1 - Seth's Blog - 8,843 (+98)(LW - 1)
2 - Search Engine Guide - 1,883 (No Change)(LW - 2)
3 - Logic + Emotion - 1,291 (+8)(LW - 3)
4 - Duct Tape Marketing - 1,276 (+18)(LW - 4)
5 - Daily Fix - 1,093 (+12)(LW - 5)
6 - Brand Autopsy - 814 (-1)(LW - 6)
7 - Influential Marketing - 751 (+17)(LW - 7)
8 - Jaffe Juice - 720 (+1)(LW - 8)
9 - Drew's Marketing Minute - 668 (+2)(LW - 9)
10 - Church of the Customer - 661 (No Change)(LW - 10)
11 - What's Next - 649 (No Change)(LW - 11)
12 - Conversation Agent - 603 (+7)(LW - 12)
13 - The Viral Garden - 580 (+5)(LW - 13)
14 - Six Pixels of Separation - 558 (+9)(LW - 14)
15 - Diva Marketing - 525 (-1)(LW - 15)
16 - The Engaging Brand - 481 (-33)(LW - 16)
17 - Converstations - 434 (+1)(LW - 17)
18 - Greg Verdino's Marketing Blog - 416 (+2)(LW - 18)
19 - CK's Blog - 375 (No Change)(LW - 19)
20 - Servant of Chaos - 374 (+2)(LW - 20)
21 - Every Dot Connects - 364 (+2)(LW - 21)
22 - The Lonely Marketer - 349 (-1)(LW - 22)
23 - Experience Curve - 340 (-9)(LW - 23)
24 - Customers Rock! - 282 (-1)(LW - 24)
25 - Movie Marketing Madness - 280 (No Change)(LW - 25)
A reminder that the Top 25 Marketing Blogs are ranked according to the number of sites/blogs linking to each, according to Technorati. The number you see after the blog name is how many sites/blogs Technorati claims have linked to the blog in the last 6 months. After that number is a positive or negative number, and this represents how many links the blog gained or lost from last week's Top 25. The final stat tells you what position the blog held in the Top 25 Last Week (LW). If you see this; (LW - UR), it means the blog wasn't ranked last week.
Very quiet week for the Top 25 as every blog stayed in the position it was last week. 14 blogs were up, with only 6 being down.
Since this marks the 100th week of the Top 25, I thought it would be a good time to stop and reflect on where its come. When I started the Top 25 Marketing Blogs list, my two goals were to bring attention to deserving blogs, and more importantly, to serve as a reference for readers so they could find what I thought were the best blogs in the marketing area, according to first Alexa, and now Technorati.
But for a while now I've been wondering if the Top 25's usefulness hasn't run its course. First, it's difficult to accurately measure 'authority'. Technorati is one popular way, but that doesn't mean it's the best, or that sometimes it isn't dead wrong. And do we even need another ranking system?
I know and understand why bloggers would like the rankings, we all like seeing our blog up there. I do, everyone else does. But I always go back to, do the readers benefit? I think they do, because every day I can scan the traffic logs and I will see a visitor that had 30 or so page views. Every time I check, it turns out that he entered via one of the Top 25 lists, and no doubt spent the next 30 mins or so checking out every blog on the Top 25. So I know that the list IS serving my intended purpose of bringing attention to the blogs on the list.
Another consideration is that two years ago, I blogged mainly about traditional marketing and branding. But since then, the content here has shifted more toward how companies can utilize social tools to better communicate with and understand their customers. So should the list change to being a list of the Top 25 Marketing AND Social Media blogs? That would change the list a bit, as great blogs such as Chris Brogan's and Social Media Explorer would join in.
So really what I would like from you guys is some feedback. Do you like the list? Do you think it's silly and there's no need for another ranking? What do you think?
Here's some of the options I am considering for the list moving forward:
1 - Keep it exactly as it is.
2 - Scrap it. 100 weeks is a good enough run.
3 - Change it to cover blogs that focus on Marketing OR Social Media, or both. The list would still exclude advertising and pr-oriented blogs. If I add in PR and Ad blogs, it just becomes the Power 25.
