2009’s influential blogs

I had such fun with this last year (including rare verbosity from Salisbury News blogger Joe Albero) that I’m doing it again this year despite the fact I declined in most categories. I do enjoy the comparison because it gives me a point of reference for improvement.

Once again, I’ll begin with the overall Maryland list. Having the target on his back didn’t hurt Albero, although there is a caveat.

Maryland’s politically influential blogs 2009

  1. Salisbury News (1)
  2. Inside Charm City (17)
  3. The Carroll Standard (-)
  4. On The Record (13)
  5. The Dagger (-)
  6. Maryland Politics Watch (9)
  7. Red Maryland (3)
  8. Pocomoke Tattler (4)
  9. Baltimore Reporter (14)
  10. monoblogue (2)
  11. The Sun: Maryland Politics (-)
  12. The Silver Spring Penguin (-)
  13. Delusional Duck (10)
  14. Annapolis Capital Punishment (19)
  15. The Political Octagon (-)
  16. Questing for Atlantis (-)
  17. Kevin Dayhoff (-)
  18. Rockville Central (-)
  19. Delmarva Dealings (12)
  20. Faster, Better… (-)

As you may have guessed, the parentheses represent a blog’s 2008 rank. I actually had a tie for 20th but Faster, Better… was ranked more times than Brian Griffiths’ site was so it grabbed the last spot and Brian had one of nine sites which fell out of last year’s Top 20 list (he was 6th) – the others being PolitickerMD (5), Charles County Cafe (7), Worcester Right (8), Free State Politics (11), Gunpowder Chronicle (15), The No BS Zone (16), Maryland Politics Today (18), and The Duck Unplugged (20). Free State Politics and The Duck Unplugged are apparently no longer active as they didn’t rank in any weekly top 20 this year, while most of the others were ranked too infrequently to remain on top.

The caveat on Salisbury News is that it built up a nearly insurmountable lead early on but Inside Charm City actually performed better in the latter half of the year. So we’ll see if Joe can make it three in a row next year.

Let’s look back at the per-post category next.

Maryland’s politically influential blogs 2009 (per-post)

  1. Insane Baltimore (-)
  2. Brian Griffiths (3)
  3. Maryland On My Mind (8)
  4. Baltimore Reporter (20)
  5. What A Smell? (-)
  6. Gunpowder Chronicle (-)
  7. monoblogue (1)
  8. Legum’s New Line (-)
  9. gaithersblog.net (-)
  10. The Carroll Standard (-)
  11. Faster, Better… (-)
  12. Annapolis Politics (11)
  13. Questing For Atlantis (16)
  14. Beltway Progressive (18)
  15. The Political Octagon (-)
  16. The No BS Zone (6)
  17. Red Maryland (-)
  18. Kevin Dayhoff (-)
  19. Howard County Maryland Blog (9)
  20. Pocomoke Tattler (2)

As you can see, half the field turned over in what was the wildest subcategory – it was nothing to have a contender jump several spots in one week by being listed while others ahead of it weren’t. Only three of last year’s top 10 maintained a similar ranking and #4 Salisbury News fell completely out of the top 20 along with #5 O’Malley Watch, among others.

Then we get to my favorite subcategory – a few weeks down in the lower half of the top 10 cost me in the end.

Maryland’s politically influential blogs 2009 (conservative)

  1. Red Maryland (2)
  2. The Carroll Standard (-)
  3. monoblogue (1)
  4. Brian Griffiths (3)
  5. Baltimore Reporter (7)
  6. Faster, Better… (-)
  7. Kevin Dayhoff (8)
  8. What A Smell? (18)
  9. Questing For Atlantis (11)
  10. Delmarva Dealings (4)
  11. Gunpowder Chronicle (5)
  12. The Political Octagon (16)
  13. Worcester Right (6)
  14. Baltimore History Examiner (13)
  15. The Hedgehog Report (14)
  16. PG Politics (-)
  17. Annapolis Politics (15)
  18. Maryland Conservatarian (17)
  19. Gory Prince George’s (-)
  20. Howard County Maryland Blog (19)

Once again, I had a tie for 20th and Howard County Maryland Blog was listed in more weeks than Maryland Chesapeake Blog.

As you can see, given the limited universe there wasn’t much turnover. Just four new finishers means four fell out: The No BS Zone (9), Pillage Idiot (10), Anne Arundel Maryland Politics (12), and Maryland Chesapeake Blog (20). The top 8 all stayed in the rankings someplace.

The same goes for liberal blogs – their numbers only gained three and lost two, so they only get a top 10.

Maryland’s politically influential blogs 2009 (liberal)

  1. Annapolis Capital Punishment (3)
  2. Maryland Politics Watch (1)
  3. Just Up The Pike (2)
  4. Maryland On My Mind (5)
  5. Legum’s New Line (-)
  6. Insane Baltimore (10)
  7. Beltway Progressive (9)
  8. Duck Duck Goose (6)
  9. Two Sentz (-)
  10. WB&A Blog (fka Crablaw) (4)

Legum’s New Line and Two Sentz ejected Lost On The Shore and The Duck Unplugged from the top 10, but that doesn’t say much. WB&A Blog only made the rankings three times to garner a top 10 spot. But the top 6 finishers were pretty regular contenders.

Because I split up the Delmarva rankings from last year, using the “official” Top 20 will provide a lot of turnover. Many of those who were ranked in 2008 aren’t even active anymore.

Delmarva’s politically influential blogs 2009

  1. Salisbury News (1)
  2. Delaware Liberal (8)
  3. Two Sentz (19)
  4. Fix Red Clay (16)
  5. Delmar DustPan (5)
  6. Delaware Way (14)
  7. fingerpost (-)
  8. Citizens For Greater Centreville (-)
  9. Red Maryland (-)
  10. Delmarva Dealings (9)
  11. Pocomoke Tattler (3)
  12. monoblogue (4)
  13. Tobinville (-)
  14. The Pocomoke Public Eye (-)
  15. Delawarepolitics.net (-)
  16. Maryland Libertarians (-)
  17. The Colossus of Rhodey (-)
  18. Nanticoke Blues (-)
  19. The Balloon Man (-)
  20. Up A Creek In Lower Slower Delaware (-)

With this being the first full year of Delmarva rankings, there’s not likely to be such turnover in 2010 and this is probably a more fair assessment based on regular placement in the rankings.

Obviously I enjoyed being the lead dog in many of these categories last year so this year was a little disappointing. But I take solace in the fact that I put together the best website I could while serving several other masters like Red County, Liberty Features Syndicate, and the Patriot Post.

I had a lot of good comments last year so have at it. And Happy New Year!

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer.

4 thoughts on “2009’s influential blogs”

  1. Meh, all ths blogging competitiveness is fun and all but it does seem to get too serious for my ilk. Glad I’ve only been around half a year and still a nobody. Cool with me. 🙂

    Happy New year Mike!

  2. I am a victim of incredibly vast right wing, left wing and centrist conspiracies….However, I am very influential in West Denmark, Turkmenistan Heights and certain progressive districts of Cleveland. So I got that going for me….which is nice.

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