Top of the blogs
Saturday, April 07, 2007

Peter Black is still the blogfather.

Back in January, I did a league table of the Welsh political blogs based on their technorati ranking. It's not an entirely scientific measure, but it remains the best we've got. It works by calculating networks of links, reasoning that the more linked-to a blogger is, the more prominent he is.

The Welsh blogosphere has exploded since I last did this so it's been a bit more of a slog. But it was totally worth it, given that I've now shot up to number two. Page views and unique visists are through the roof and 80% of you are returning for more. I thank you very much for that.

Peter Black is still the man to beat though. He'll be hoping the Tory-led coalition doesn't take his blog away when the Senedd comes to discuss regulating AMs' online presence after May 3rd:)

To save space I'll just do the top, middle and bottom:

1. Peter Black (=)
2. Blamerbell Briefs (+5)
3. Glyn Davies (-1)
4. Nick Bourne (+2)
5. Bethan Jenkins (new entry)
= Wales Elects (+18)
[...]
24. Julie Morgan (new entry)
= Arsembly (new entry)
[...]
44. Carwyn Jones (new entry)
= Welsh Independence (new entry)
= Mark Jones (-17)
= David Thomas (-17)

* Two occasional blogs received highly inflated scores due to a link from a now defunct online journal which pings technorati every two hours. I've left them out of these calculations. If you want to know how your blog fits into the overall picture, drop me an email or holler in the comments.

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posted by Blamerbell @ 7:27 pm,

24 Comments:

At 10:32 pm, Blogger Glyn Davies said...

Please stop it. I only blog for fun. I don't want to activate my competetive gene. And anyway, it looks as if Arsembly is destined for top spot, however you measure it.

 
At 10:58 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, I'm happy with the hundred-a-day hits I get, thanks mostly to WalesElects and Iain Dale's Diary.

 
At 11:03 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

wouldn't want to give Arsembly any credit. It's the BNP of the blogosphere.

 
At 11:05 pm, Blogger bethan said...

At last! A plaid blogger comes in with a chance! I'm quite chuffed about that one!

 
At 11:14 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Visits I meant, not hits. Might take a look to work out a top-ten for Welsh blogs, though stat counters are a better judge than links in that case.

 
At 11:44 pm, Blogger Peter Black said...

The idea of the Assembly regulating blogs was an April Fool Ciaran. Admittedly a rather lame slow burner but untrue nevertheless.

 
At 11:48 pm, Blogger Blamerbell said...

"Please stop it. I only blog for fun. I don't want to activate my competetive gene. And anyway, it looks as if Arsembly is destined for top spot, however you measure it."

The figures don't lie, Glyn. Perhaps you should try inserting some random expletives and insults to up your hits.

"Well, I'm happy with the hundred-a-day hits I get, thanks mostly to WalesElects and Iain Dale's Diary."

Good. You're in fine shape for a newcomer.

"wouldn't want to give Arsembly any credit. It's the BNP of the blogosphere."

no comment:)

"At last! A plaid blogger comes in with a chance! I'm quite chuffed about that one!"

Certainly surprised me. Must be all those yoofs you hang out with.

 
At 11:49 pm, Blogger Blamerbell said...

"The idea of the Assembly regulating blogs was an April Fool Ciaran. Admittedly a rather lame slow burner but untrue nevertheless."

I'm going to introduce a citizen's petition for it. All I need is for the Lib Dems to get into government. Shouldn't be long now...

 
At 8:27 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I take it this list doesn't include Welsh language blogs then...

 
At 9:50 am, Blogger Blamerbell said...

It includes all the Welsh political blogs I know about, including Welsh language ones, yes.

 
At 10:13 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

It includes all the Welsh political blogs I know about, including Welsh language ones, yes.

Can you email me the blogchart? I'd like to do something with it on my Welsh blog.

ordovicius@gmail.com

 
At 6:32 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't understand your analysis. Why base it on links when Technorati has its own league table?

I'll give you Peter Black (41,089) Blamerbell (79,446) and Glyn Davies(82,847) as 1,2 and 3 on that basis, but Technorati rates Nick Bourne's blog as number 137,948; Bethan Jenkins is rated at 153,518 along with Wales Elects.

