Technorati, Top Blogs, Do You Care?

My regular readers will notice that every now and again I like to write about bloggers and blogging. The fact that there is something out there called Technorati hasn't entirely escaped my notice. However, up until now I've managed to avoid knowing anything about it except that it's a place to find a list of the top ranked bloggers. Today I got curious though and I began to wonder what we can learn about human nature from the top ranked blogs at Technorati.

Somehow it seemed that the experience of exploring would not be complete without registering my blog over there. I'm left in two minds though about whether I really want a Technorati button on my blog. I mean, being ranked 497,353 isn't exactly a boost for the ego. Maybe I'd rather just forget I ever went there! OK, I said I was going to talk about human nature and top ranked blogs at Technorati. Either I'm lost for words, or there's just not that much to say about it.

If you've never ventured over to Technorati I could just save you the trip with my quick guide here to learning about those top blogs.

Technology and Gadgets

as covered by Boing Boing, Techcrunch, LifeHacker, Gizmodo, Mashable and Engadget.

I'll admit it, I'm always behind the curve on this. I don't pay attention until things are well tried and have trickled through the layers of the people who surround me to get to me.

Quite honestly, my ego does not require me to have the latest stuff and my pocketbook doesn't support it. Neither am I interested in going into debt to get new stuff. I don't much care for gadgets either - too many sequences to learn to understand how to use these. I prefer that my technology be simple and that I can learn how to use it from a family member rather than an instruction book.

Yes, and though Life Hacker is about getting things done it's also about doing things with technology. Hey, I leave as much as possible of the doing things to others, unless it's laundry or cooking, and which gadgets are going to do those jobs for me?

Sorry guys, if you wanted one more reader, it won't be me.

Not Sure What to Call It?

as covered by PITT and Post Secret

I'm not really sure what to call these. PITT I'd never come across until today. I clicked on the top video and saw exploding buildings. I'm not sure if that was The Twin Towers or what. I just got the feeling this blog is not the place for me to spend my time. Anyway, I prefer to read at blogs rather than watch videos. What's it about? Actually, never mind, I don't really care, but if you have some words of wisdom on the psychology of PITT do please share.

I've been to Post Secret a couple of times, yet I'm not sure I could really say what it's about. Obviously people's secrets, but what makes that so fascinating? My own life is enough of an adventure. I don't need to be party to the secrets of strangers.

Sorry guys, I know you won't care, but I'm not voting for you, whatever you're about and whoever visits you.

Blogging and Such

as covered by Dosh Dosh and Problogger

Notice here that I listed Dosh Dosh first. That's because I was reading Dosh Dosh before other bloggers started to recommend to me that I read Problogger. It goes without saying that these guys get my vote. Blogging is something that I do and something I'd like to do better. At the same time, I think any dreams of making lots of dosh at this would be pie in the sky. Hey, I like pie and I love sky gazing, but really I just want to do a good job. Of course, if you happen to want an Usborne book or two, or something from Amazon.com and choose to order through me, that would just make my day. I need a little cash to feed my blogging habit! End of ad, just keep visiting, "pretty please", I like having readers :-)

What do you think? Do any of the top 10 Technorati ranked bloggers get your vote? Had you heard of Technorati? Do you even care?

Around the Blogosphere

A few tidbits for you to enjoy:

• Darren at Problogger wants to know what you recommend for getting a blog started in terms of writing a reserve of posts. You want to create a good impression and grow your readership right away! Great tips. Now, if I'd only ever read a blog before I started I might have been ready on Day 1. Oops, I'm letting out my secrets :-)
  
• Lori has started a club for kids at Campcreek blog. If you are not familiar with what Lori does she has a great open thread today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday). The discussions are always interesting and I love to read Lori's insights and ideas. She also launched a new blog this year which I already love at Heywood's Meadow. This blog is brand new but it already has a ton of wonderfully illustrated nature themed posts up. I guess Lori had the same idea as Darren at Problogger, either that or she's not slept for a week!
• Scribbit would like to invite you to be a tour guide to your local area and guest write on her blog. I've signed up to write about the Kansas City area, which is now my backyard (or frontyard maybe).
• Holly has posted her favorite math and science resources and math encouragement for unschoolers. Apparently Chemistry is Holly's friend too.
• I was over at Kayla's Webitect blog today and I found an intereresting link about The Principles of Design.
• I just came across Zazzle today. I knew there were other services similar to Cafe Press out there, but I didn't know how to find them. Artist Girl has her own store at Cafe Press. Right now she has a laughing dog, hippocampus and a seahorse picture on products. Maybe I should ask her to add her Waterdragon. It would absolutely make her day if someone bought one of her products!
  