Is there another option? I'm really interested in what you guys think as this list was always intended as being more for the benefit of my readers than anyone else.
Next update is next Wednesday.
Technorati Tags:
The Viral Garden, Marketing, Top 25 Marketing Blogs
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31 comments:
I for one love this list. In fact, generous bloggers like you who spotlight other blogs have helped me to uncover must read material. In fact I found you through a list I would love to see you expand the list to include social media. Occasionally it would also be fun to just spotlight blogs that may not fit in that category. I appreciate the list and the work that goes into bringing it to readers. Thank you!
Karen
Right now - in its current format - I think it has run its course. There is little change week to week, so a quarterly ranking would be just as effective. And, it is hard to find a reliable metric that truly weights fairly.
Far more interesting - but labor intensive - would be a spotlight on various interesting and/or up-and-coming blogs each week - maybe would have to be done as a team effort as it would require a lot of ongoing review and write up. But that's a whole 'nother kind of project.
Thanks Karen! And Steve I would actually rather focus on the 'interesting' and 'unknown' blogs, but I am reading/trying to read so many feeds now, I have little time to keep up. When I started the Top 25 list, I was probably only subscribing to about 15-20 blogs, now it's around 100, and I could probably add 50 more if I had more time.
Thanks for the feedback, keep it coming guys!
Personally, I lost interest for the list a while ago. It's actually my least favorite post of yours (but that might be because your other posts are so good...)
I agree with Steve, the list hardly ever changes. Also, it seems to only serve as an ego trip for the bloggers that are mentioned.
I think the current list has run it's course. Renaming it won't help.
I would be much more interested to see a weekly post like "Mack's Favorite 5" that highlights the 5 best/thought-provoking/unusual/original posts on marketing.
Michael I like the 'Top 5 posts' idea. I tried to get in the happen of posting the 'viral community news' every Friday, but that was mostly for the blogs I am subscribed to. This would open it up to everyone. Thanks for the good idea!
I like the list in that I've found several new blogs to check out from reading it, but it's running its course in that there isn't much variation each week.
I'd suggest two changes.
One, add in social media marketing blogs (because social media marketing IS marketing) and update it once a month instead of once a week.
Mack:
I think you should keep this list exactly the way it is. When I started poking around the blogosphere this past summer, your list gave me a great jumping off point to see what was going on.
I became completely hooked and convinced the web company I work for to let me start blogging for the company. The Top 25 was the first step in everything.
Also, I think the fact that your blogs are dubbed "Marketing" really reflects the need for companies to rework their marketing to focus on the internet. It sends a message.
Thanks, and keep it up!
Jennifer I think adding in social media-focused blogs is a definite possibility.
Xander thanks for the feedback as your example is exactly why I created the list.
It seems the best use for it comes from people new to the blogosphere. People looking for the 'cream of the crop' marketing blogs, or a place to start. So clearly it has some important value there...
What about keeping it updated in the sidebar, instead of as a weekly post?
I like Ryan's and Michael's ideas. Of course, that would end up being more work for you, but hey - as long as we benefit... ;)
Actually, if you need any help with it, maybe as Steve mentioned, the community CAN pitch in.
We can collaborate through Facebook, a wiki, or any number of tools at our disposal. And you would just post the results.
I'm game.
When I first started blogging, I found this list to be invaluable. I don't know whether your stats prove this out, but it is a great rallying point for those newly interested in marketing on the web.
And while it may feel that the list has run its course, remember that there is still plenty of road ahead. That you have been doing it for two years just proves that you are two years ahead of those just starting out. And that experience is why we all look to you ;)
Having said that, the line between "marketing" and "social media marketing" is blurry. It makes sense to extend it.
Thanks for the input guys there's some great ideas here. Seems that most either think the Top 25 should be scrapped, or continued with social media blogs added in.
Another option would be to somehow incorporate a way for you readers to have a say in which blogs make the list. Like I pick 20, and you guys have a way to select 5 of your favorites. But I'm not sure how we could do it in a way that couldn't be gamed. Any ideas?
