February 15, 2006
New blogs can move into the "A-list"
Following up on yesterday's post , New York Magazine on the Blog Establishment, Cory Doctorow on boingboing argues against David Sifry's analysis of the blogging power curve, claiming new bloggers cannot achieve any significant audience.
"With so may blogs and bloggers out there, one might think that it is a lost cause for new bloggers to achieve any significant audience, that the power curve means that there's no more room left at the top of the "A-List".
Fortunately, the data shows that this isn't the case.
Thanks to the WayBack Machine here's a look at the Technorati Top 100 as it appeared on November 26, 2002 (bear with me if the wayback machine is slow). Then look at it as it appeared on December 5, 2003. And again on November 30, 2004. And again on April 1, 2005. And now look at it today.
Let's take a few examples. Have a look at PostSecret. It is the #3 site on the Technorati Top 100 today, with over 12,000 sites that have linked to it in the last 180 days. It didn't even exist on the chart in April of 2005. Or look at The Huffington Post. It is #5 on the Top 100. It too, didn't exist on the chart in April of 2005. Or look at the #47 blog in April, 2005 Baghdad Burning. This blog still is regularly posting, but has fallen to #304."
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