There are a lot of good bloggers out there. Lots of bad bloggers, too. Last year I commented on a post where the blogger asked his readers to name the most overrated and underrated bloggers. I’m trying to keep the content fresh, so humor me and answer these questions:
1. Who are the top 10 5 overrated bloggers/blogs?
2. Who are the top 10 5 underrated bloggers/blogs?
It would be helpful if you explained why you selected the bloggers, but it isn’t required. You may use any measure or standard you like. There’s only one rule: you can’t put LBC in the “overrated” category. 
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Here? Is this the format or do we e-mail it to you?
E-mail what? That I’m overrated? YES.
You may list your choices in the post.
Overrated you are not! You have an exceptional site. Let me look around and I’ll get back shortly.
Hey LaShawn,
I just want to say God Bless you and encourage you to stay committed to your stance on Biblical truth and the doctrine of salvation. The truth does divide but regardless people respect a person who will make a stand based on the word of God. I remember my brother and I were standing up for security of salvation against an armenian and after our conversation a man out of nowhere came up to my brother and I and told us “Thanks for standing for Truth.” Some may abandon you, but they only abandon the Truth. While others will be called to stand alongside of you. I will always stand alongside of the Truth and those who proclaim it.
The top 10 bloggers, well I would have to say that LaShawn Barber is number 1. So when you are number 1 whoever is in second or third it doesn’t matter.
I believe I am definitely overrated. I started my blog last year in April. I only wrote for one month (even though it was full of passion). After that month I basically gave up on it because I felt the Lord wasn’t calling me to continue writing in it. Then I find out my blog is ranked in the top 70 in the world. This shows that it is not of my and all of the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants His message out and now I am starting back to write in it. It is now dedicated to The Draft Pence Movement. Feel free to check it out.
God Bless
Blessings to you, Aaron!
Mark – You’re too sweet. But you have to name the top 10 most overrated and underrated bloggers, not the best. I’ll do one of those tomorrow.
I’ve always been impressed with your blog, La Shawn, because you still take time to help out beginners like myself. My site, 4thelittleguy.com is still unrated so I don’t know if I’m under or over-rated. I’d just like to be rated!
However, I would like to point out that the guys over at freshpolitics.us do a pretty nice job with their site. It’s definitely worth a visit.
Here’s an underrated blog: aguyinpajamas.blogspot.com
I forgot another underrated one: limeypundit.blogspot.com
Limeypundit is thoughtful, intelligent, and VERY well-written. It’s also from England, so we get views on British and American culture.
I like A Guy in Pajamas because it has good blend of culture and commentary–it’s by an American in Japan, so we get both Japanese and American views.
I hafta pimp the BlogFather as being underrated. Semi-Intelligent Thoughts. CD had pretty much the only blog I read for almost a year, and was the driving force in me starting one.
Oops, linky no worky.
http://sithoughts.mu.nu/
Not knowing just how Blogs are rated, in order to know if they are “under-” or “over-” rated, allow me to note some of my favorites Blogs and, thus, doubtlessly under-rated, include the centrist and general Blogs that can lead one down many diverse paths, e.g., (1) CenterFeud, (2) Arts & Letters Daily, (3) The Moderate Voice, (4) Thought at the Meridian, (5) the SCOTUSblog, and some others that are just of amusing nature like (6) Greek Tragedy and the (7 &
Gawker/Wonkette bunch, and some of particular interest like (9) TheAnchoress and (10) SacredSpace.ie.
Over-rated Blogs are any manged by the MSM…heh, heh.
And, of course, not knowing your rating, I leave it unmentioned, but know that I enjoy your messages on a weekly basis and, even if does not resonate within me all the time, I always find great value in your voice.
DougieFresh
OK,
I confess that I am still learning about all of the different sites out there (and terminologies) so it is hard for me to say who gets more traffic and is “overrated” vs. “underated”. I would be better at naming favorites so I will wait until you ask us to list our top 10(or 20).