The ranking in the list never really mattered for me honestly, but it was a great guide in the beginning trying to find out about marketing related blogs. And you were one of the first to make a list like this. Today with the Power150 etc there's plenty of sources out there to fill up your marketing rss reader with. So I think extra value would come more highlighting unique/new blog or something - rather than adding an extra category to the list. And keep the list on quarterly basis maybe.
sorry, my comment is not in regard to your post. I just wanted to let you know, I found your site because of Troy Worman. Also, I subscribed to your site. Thanks!
Mack! If you get rid of the list, what are you going to do with the superfly badge?
I think you should keep the list and ravamp the ranking algorithm with a Mack-Daddy modifier.
Then, everyone will be happy!
Mack,
As you know, I enjoy your blog and your perspective. But this list is more subjective than you make it out to be.
For example, I like to think that GrokDotCom is a marketing blog. Our clients and our 75k+ monthly readers and 38k newsletter subscribers think it's a marketing blog. It isn't niche focused. We not only discuss but educate readers on all manner of marketing issues (multichannel planning, website planning, personas, persuasion, conversion, SEM, social media, web analytics, ROI marketing, copywriting). GrokDotCom has a Technorati authority rank of 1001 at the moment, which would put us at #6 on your list.
It would, that is, if you considered us to be a marketing blog. Do you not?
I've read (and appreciated) your critiques of the AdAge Power 150, but since you're asking so openly about what you should do with this list, I'd at least like to point out that -- now that they finally seem to be sticking to a clear set of metrics -- at least they've defined criteria for how to be considered a "marketing blog" (basically, you email them and they review the site).
I've thought about emailing you about this before, and perhaps I should have, but it seems more appropriate to ask you openly, particularly given the nature of this post.
Congrats on keeping this list going for 100 weeks! It's definitely done a lot to spread awareness of some excellent value-driven blogs.
-Robert
Miguel thanks for the add, and Troy thanks for mentioning TVG!
Robert I have tried to stress from Day One that this is MY list of what I consider to be the 'best' marketing blogs. That's why I make sure the blog's name is in the title of every list.
As for why GrokDotCom isn't listed here as a marketing blog, one of the criteria I always had for this list was that I didn't want to include blogs that devoted significant time to discussing SEM, SEO, Copywriting, Conversation rates, etc. I wanted to highlight blogs that focused on traditional marketing and social media marketing. Most blogs that cover SEO and SEM tend to devote most of their time to these topics, so IMO you need a list just for them. If I were to start such a list, I would probably put GrokDotCom on it.
As for Ad Age's list, remember that it started out as including 150 blogs, and has now ballooned to over 600 the last time I checked. So it seems that they aren't too critical of who gets on, and who doesn't.
And again, if I were using this list as simply linkbait, it would look MUCH different than it does now. There's no shortage of blogs that I could add if I simply was hoping to get bigger blogs to link to me. That was never the intent of the list, I wanted to highlight what I felt were the best examples of marketing blogs.
You say GrokDotCom would be #6, but if I opened the floodgates to any blog that could possibly be called a 'marketing' blog, it might not even make the list. Recall that I would have to add in any PR and Ad blogs, for starters. But again, if I do that, the list just becomes the 'Power 25'.
And as I've always said, this just creates an opportunity for someone else to start their own list. I'm a bit surprised that no one has taken me up on that yet.
And BTW this is another reason why I am seriously considering stopping the list, because I hate telling other bloggers that I can't put them on the list.
I hear you, Mack. And I take you at your word that you said from day one that this was YOUR list of top marketing blogs and no more.
Still, I think it's a fair to suggest that your presentation of it has left room for misunderstanding. Until today, I thought you were implying that since the list was based on Technorati authority, it was somehow Technorati's list, not yours. I suppose calling it "The Viral Garden's Top 25..." should be somewhat suggestive, but maybe a little disclaimer in the text would have helped.