Have you found a great new blog, or an article you really like this week?

More About Top Mommy Bloggers

Thanks to Scribbit, I've discovered a whole other world of top mommy bloggers at MamaBlogga. There are 40 blogs on the list. You can even submit your own blog. But, wait a minute, you gotta have over 100 Bloglines subscribers just for starters. Well, I guess I just learned something; I'm not even sure I heard of Bloglines before! Most likely knowing what constitutes a top blogger is the first step to becoming one. Not that I'm saying I have a goal here or anything, the question is, do YOU have that goal? If you do, how are you going to get there?

MamaBlogga just happens to offer personal consulting for bloggers. For a very reasonable cost she'll help you figure out your next step. If you're interested, take a look at her testimonials. I just happen to be offering my readers something similar, without the same technical expertise (for the moment at least). I offer my "take a look and provide feedback" service for free. Maybe you only get what you pay for though. It all depends what you are looking for and whether you can spare a little cash. If I hadn't just slashed my budget I'd be in the market for MamaBlogga's services.

Learning From the Top Mommy Bloggers

After reading Scribbit's article about mom bloggers this morning I got curious and just had to learn more. I mean, who exactly are the top mommy bloggers and what can we learn from what they do? The trail took me to an article in the Wall Street Journal, an article about a blogger known as Dooce. I'd never heard of Heather Armstrong or her blog at Dooce.com. To me that's one of the idiosyncracies of the blogging medium, it's actually pretty hard to figure out who is getting the attention/readership unless you follow the blogging trail. Back when I first started blogging I wanted to figure out who the top bloggers are because I thought I could learn something from them. I tried Googling for things like top blog, but the results which came up really weren't all that helpful.

Well, according to what The Wall Street Journal had to say back in April of 2008, here are the top ten motherhood blogs:

• Dooce.com
• 5minutesformom.com
• designmom.com
• parenthacks.com
• scribbit.blogspot.com
• fussy.org
• notesfromthetrenches.com
• stirrup-queens.blogspot.com
• izzymom.com
• suburbanbliss.net

Now for the thoughtful analysis part. At Wiep.net you can learn about linkbaiting. Basically one tried and true way to go up in the blogging world is to get others to link to you. Every link is like a spoke on a bicycle wheel. The person who's blog is at the center will be the one getting noticed. It seems to me that to become that center hub you need both good writing and wide appeal. Otherwise, you can get a lot of links by offering a community or service to other bloggers (blog challenges, carnivals, awards and resource sites spring to mind). Not only that, you need to have a "hook". The article at Wiep.net goes into hooks in great detail. So let's look at the hooks these top mommy bloggers are using.

News
The main news mommy bloggers use is mommy news. You're more likely to find them reporting on is what is happening within their family and with the families of other bloggers than to get a report of the latest sensational world news or scientific discovery. Now I'll admit that I've not done an exhaustive reading of the ten top mommy blogs, and Scribbit is the only one I'm currently following. Occasionally the outside world of news creeps into mom blogs, but it sure doesn't seem to be the main hook. How refreshing, news of real people taking care of the everyday issues that we, as moms, are most likely to face :-)

Education, Information and Resources
Moms are good at sharing their tips and top mommy bloggers do quite a lot of this. You'll see everything from crafts and recipes to tips and motivation. 5 Minutes for Mom is a great place to find all kinds of information, Parent Hacks is all about parenting tips and both Design Mom and Scribbit post their share of inspiring craft projects.

Entertainment and Controversy
Who'd want to visit a blog that is not even vaguely entertaining? Top mommy bloggers are tops at entertainment. The news they give about their daily life really does catch your attention. It's no accident that the top mom bloggers are practiced writers with a good sense of humor. Women used to rely on gossip over the garden fence to keep them smiling, but now they can visit Dooce, Fussy, Notes From the Trenches, and Suburban Bliss. Scribbit is pretty entertaining at times too. Call it entertainment, or call it controversy, but ranting and being irreverent surely stir up some interest and Dooce has got to be a master.