W.NM.
PS: and yes LaShawn, you are in my top 5 !
I think Virtue Magazine is very underrated. Also Booker Rising is underrated.
I don’t read enough blogs to make a top 10 for each. Heck, I barely visit enough regularly to make a top 10 of them all, so I’ll just give the over/under number ones.
Overrated: Wonkette. I’ve tried reading it four or five times and just don’t see the fascination so many seem to have.
Underrated: Biljan Bayne. Extremely intelligent, very well written and he covers a variety of topics. http://www.bbayne.com
Hope this doesn’t get me blacklisted in the blogosphere.
Top 10 Overrated:
10.Cheese and Crackers
9.Eschaton
8.Wil Wheaton
7.Andrew Sullivan
6.PoliPundit
5.Josh Marshall
4.Daily Kos
3.Instapundit (Fine blog but not outstanding compared to blogs with less traffic)
2.Oliver Willis
1.Wonkette
Top 10 Underrated:
10.Boar’s Head Tavern
9.Moderate Voice
8.Betsy’s Page
7.Here We Stand
6.In the Agora
5.Patrick Ruffini
4.Political Teen
3.Evangelical Outpost
2.David Limbaugh
1.Wesley Blog (obligatory shameless self promotion)
That’s what I’m talking about!
LB: As a faithful reader for quite some time, I have to be honest and advise you that you are treadoing perilously close to falling into the seductive trap which captured the MSM long ago: newsreaders are not the news! The best you should hope for is a reputation for timely, good, accurate and responsible writing; not to be the most popular! ‘Nuff said! Now go back to work and stop looking in that mirror.
Here are my nominees for the most underrated bloggers:
1. Major Wasabi – http://wasabi-slink.blogspot.com/
This blog chronicles the struggles of a young women with a rather severe form of juvenile diabetes.
2. BatesLine – http://www.batesline.com/
Michael Bates uses his blog to cover controversies pertaining to the city of Tulsa. Michael’s blog received a mention on Michelle Malkin’s blog after a local newspaper threatened to sue Michael.
3. The Truth Laid Bear – http://www.truthlaidbear.com/
Check out the TTLB Ecosystem.
4. Lucianne – http://www.lucianne.com/
5. The Conservative Crust – http://www.conservativecrust.com/
6. ProfShade – http://profshade.blogspot.com/
7. BlogMeister USA – http://blogmeisterusa.blogspot.com/
8. Brainster’s Blog – http://brainster.blogspot.com/
9. Jackson’s Junction – http://treyjackson.typepad.com/junction/
10. Lifelike Pundits – http://www.lifelikepundits.com
Founded by Aaron Arnwine. This blog has muliple authors, thus presenting different viewpoints.
Over-rated:
Instapundit
Andrew Sullivan
Democratic Underground
Oliver Willis
Imao
Under-rated:
Steel Deal
OldCat Man
Open-Fire (a Chicago based mid-east info blog)
Barking-Moonbat Early Warning System(My blog fathers)
Conservative Cat
Whoa! Pat, that comment came out of left field, and I have no idea why you made it. All I want to do is blog; I never said I wanted to be a newswriter or even a journalist. I’m only a blogger, for what it’s worth.
Underrated:
Virtue Magazine- It shows that some of our children are actually learning how to read, write and think for themselves and may actually function in society without supervision (when parents are involved in the process of educating their children)
Booker Rising- He does a fair roundup of what is going on in the news in regards to the “Black Community” with a mix of other world events also
LaShawn, I may be a mostly silent daily reader; but a daily reader I am. It is my pleasure to respond.
On a sidebar, thanks for pointing me to Simpletracks. Now that I’ve gotten the hang of it, I’ve found it to be an absolutely wonderful “program”! Now I can’t stop trackbacking! *LOL*
But I’m the most underrated blog in the blogosphere… just ask me!