Also, re: AdAge 150, we're #27 on their list (not 600 or 151), but unlike your list, they are making an inherent claim to objectivity. Of course they should let anyone who claims to be a marketing blog on their list (even if they are 151 or 600). There's no other way to show they're objective and that their metrics -- not their opinions (save for Todd And score, which they admit is subjective) -- are what matters. Their list is imperfect but it's far less subjective than yours. I don't think some of those blogs should be on there, but I have an easier time buying that, say, Adrants is a marketing blog than that Copyblogger, GrokDotCom and others aren't marketing blogs.
Again, these are just my personal opinions, but I would rather be slightly lower on a list that's sprawling and inclusive than higher on a list that only reflects one man's definition of the word marketing. And if that definition is so unclear and admittedly problematic for the man in question, then, yeah, get rid of it.
There's no glory in claiming to be both an arbiter of taste AND objective. Mo blogs, mo problems indeed.
The problem is that you've applied a narrow definition (your own) to an entire profession. Doing a "Top 25 SEO blogs" list would be way easier. The best SEO's are marketers, but the rest are merely tacticians. Anyone who reads SEOmoz knows they are, in fact, a "marketing" blog.
I can appreciate your justification for why you shouldn't add GrokDotCom based on your criteria, but I take exception with anyone branding us as an SEO blog merely because we sometimes discuss ways in which SEO affects broader marketing strategy, which it does. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone -- as in one person -- in the SEO community who considers GrokDotCom to be an SEO blog. Search Engine Guide writes about SEO pure and simple, but they're much deeper than that. We focus on marketing to humans, not search engines. When properly executed, there's synergy there, so we talk about it. That doesn't make us an "SEO blog."
Anyway, that's our brand, and there are absolutely no hard feelings for not being included on your list -- especially now that I know where you're coming from a bit more.
It's nice to see how transparent you're being about the tough decisions with your own blog and your brand. The name evokes social media more than it does "traditional" marketing. And frankly, I'm not sure anyone knows what traditional marketing means -- especially since the definition you seem to imply (basic marketing strategy?) is vague.
If you want to be a pure play social media blog, though, I don't see how you can avoid being a so-called SEO blog as well -- at least to the degree that we are. The SEO community certainly sees the overlap.
Anyway, I think you should stay focused on social media. Just don't go making any more lists, or else the real SEO bloggers (not me) will take issue.
"I hear you, Mack. And I take you at your word that you said from day one that this was YOUR list of top marketing blogs and no more."
Robert here's the very first list left 2 years ago, that clearly spells out that this was my opinion:
http://moblogsmoproblems.blogspot.com/2006/04/viral-gardens-top-25-marketing-blogs.html
"Of course they should let anyone who claims to be a marketing blog on their list (even if they are 151 or 600)."
So you're ok with Joe's Catfish Shack Blog claiming to be a 'marketing' blog just so he can get a link on the list?
Sorry, I can't agree with that logic.
"Again, these are just my personal opinions, but I would rather be slightly lower on a list that's sprawling and inclusive than higher on a list that only reflects one man's definition of the word marketing. And if that definition is so unclear and admittedly problematic for the man in question, then, yeah, get rid of it.
There's no glory in claiming to be both an arbiter of taste AND objective. Mo blogs, mo problems indeed."
So it sounds like you are getting exactly what you want then, right?
Sorry Robert, but this list is based on my opinions, and I won't apologize for having them. I created this list with the intention of creating value for others. If I were simply interested in getting more links, I would include any blog that claimed to be a marketing blog. That would no doubt get me a ton more links.
Problem is, I'd end up with a very diluted list, I am afraid. Which is why I don't do it. Again, hate to disappoint some bloggers, but I would hate even more to possibly dilute the value I thought I was creating for my readers.
"I can appreciate your justification for why you shouldn't add GrokDotCom based on your criteria, but I take exception with anyone branding us as an SEO blog merely because we sometimes discuss ways in which SEO affects broader marketing strategy, which it does. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone -- as in one person -- in the SEO community who considers GrokDotCom to be an SEO blog."
Well as I said, I would put your blog on a SEO list before I would a marketing list.
Again, my opinion.
"It's nice to see how transparent you're being about the tough decisions with your own blog and your brand. The name evokes social media more than it does "traditional" marketing. And frankly, I'm not sure anyone knows what traditional marketing means -- especially since the definition you seem to imply (basic marketing strategy?) is vague."
