, by Joshua Micah Marshall. That's US left.

33. spaces.msn.com/huangmj
More Japanese thoughts on things web from a Software Development Manager.

34. A List Apart
Web magazine for people who make web sites. Fresh every Friday. Design tips and tricks for those in the business.

35. manabekawori
More Japanese. Check out the man drinking something green wearing a pink rabbit head. Do you want to know any more than this?

36. spaces.msn.com/atiger
Looks a bit tech-oriented, includes techie tricks and tips in English. In Chinese. Some nice pics of China, though.

37. Power Line
Written by three US right-oriented lawyers, this blog helped prove documents used by CBS to question Bush's military record were fakes.

38. Weebl's Stuff News
Internet stars recently picked up by MTV UK, this is the wacky world of Weebls Stuff -- home to the badgers, Kenya, magical trevour and
two eggs obsessed with pie.

39. Eschaton
Duncan Black posts about news and politics. Liberal/left-leaning points of view. Not surprisingly, takes a dim view of a so far unapologetic MSNBC for comparing US democrats with Osama bin Laden.

40. Xiaxue
No! Pictures of her grandparents fridge. Apparently, this is a very famous blog from self-absorbed twentysomething lovelorn Wendy Cheng from Singapore. I imagine the real appeal must be the night club photos, not the fridge and goldfish pictures, or the rants about blokes she likes turning out to be gay. Apparently been criticised as racist and xenophobic.

41. Joystiq
Games, games, and more games. It's all here, in excrutiating detail.

42. Little Green Footballs
Nasty, conservative blog mingling 'comment' with stories about cycling.

43. AMERICAblog
AMERICAblog publicly exposes what it describes as the lies of the Bush Administration (what? politicians lie? Go gravy!). Famous for exposing Jeff Gannon, the male prostitute cleared to attend White House press conferences.

44. nosz50j
In Japanese, but has some nice wildlife photos. And it's okay, Google will translate the page for you. Here's one of their translations, which make everything some much more understandable: "Because there is no the bean jam increase famous, sight-seeing conversion is not done!". There you go, then.

45. Joel on Software
Exactly what it says on the tin. Joel Spolsky, CEO of a small New York–based software company, computer programmer, and book author, shares his coding tips.

46. spaces.msn.com/gouy2k
In Japanese. Scarier than pictures of people outside River Island, this guy has posted snapshots of his computer screen. Perhaps its tips on how to hack into the CIA or something. (The password is 1234")

47. princesscecicastle
Cute Chinese girl 19-year-old Ceci and her friends in Toronto. In Chinese.

48. Google Blogoscoped
A Google gossip-watch site run from Stuttgart, Germany. Gosh, that's an exciting topic, isn't it. If you think it is, I have some video somewhere of paint drying you might be interested in.

49. The Superficial
With hilarious entries such as "Calista Flockhart might be Gollum" what's not to love about this barbed celebrity gossip site, complete with celebrity boob and butt

50. Andrew Sullivan
A US gay, Catholic war supporter (well I suppose there had to be at least one), albeit one who is very critical of Bush.

So, there you have it. Fridge pictures, gadgets and American politics rule the bookshop. God help us all.

By the way, if you're into blogs and how popular they are, check out BlogShares, a fantasy stock market for weblogs. Players get to invest a fictional $500, and blogs are valued by incoming links.