I'm pretty sure that being a top mommy blogger is not all a garden of roses and it's surely not on the cards for every blogging mom. Make no mistake, it's hard work, day in and day out, and not for the faint of heart. However, if you enjoy writing and want to stick with it and go up in the ranks, think about your goals, figure out your hook, and make sure you convey it instantly to new visitors.

What's your hook?

Blogging items in association with Amazon.com.

Cool Homeschool Showcase

There's a cool Homeschool Showcase up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers, which you can check out here.

Happy Reading!

Three Favorite Homeschool Bloggers

Here's what my 3 favorite homeschool bloggers have to say:

1. Julie at Homeschooling-Ideas.com has written a comprehensive article about Homeschool Burnout. With all of the extra things to take care of at this time of year, burnout is a risk. Julie is offering advice and a free newsletter to help us.
2. Jugglingpaynes has been experiencing the joy and challenge of tree decorating with a little one and a cat helping out!
3. Lori over at Camp Creek Blog has an open thread this Saturday and Sunday. I find that Lori has a lot of wisdom to share. This is a good time to visit her blog, see the very cute red cardinal photo, and post your questions in her comments section.

I hope you have some calm time this weekend and time to recharge your energy for the week and holidays ahead.

Carnival of Homeschooling

Fellow bibliophile Tami has done a great job of the 51st Carnival of Homeschooling. Tami chose a cooking theme and even managed to fit my submission on The Birds and Bees into that theme, which I am impressed about!

My favorites from today's carnival:

• An illustrated water garden project - it turned out beautifully!
• Alasandra has some carefully crafted words to say about who chooses what Americans read. Thanks Alasandra, I'm with you on this one!

more later...

Brought to you by UsborneKC.com - meeting your Usborne Books needs in Kansas City and beyond (Johnson County, Kansas; Wichita, Kansas; Independence, Lee's Summit, North and South Kansas City and Pleasant Valley, Missouri; Virginia and New Jersey).

Favorite Blogs

I've decided to celebrate my first three months of blogging (my first post was August 13th, 2008) by saying thank you to the special bloggers who's words I enjoy reading every day. Many of my bloggy friends are regular visitors to my little blog, but others are likely much too busy with their large readership to come over here. Nonetheless, I enjoy you and I want you to know that. This list of blogs is by no means a complete list of blogs I read regularly; I already have over 80 rss feeds in my Google Reader. Just because you don't see your name here doesn't mean I don't read you and appreciate you!

• Janet at Adventures in the 32-Aker Wood is very supportive of other bloggers. She is a regular visitor not only to my blog, but to a long list of blogs. I enjoy her mix of humorous stories and thoughtful commentary at her blog and I'm always thankful to receive a comment from her.
• LindaB over at Occasional Scotland reminds me of the beauty and humor of my first home country with her not-so-occasional photographs. Thanks LindaB for making my day a little brighter with some not-so-gloomy views of Scotland!
• I have to say that Peak Oil Hausfrau is not a laugh a minute. Her job is to remind me that we need to care for the Earth for the sake of ourselves and future generations. Life could change; we all need to think some about being prepared. I am more prepared from reading her posts and from keeping up with her adventures in solar cooking and her regular thoughtful postings.
• I've long admired, well OK for 3 months, both Michelle at Scribbit and Julie at Homeschooling Ideas. Each of them was very gracious and supportive toward me with my early blogging questions and I enjoy keeping up with what they have to say.
• Tonia at Study in Brown conveys her graciousness and love through her blog. She has recently committed to following her heart to meet the homeschooling needs of her family. Tonia, you have my admiration.
• Holly at Unschool Days seems to have a wonderful pace of life, following her daughter as she explores the world. I enjoy sharing your adventures and your journey Holly.
• Little Window Shoppe does a wonderful job of showcasing small businesses. I love the graphic they made up to present my book business. Emily the Editor is gracious to work with and asks nothing in return while offering much. I'm not much of a shopper, but I must say that two of today's posts have really caught my attention. Fingers crossed that I win the free limited edition blog template!
• Last, but by no means least, Crunchy Chicken puts the mental in environmental. Crunchy has a good sense of humor, sets interesting challenges, and gets great discussions going. I may not be up to freezing my buns off, but I am inspired!
• Oops, I can't believe I forgot to mention my friend at Home Spun Juggling. JugglingPaynes, I voted for you in the Best Homeschool Blog Awards, though I'm not going to tell you in which category. Actually I've not finished voting yet, so I'd better get my skates on! I enjoy your art and your humor :-)
  