One thing I've noticed in the last two years is that the bloggers that aren't on the list are usually the ones that don't agree with the way I create the list ;)
Again, plenty of opportunities for others to create their own lists, and I have encouraged everyone to do so from Day One.
Robert,
I see your point, but honestly I wouldn't worry about it too much. The minute you become obsessed with rankings and lists, is the minute you taint what this space is all about.
Focus on people and relationships, and you'll actually feel a sense of happiness and reward. Focus on stats, and you'll end up feeling rather empty for most of your existence.
Mack,
If you expand it to Social Networking then how do you realistically exclude SEO & SEM? There isn't a Marketing Department on the planet that is concerned with their Social Networking who isn't also concerned with SEO/SEM. And because Social Networking is mainly online SEO/SEM are inseparable parts of the picture.
Perhaps I'm biased (I'm an SEO), okay not perhaps- I am biased. But I think you should look to the traditional Marketing Department today for your guidance.
But in the end- follow your heart because you already know what the answer is. Thanks for all you've done.
Chris
Mack,
A few things worth mentioning, so you better understand my point of view:
-The fact that you explain the methodology and purpose of this list on your very first post is great, but it's meaningless to anyone reading subsequent posts where it isn't mentioned.
-Whether Joe's Catfish Shack Blog, if there is such a thing, is on the AdAge list is irrelevant. The other metrics in place -- when they work (our Google score just magically dropped to 0, apparently) -- ensure that cream rises to the top. I'm not defending their methodology, but rather using it as lens through which to compare yours.
If you ONLY explain your methodology on Day One and never after, you're either operating under the assumption that anyone who reads your blog will have bothered to have read every post, or you're truly convinced you've been intellectually honest at every step and that's blinding you to the fact that others might not see it that way. Or something else.
-"So it sounds like you are getting exactly what you want then, right?"
It's good enough. I think lists are interesting but they don't pay the bills. A blog, like any other marketing tool, should have its own performance metrics. The blog I edit certainly does. But this isn't about what I want. My critique has nothing to do with a desire to be on your list. It has everything to do with how your list is marketed.
If you're not making a de facto claim of objectivity, why the pretense of rank, and badges for other bloggers to promote this list? In a former life, I was a music journalist. Each year, I submitted a "top 10" list for my picks of best album of the year. Neither sales nor any other objective volume-related metric was used. All that needed to happen was for me to like one album more than another one and put it on a list. Likewise, if this is your personal list of blogs you like, why not simply do it monthly? ("Top 25 marketing blogs you should be reading.")
Your focus on Technorati score is a distraction and, to the untrained eye, a distortion.
The irony of all this is that the heart and soul, then, of my critique -- oddly enough -- boils down to SEO. When someone searches "top marketing blogs," this list comes up #3 in Google:
http://moblogsmoproblems.blogspot.com/2006/04/viral-gardens-top-25-marketing-blogs.html
...with no explanation of your methodology. Just "top marketing blogs" as perceived, not be me, but by someone who in most cases wouldn't know what the "top" marketing blogs were (if they did, they wouldn't be searching for them).
Don't you see how that's misleading? I'm not saying you've done that intentionally, I'm only saying that you should consider another perspective -- which, by the way, you solicited.
-I don't think you should apologize for basing a list on your opinions. People do it all the time. I just think you should SAY each time you publish it that it's based on your opinions and that there's nothing objective about it. Operating under the guise of objectivity is what doesn't make sense to me.
Regardless, I hope you don't honestly confuse me with someone who seeks an apology. You're welcome to market yourself however you like. There are all types of marketing blogs that go out of their way to misrepresent our profession. It just bums me out that you're doing it because I actually like reading your blog. If I didn't, I wouldn't bother to share my opinion.
-"One thing I've noticed in the last two years is that the bloggers that aren't on the list are usually the ones that don't agree with the way I create the list ;)"
Well, duhhh... Flattery is the ultimate human narcotic. Why else do people make lists in the first place? But you said it yourself about AdAge: their list has done nothing for you. And you're on it! Now flip that logic around and apply it to your own list for a moment.