Over-rated
10.Eschaton
9. Andrew Sullivan (Mr. one-issue-hypo-cry-t)
8. Josh Marshall (Mr. out of context)
7. Instapundit (Love him but he’s a linker)
6. Wonkette (paid… so she gets two mentions)
5. Oliver Willis (A second listing for racist attacks on M&M)
4. Daily Kos (Sure he gets two listings, “Screw’Em”)
3. Wonkette
2. Oliver Willis
1. Daily Kos
Under-rated
10.LaShawn Barber (because you are)
9. HughHewitt (because he is)
8. MudvilleGazette (because they are)
7. doubleplusgoodinfotainment (He invented ’spot the idiot’ for TBOTW)
6. FourRightWingWackos
5. KittyLitter
4. LifeLikePundits
3. BrainstersBlog (kerryhaters, because he did!)
2. The Captain (because he’s liberating Canada)
1. RightWingNews (because he’s so polite)
0. ME!!! DANEgerus.com
My, my, you have a way with words.
You high IQ types blow me away! – Admin
I would nominate Finestkind Clinic and Fish Market as an underated blog. She’s a retired doctor who just moved from Oklahoma to the Philippines. She’s worked in hospitals all over the world and adds an humane yet international touch that can’t be found anywhere else.
http://fkclinic.blogspot.com/
[And you can add her as one of those invisible women bloggers the MSM just can't seem to find!]
1. OVERRATED
Daily Kos: —-absolute nonsense wrapped in a pretty package.
Andrew Sullivan: —-these days, does nothing but write…..his name on the back of checks.
Defamer: —-not nearly as edgy, or hip, as they think they are.
Wonkette: —-Yawn. Their so-called scandalous gossip, and scoops, do nothing but put me to sleep.
Gawker: —-New Yorkers should sue.
2. UNDERRATED
LSB: —-Of course.
Michelle Malkin: —-I found her a bit too abrupt, at first, but I’m coming back around.
Steve Sailer: —-Always rational. I love logic, and he wrote that great piece on Terri Schiavo.
I know I’m probably going to Blogger Torment for this, but here’s my list of bloggers I just can’t manage to put on my reading list:
Top underrated Blogs:
://theanchoress.blogspot.com/”>TheAnchoress- LaShawn Barber’s Corner (I’m not above trying to sweet-talk the host
)
- Wittenburg Gate
- Jackson’s Junction – with Dirty Harry there, it’s very cool now
- Captains Quarters – Democratic Republics like the USA just don’t have the joy of watching a government fall in real time. Captain Ed may be the first blogger to take down a government. How cool is that?
David
Thanks, David. Your bullet list tags didn’t work because I’ve disabled all html except emphasis and strong tags.
Overrated:
Wonkette
Andrew Sullivan
Kos
IMAO
Gawker
Underrated:
Ann Althouse
QandO Blog
Captain’s Quarters
LaShawn Barber
Chrenkoff
underrated:
Booker Rising
Not sucking up, I really do think your blog is under rated. This is the only place I usually get extensive research on a the big topic. My favorite blogs are ones that cover current events – like Outside the Beltway.
There are too many blogs to make a choice of the top 10 underated … as for Overated .. I won’t name any to hurt people’s feelings, but I will just say I hate blogs that always get mentioned on Instapundit or anywhere else.
La Shawn
Your Blog can be judged at how many times/day I pull it up – at least 5-10 times/ day for additional wisdom.
Nothing more needs saying.
Overrated:
1. Kos. It’s a preppy Democratic Underground
2. Oliver Willis – it’s a stupid Democratic Underground.
3. Pandagon – a couple of giggly fratboys with a very overrated blog.
4. Wonkette – Dull, dull, dull.
5. Sullivan.
Underrated
1. “The Sheila Variations” – endlessly fascinating. http://www.sheilaomalley.com
2. “The First Ring” – superbly written, a new daily read. http://thefirstringblog.blogspot.com/
3. “Bogus Gold” – http://bogusgold.com/ – Eclectic, excellent.