If I've chosen you as a favorite please feel free to take a copy of the above graphic and display it on your blog with a link back to this post or to my blog. However, this is totally optional.

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It's Not Fair!

It's not fair, just when I thought I couldn't take up any more of my time reading blogs, leaving comments etc, I discovered the Homeschool Blog Awards today over at Home Spun Juggling. Now I really can't vote based solely on whether I've ever heard of any of the blogs in a specific category, I really have to be thorough, and fair, and read all the blogs to find my favorite before I vote. Argh!

So far I think I've managed to cripple my computer loading up just half of the blogs in the very first category. It's total agony. I've read two blogs that are new to me so far and I love them both! My gosh, there are so many talented writers out there. I feel exceedingly surprised, and grateful, that anyone at all comes here to my humble little blog to read and comment when they could be off elsewhere reading stuff that is much more amusing, much more nicely arranged on the page, and probably more informative.

So, a big thank you to my loyal readers who keep me writing, and make this blogging lark enjoyable. Hopefully you won't all be lured away after you visit the Homeschool Blog Awards!

Blog Roundup #1

I've found so many great blogs in the last week that I just can't keep up with writing articles that touch on each topic so that I can showcase them. I have so many tabs open on Firefox that I'll likely have to reboot soon. It's time to have a clear-up and share what I've found. In the order I found them, here goes:

• Random Jottings - taking a fresh look at life from San Francisco
• Homemakers Guide to the Galaxy - homeschooling while loving henna
• Fireflies, Frogs and Mosquitos - Oh My! - adventures with the Condie family (I like the title)
• Eco-savvy Kid - a 10 year old school kid who cares about our planet
• A Spot of Sun - writing by a mom of five
• Biking for Breast Cancer - two lads cycling from John O' Groats to Lands End - follow their adventure
• Vinderama - a personal tour of the Olympics
• Bitterroot and Bergamot - a log of pristine places
• B J Parady - Fiber art and other things of note from along the Mississippi River
• Adora's Blog - from a 10 year old writer in Redmond, WA
• Armadillo's Book Blog - book reviews and rants (mostly book reviews) from a homeschooling family
• Help! My Kids are Smarter than Me - I know the feeling - from a homeschooling mom of two
• Guy Steven Mountain Leader - photo rich commentary from a guy who hikes the mountains of Scotland and beyond
• Basado En Una Historia Irreal - I've no idea what it means (I just speak English) but the photos paint a thousand words - very nice photography!
• Planeto Postal - again I've no clue about the writing, but the photos are intriguing

Well, that got rid of a few tabs I had open! I hope you found something worth browsing in that list. Let me know what you think :-)

The Art of Weblogging - do you measure up?

What is good weblog writing and are you doing it? Aimlessly wandering the web and commenting about it is not going to hack it! If you need to ask yourself this question don't worry - there's plenty of good advice out there to help us succeed as weblog writers.

Here are some of the most common suggestions:

• Write good titles - B L Ochman gives some examples
  
• Keep your posts around 250 words - included in Darren Rowse' top ten tips
  
• Voice your opinion - be honest
  
• Omit unnecessary words - keep sentences short and to the point
• Provide good, informative, links - Seth Godin says, "Write like a Blogger"
  
• You don't have to be all serious - a little humor makes people want to come back
  
• People like lists (gotta learn from what you read)!

If that's not enough tips yet, what's wrong with you? Do you want to be famous for your blog writing, rank high on google, write like a professional, or know all the technical stuff? Writing a blog is surely an adventure, a learning experience, and something that can result in personal growth. All you have to do is keep reading and keep blogging.

What have you learned from blogging?