As someone who apparently reads Seth Godin, you might agree that the Who matters more than the How Many. Such is Technorati rank. And by that logic, being #1 on your list shouldn't matter (save for the link and the nice sentiment) unless it somehow makes us as healthy, wealthy and wise as Seth Godin.
I won't get into what's really being intimated by your comment because it's smug and says nothing about the validity of my critique.
What's actually important is how the rest of the world (i.e., people who aren't marketing bloggers) perceives this list that's now indexed forever.
See, even a non-SEO blogger knows that. :)
"-The fact that you explain the methodology and purpose of this list on your very first post is great, but it's meaningless to anyone reading subsequent posts where it isn't mentioned.
.....
If you ONLY explain your methodology on Day One and never after, you're either operating under the assumption that anyone who reads your blog will have bothered to have read every post, or you're truly convinced you've been intellectually honest at every step and that's blinding you to the fact that others might not see it that way. Or something else."
Actually Robert, how I rank the blogs and my personal criteria has been discussed every time it has been brought up here, which I would guess is around a dozen times over the course of the list's lifespan.
IOW, I think most regular readers understand that I am using Technorati to rank the blogs that *I* think are the best ones.
The people that aren't regular readers, and that only read this blog once every few months just long enough to see if their blog made my list, might have missed it.
"-Whether Joe's Catfish Shack Blog, if there is such a thing, is on the AdAge list is irrelevant. The other metrics in place -- when they work (our Google score just magically dropped to 0, apparently) -- ensure that cream rises to the top. I'm not defending their methodology, but rather using it as lens through which to compare yours."
So if Dooce told Ad Age that she was running a marketing blog, you would see no problem with that either? What if The Huffington Post and TechCrunch did the same thing? What metrics is Ad Age using that would ensure that a blog like Seth's would rank higher than Tech Crunch or Dooce? I must have missed that.
Adding anyone that wants to be added to a listing of marketing blogs is a horrible idea, IMO.
"If you're not making a de facto claim of objectivity, why the pretense of rank, and badges for other bloggers to promote this list?"
Because other bloggers repeatedly asked for them. I didn't create the badge to promote the list, I asked David Armano to create it because other bloggers kept asking ME for a way to promote the list.
"Regardless, I hope you don't honestly confuse me with someone who seeks an apology. You're welcome to market yourself however you like. There are all types of marketing blogs that go out of their way to misrepresent our profession. It just bums me out that you're doing it because I actually like reading your blog. If I didn't, I wouldn't bother to share my opinion."
So now you are accusing me of going out of my way to misrepresent my intentions?
Again Robert, if I was simply trying to boost my traffic and links, this list would look MUCH different than it does now.
""One thing I've noticed in the last two years is that the bloggers that aren't on the list are usually the ones that don't agree with the way I create the list ;)"
Well, duhhh... Flattery is the ultimate human narcotic. Why else do people make lists in the first place?"
Actually I made the list to highlight what I felt were the best marketing blogs. Something you would know if you had followed the list for any length of time.
"But you said it yourself about AdAge: their list has done nothing for you. And you're on it! Now flip that logic around and apply it to your own list for a moment."
The flaw in that logic is.....my list isn't created for the benefit of the blogs listed on it.
This is apparently the point you can't wrap your head around Robert, I didn't create or maintain this list to promote myself. I created and maintained it to serve as a resource for my readers. Again, if this list was all about promoting The Viral Garden and Mack Collier, it would look MUCH different than it does now.
For example: The Viral Garden didn't make the Top 25 list till around week 12 or so. The first version of the list used Alexa as a ranking. I later switched to Technorati because I thought it was more stable than Alexa. Making that switch immediately dropped The Viral Garden out of the Top 10, and it's never returned since.
If I were using this list as a way to promote myself and my blog, my regular readers would have sniffed it out very quickly and it would have seriously backfired on me.
"I won't get into what's really being intimated by your comment because it's smug and says nothing about the validity of my critique."