4. “Chicago Boyz” – http://www.chicagoboyz.net/ – I just like ‘em.
5. The whole Northern Alliance family of blogs. While Powerline and Captain’s Quarters and Lileks all do very well, Fraters, Spitbull and the Scholars all should be much more-read than they are. (And my own, Shot in the Dark, while you’re out browsing;
http://www.fraterslibertas.com
http://spitbull.blogspot.com
http://www.scsuscholars.com
It’s not a shameless plug – I think it’s true!
I won’t bother to suck up to LaShawn…
I have no opinion now on who’s underrated but here’s my take on the overrated: Anything connected with Nick Denton and/or Gawker Media (sorry, that’s 12), including — and especially — the “trash-mouthed skank” from Wonkette (Malkin’s words, not mine).
Overrated blogs
1. Gawker – um, who cares?
2. Andrew Sullivan – does he even blog anymore? does he call himself conservative anymore?
3. The Corner – I love these guys but there just isn’t much content on their blog
4. Democratic Underground – this is where the “Coast to Coast AM” people go during the day.
5. DailyKos – the modern day KKK; intolerance abounds
Underrated blogs
1. Dignan’s 75 Year Plan – http://lawnrangers.blogspot.com
2. The Dialogical Coffee House =
3. Cathy’s World – http://cathyseipp.journalspace.com/
4. Signpost Lounge – http://signpostlounge.blogspot.com
5. Who Moved My Truth? – http://whomovedmytruth.blogspot.com
I didn’t include you La Shawn because you are highly rated and rightfully so.
True political colors are shining with this post.
I’m sure most of you on here are conservatives, so it seems just a bit self-serving for you to pick mostly liberal blogs as being overrated.
I’m not trying to criticize anyone’s opinions; just making an observation.
As a liberal, I can honestly say I’ve seen a fair share of both liberal and conservative blogs that are both over and underrated.
I’d love to add my list, alas, I don’t think I have the energy tonight.
And, FYI…I do love Wonkette. I simply love “trash-mouthed skank[s]!”
Overrated?
Dooce.
OVERNIGHT COMMENT MODERATION IS IN EFFECT.
Do you want to play? Tell us who’s overrated and who’s underrated. Your comments and trackbacks will be approved in the morning.
Sweet dreams.
Underrated
Chrenkoff
Say Anything
Roger L Simon
Bull Moose Blog (leans left but much more in step with most American’s)
Bits Blog
Devil’s Advocate
Political Teen (and many young bloggers in general)
Mark A. Kilmer
Sunny Blog
Jihad Watch
Speed of Thought
There are so many more…
The most underrated site..
http://www.ejectejecteject.com
His writings are great especially his essay Deterence…
I don’t blog myself, but I read a lot of blogs. Its interesting that so many of the same blogs come up as overrated, and that I agree with that assessment in most cases.
1. Andrew Sullivan – I think Andrew has talent, but is basically lazy. He reminds me of Tom Friedman–almost a real intellectual.
2. Instapundit – Too terse. I like Glenn for his taste, but I think he is coasting.
3. Wonkette – I don’t get it at all.
4. Polipundit – say something please. too terse.
5. Cheese & Crackers. I don’t get it.
6. Hugh Hewitt. I generally find it boring. I don’t blogline it anymore.
7. Eschaton. I find it harder to judge left-wing blogs, because aside from Kevin Drum, they generally lack coherency. Atrios strikes me as a smirking wiseguy who should be in the back row, not in the top ten.
8. Wizbang. Its not bad, its just not that good.
Underrated is actually easier
1. Belmont Club. The blog is like a gallon of fudge ice cream in the freezer–one keeps going back for more. Routinely brilliant and that is quite a feat for a blog.
2. Uncorrelated. Smart, eclectic, prolific, right and left points of view. Often find completely original points of view on various issues.