Meanwhile Leighton Andrews's main blog is rated at 97,960, putting him fourth.

What have you got against Labour blogs?

 
At 6:46 pm, Blogger Blamerbell said...

Leighton Andrews comes in at joint 40th. As for his old place, I don't see the point in linking to a blog which doesn't have a hope in hell of being updated.

I have nothing against Labour blogs, and I've included all of the active ones in this table, including Alun Pugh (14=), Luke Young (14=) and Rob Newman (28=).

 
At 6:59 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

you're not black enough to say holler CJ!

respect

 
At 7:02 pm, Blogger Blamerbell said...

"you're not black enough to say holler CJ!

respect"

As we said in chapel choir: 'bruvva, you my hoe'

 
At 1:53 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sorry to disappoint, but PJC Journal is not defunct, merely 1 day of maintenance took it off-line for a while.

I have to agree that Arsembly is my vote for up and coming.

 
At 2:13 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

PJC Journal is technorati ranked 14,292. so technically guess that should put me at no1 on your list.

Cannot work out what you basing you list on though, other than a personal preference, and possibly an attempt to push your own technorati ranking up by inviting people to link to you.

 
At 7:51 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Leighton Andrews comes in at 4th not 40th. You have invented this list, bluntly.

'As for his old place, I don't see the point in linking to a blog which doesn't have a hope in hell of being updated'.

As I read it, he will re-start what you call his old blog after the election period and has simply switched to a combined blog/site at www.leighton4rhondda.com for the election. Therefore it will be updated.

Clearly, this was just a way of getting your sister into your top 5. ianp is right to say 'Cannot work out what you basing you list on though, other than a personal preference'.

Your post is nothing but self-serving spin and back-slapping boosterism. You're like those authors who make sure they review their friends' books to get good reviews in return.

 
At 9:17 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bethan Jenkins more popualr than Arsembly - my arse!

In fact, you may not like it but I think Arsembly probably gets more hits than everyone else put together!

We are experiencing a Gudioisation of the Welsh blogosphere. All the other bloggers hate arsembly (partly cos he insults them but mainly becuas he/she is more successful than them, seemingly without trying too hard, and having only started his blog recently).

The reason Arsembly is succuessfuly is becuase who ever writes it can write well, and very amusingly.

Soon arsembly will become the dominat force in the Welsh poltical blogosphere - and there's nothing you can do to stop it.

Your best hope is to do an Iain Dale and "ride with it". Don't stand still and then try to boycott it like bloggerheads - or you'll all fail and look like dicks.

 
At 10:43 am, Blogger Blamerbell said...

"Sorry to disappoint, but PJC Journal is not defunct, merely 1 day of maintenance took it off-line for a while."

Well, that's not very good is it!

And why do you keep pinging technorati so often? If you look at links to David Davies that's all you will see!

"Your post is nothing but self-serving spin and back-slapping boosterism."

I'm glad I've upset you so much:) It's only a piddly little list.

"Bethan Jenkins more popualr than Arsembly - my arse!"

My arse, too! Technorati ranks according to networks of links. Bethan Jenkins' network of links is obviously greater than Arsembly's at this time.

Once again, I'm flattered that this is causing so much of a stir, but it's no different to the one I did back in January. All that's changed is that the Welsh blogosphere has grown to be much stronger and that's a good thing.

 
At 7:17 pm, Blogger Alun Cairns said...

I think Glyn is far to modest!

Well done all, even if I don't understand what technorati means!

 
At 11:37 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Soon arsembly will become the dominat force in the Welsh poltical blogosphere

Maybe, if he has anything left to write about after May 3rd.

 
At 5:03 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have to say that your technorati based list does have a few massive holes. Nick Bourne may have shedloads of links, probably due to the Tory dominence of England's blogosphere, but he only posts once in a blue moon and has no comments. Hardly indicative of a high level of traffic. I suggest you find some other way to evaluate a blog's success than links alone.

 
At 9:24 am, Blogger Blamerbell said...

sanddef: do you ever sleep?

It's not an evaluation of a blog's success. It is exactly what it says it is. A league table based on technorati rankings.

 

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