No Robert what I was really intimating was how silly it is for you to make broad and sweeping assumptions about what's been happening with this list for the last two years, based on what you've apparently seen in the last 2 days.
As I've said before, the people that seem to have the biggest problem with this list, are usually the bloggers that aren't on it, and that really aren't the intended audience. This list is aimed at helping my readers find marketing blogs that are, IMO, creating value for them. It isn't aimed at helping bloggers pimp themselves.
Again if it was. the list would look MUCH different than it does now. And would IMO provide less value to my readers.
I've been reading your blog for a year and a half. I'm one of your readers, Mack. I clicked on this post through my feed reader.
Besides, it wouldn't take me two whole days to come to the conclusions I did based on all the data you've given me in this post and in your responses to my critique. Two minutes of focused analysis is more than enough if you understand the real metrics at play. It's not a snap judgment. It's a studied opinion.
Agree to disagree, I guess.
"I've been reading your blog for a year and a half. I'm one of your readers, Mack."
Thanks for reading Robert. Now over the last 1.5 years of reading here, you have NEVER seen me mention how I determine the rankings, or that *I* pick the blogs? I ask because this topic has been brought up and addressed several times here over the last 1.5 years.
"Two minutes of focused analysis is more than enough if you understand the real metrics at play. It's not a snap judgment. It's a studied opinion."
Of course it is. Just like you knew that I created the Top 25 badge as a tool to promote myself and my list, and not because other bloggers kept asking ME for a badge they could put on their blogs to let others know that they made the list.
Right?
But I will again thank you for reading, and also thank you for helping me decide that it's probably best to scrap the ranking aspect, or seriously overhaul it.
Like a lot of your readers -- or any blog's readers -- I don't read every post.
Especially not the Top 25 posts because, as Jennifer said, it's run its course, the blogs generally stay the same, and it always seemed fuzzy and self-promotional because there's no disclaimer about your methodology.
This post was different because the title was compelling. So I clicked through.
Mack,
We've sure talked about this before, as I would guess you have with many others.
The list and its original intent has been fantastic for all of us -- both as readers and as bloggers.
As you say -- everyone likes lists and recognition. Your list steered many a newbie (myself included) to some of the best blogs out there.
Why not do a widget or a sidebar list of all the blogs that have spent a week or more in the top 25 and retire the effort?
Power150 and others can now pick up where you left off.
I'd actually like to suggest you consider something that hasn't been discussed yet. I'd like to see a list of best practices company blogs. That's your real niche, talking about how companies can use blogging to engage with their consumers.
So shouldn't your list align with your own expertise/brand?
I can't imagine how much time it takes every week and I am grateful that you've done it for 100 weeks.
Drew
Mack: 100 weeks is a good run!
But you might keep in mind one of my very favorite Peter Drucker lines:
"Every right idea eventually becomes the wrong one."
You might ask yourself, "What else could I do with that time I currently invest in compiling this list?"
I think that one of life's greatest pleasures is letting go of a previously cherished idea.
Mack - I think 100 weeks is a great run, and I have loved seeing What's Next Blog on your list all that time.
But i think you're right, you'd need to add social media blogs to the mix, and I agree that a monthly update would be enough.
I'm sure this is a lot of work for you. Maybe you need to think of an equally wonderful new project to start.
I do hope you'll keep it. A great resource but don't change the name. Marketing includes social media -- or at least it better if it wants to be effective.
Mack:
I have mixed feelings about the top 25. When it was Alexa, I think it represented more of the actual top blogs in Marketing. Maybe because when you went to Technorati my Branding & Marketing blog made the cut. (What's that saying about not wanting to be a member of a club that will accept you?)
Anyway, in January I moved my blog off blogspot to it's own domain, but the blogspot blog continued to make the list, slowly dropping over a 3 month period when I didn't actively blog there.
Of course the new blog didn't rise like a rocket, so it's still slowing gaining traffic.
Pros: the top 25 makes it easy for someone wanting to jump in and read good marketing blogs.
Cons: it's really tough to consistently & fairly rank the top 25.
My hat is off to you for trying. And you know your blog has been extremely inspirational to me from the beginning!! Thanks for all your efforts.
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