3. Varifrank. Like a great little restaurant that only you know about. Very smart.
4. Manolo for Men. Great schtick, and great fashion advice for men.
5. Iowahawk. Funny, funny, funny
I guess the only blogs I visit on a daily basis are this one, Little Green Footballs and the ones in “J-land”, meaning AOL’s journal land. Atleast the political ones. I guess all the J-land blogs are pretty underrated.
Over-rated
5. Wonkette (so much talk, so little substance)
4. Andrew Sullivan (so much vitriol, so little relevance)
3. Daily Kos (daily moonbats!)
2. Talking Points Memo (always right 12% of the time)
1. Instapundit (been disappointed lately)
Under-rated
5. Belmont Club (personification of substance)
4. RadioBlogger (the transcripts!)
3. Sound Politics (they’re tilting on Seattle)
2. TenNapel (Hollywood and Republican)
1. My Sandmen (So they tell us…)
Underrated (one from each side of the fence)
Slacktivist – slacktivist.typepad.com
The American Scene – http://www.theamericanscene.com
I’d particularly love to see some cross-pollenation between LBC and Slacktivist – Fred Clark’s a liberal evangelical who knows his Scripture (not an oxymoron, believe it or not) and LB’s obviously no slouch in that department. It’d be interesting to see how they come to radically different conclusions from the same source material.
That’s just it. Scripture properly interpreted doesn’t lead to “radically different conclusions,” if a proper exegesis of the text is done. Post-modern philosophical arguments trump God’s word these days. In my early blogging days, I wrote about faith more often than I do now. Whenever I talked about the Bible or quoted it, I’d get strange responses from people who thought what they felt about something was more important than what God said about it. – Admin
I’ll just define “overrated” as any blog which has unjustly banned me. These are: Democratic Underground, Washington Post’s “On Politics” [twice, about 4 years ago], Talk Left, and Deane’s World. If I had ever posted on Daily Kos, I’m sure I would have been banned there very unfairly, too, Boo-hoo.
Dean’s World was a strange case, seeming extremely rational and vibrant, until Dean decided to prove that the Human Immunodeficiency Virus does not cause aids, and that any assertion that it does is the result of some form of Conspiracy. Dean enlisted Harvey Bialy as a kind of “insurgent” scientist or anti-hiv-causes-aids expert.
Bialy was thoroughly defeated, partly by his own acts. For example, he surreptitiously appeared in later stages of the debate as “Eccles The Idiot”, after I had been banned for, in essence, finally calling him one simply by quoting his own words, that is, well before he appeared as Eccles. I’ve been very leary of Dean’s World ever since, though it seems quite popular.
I think (1) you deserve your high rating- and you are perilously close to a journalist
Actually, your Corner serves up some of the best journalism that I’ve read recently. I know this sounds terribly obsequious- but it’s true and you probably need some encouragement at this point.
I really like (2) Hugh Hewitt- he deserves a better rating.
I’m not sure how I would rate most blogs-
I think (3) newcovenant.blogspot.com deserves much more readership, and (4) Parableman is underrated.
These are all Christian-oriented analytical types.
(5) http://www.homesweetroad.com/ is quite underrated- people should take a look at that one!
I think mimismartypants is overrated- I’m just always disappointed in it, other than that I’m afraid it is more a matter of taste than of rating. There are lots of good blogs out there that serve niche interests.
I’ll concentrate more on the underrateds, since my overrated picks would be mostly the same as the ones already mentioned. (Popularity != Quality)
Underrated, because each of these guys is a *fantastic* writer, and deserves to be better known. Also, since this is LaShawn asking, I thought I’d mention that these are some of the very best blogs by writers with a strong Christian worldview – they’re some of my very favorite blogs, but they aren’t as widely read as they should be. In each case, the writing is exceptional, the delivery flawless and sometimes hilarious, and the topics plumbed for thier true depth. (Plus, Grant and Wilson are among the best thinkers in America today):
Doug Wilson’s Blog and Mablog (dougwils.com)- If you can’t take undiluted Reformed Christian worldview, don’t read this. Wilson is funny, wise, and insightful – the tone varies a lot, so give it a couple of tries before deciding for sure whether you like him or not. Like Lileks, this guy can write so well that he’s fun to read even when you think he’s wrong. (Is he ever?)
George Grant’s Kingsmeadow Blog (http://www.kingsmeadow.com/blogger.html) – Grant is an awesome thinker, educator, and a very prolific author on an impressively diverse range of subjects in which, like Wilson, he’s a true expert. This one’s almost a twofer (or more) because he frequently includes long passages or excerpts from other great writers as well – and generally, if Grant thinks somebody writes (or thinks) well, you can pretty much count on him being dead on. In particular, Grant’s blog is the welcome home to many of the writings of the awesome Ben House (who *really* needs his own blog!) What do you expect from a guy with *three* doctorates who asked the right questions when he realized that after getting his PhD in history, he *still* didn’t know who the first President of the United States was? (Hint: It’s NOT George Washington – not even close! Check out his “Patriot’s Handbook” for the answer, and to find out which sitting American president was taken as a POW.) We nearly got Grant to come pastor our church here in Austin, and listening to this guy, whether from the pulpit, sitting around in a group of other interesting folks, or just reading his blog, is a real treat.
James Lileks (lileks.com)- I know he’s already popular, but this guy can *write*. Unlike the others, he’s more of a mental picture guy than a razor-sharp, finely crafted debater, but he does that so well. (His “mind’s eye” abilities are why he’s also so good at his new “radio” (Diner) format, too. Also, there’s a bunch of other insanely cool stuff on his site that reflects his view of bygone American culture. There are some things here that will leave you doubled up, so explore a bit if all you’ve read is the Bleats.
Diplomad – I’m saddened beyond words that the Diplonad has called it quits. (I just realized the typo in the last sentence, but I’m leaving it, as “Diplonad” is somehow an even better name for this blog by an anonymous State Department foreign service officer – he’s got some, uh, guts…) Diplomad became one of my very favorite bloggers during the UN’s craven reponse to the tsunami and the oil-for-food scandal (quite possibly the biggest swindle in the history of the world), and I include him here only in the hope that if enough other people ask, he may return to blogging. Where else can you find out how to deal with the issue of “glow-ball vorming” in diplomatic company?
Check out a few new blogs today!
Dub
Overrated
Wonkette
Andrew Sullivan
Kos
Democratic Underground
Juan Cole- Informed Comment
Underrated
Michelle Malkin
The Belmont Club
Chenkroff
Discarded Lies
LSB
Overrated: Andrew Sullivan!!!!!!!
In no particular order. Barb
Overrated:
Smirking Chimp http://www.smirkingchimp.com/
A bunch of smarmy out of touch Left Wingers!
Philosophy Talk http://philosophytalk.typepad.com/blog/
A bunch of condescending wannabe philosophes
Eschaton http://atrios.blogspot.com/
Dull, dull, dull…time for an open thread
Dean Esmay http://www.deanesmay.com/
The Jeckyll & Hyde of the blogosphere- or maybe the Three Faces Of Dean
Oliver Willis http://www.oliverwillis.com/
If Esmay’s a Right Wing frick this guy’s his Left Wing frack
Blogs For Bush http://www.blogsforbush.com/
The nastiest group online
Michael Totten http://www.michaeltotten.com/
The most out of touch bloggers online
DKos http://www.dailykos.com/
The most insidious group online
Jeff Jarvis http://www.buzzmachine.com/
Is there a more self-important blowhard online? This guy can review Gilligan’s Island- not politics!
Underrated:
Rude Pundit http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/
If Howard Stern had a blog. Hilarious!
Majikthise http://majikthise.typepad.com/majikthise_/
Bar none- the best mix of philosophy and politics online. Plus, she’s only a size 3, at most!
Dan Drezner http://www.danieldrezner.com/blog/
The most sane Republican political thinker around.
The National Debate http://www.thenationaldebate.com/blog/
Rarely gets nasty, and encourages debate.
Punditdrome http://www.punditdrome.com
A good aggregator site to cut down on bookmarks
Stupid Evil Bastard http://stupidevilbastard.com/
Not as funny as Rude Pundit, but almost…
Liberal Avenger http://stupidevilbastard.com/
The most fair-minded Liberal around
Juan Cole http://www.juancole.com/
The best and deepest Iraq analysis- whether you agree or not. Only one who lists the toll in bodies.
Random Fate http://www.randomfate.net/MT/
Good non-partisan comment.
LBC http://lashawnbarber.com/
Homegirl- even when I disagree you are classy
Cobb http://www.mdcbowen.org/cobb/
LaShawn after a sex change
Moderate Voice http://www.themoderatevoice.com/
What Jeff Jarvis wishes he was
Preposterous Universe http://preposterousuniverse.blogspot.com/
We need more good science blogs like this
Overrated:
Underrated
Made an error- this is the Liberal Avenger link. Barb
I agree with some of the above listings by Barb. I find it interesting that she links according to good or bad, nor right or left. Smirking Chimp and Michael Totten are Left & Right Wing Lunatics. I agree about linking Willis and Esmay- those guys hate each other, although I think Esmay has a brain tumor- that would explain his bipolarity.
I also agree Moderate Voice is all that Jeff Jarvis wishes he was, although I wish Joe Gandelman would disassociate himself from a lunatic like Esmay. Like J. Peden I knew several online buddies banned because they wholly debunked Esmay’s AIDS Denial.
I also think the Rude Pundit is funny, albeit Crude. But I can’t wrap myself around the LaShawn-Cobb thing- SCARY!
Bob Cox of National Debate is a treasure, as is Lindsay Beyerstein of Majikthise. One can disagree and be civil.
Dean Esmay is a wack job, but Willis really gets him good. Lileks is very overrated, especially for those who read him in the local papers.
Day On Fire
http://www.livejournal.com/users/dayonfire/
Humm…
You all sure spend alot of time reading blogs if you can come up with 20 total blogs of over rated and under rated…
This is the only blog I read…and I find it 85% enjoyable (the other 15% is when people get to sensitive about personal criticism)…and out of all the ones I have been on this is the only one I view regularly….so I guess that makes this one the most underrated…
These are the blogs I at least try to get to daily, although I must admit that most of the overrated ones are now only once a week (or less)just to see if they’ve improved any.
Underrated:
Belmont Club
Booker Rising
La Shawn Barber
Michael H. King
Michelle Malkin
Vodkapundit
Overrated:
Andrew Sullivan
Daily Kos
Instapundit
Oliver Willis
Talking Points Memo
Wonkette
OK,
I think i have an idea (better so than yesterday) even though I don’t have 5 overrated I have more than 10 underrated.
Overrated:
Andrew Sullivan: I have never thought he was even rated until I see how everyone seems to refer to him. I don’t think he is gifted, exceptional, intellectual or anything.
Instapundit: an OK site but i don’t get why so many refer to him as if he were an expert. He links to everyone else and doesn’t seem to have a particular or unique angle to speak from
Michael Savage.com (is it a blog?) I don’t care for him, period.
Lileks: again, OK but what is the big deal? I just don’t get it.
Daily Pundit: A good site, but doesn’t really stand out as exceptional.
Underrated
Ramblings Journal: My all time favorite, he may be big already (I have no way of knowing) but not big enough. he mixes humor,sarcasm and logic to expose the Moonbats.
Hispanic Pundit: This guy and I could have gone to the same economic classes, he is awesome. he also approaches things with logic and is respectful of his readers.
Byron’s Dutch Oven Cooking Page (again, is this considered a blog? you can interact with him and other posters)I love cooking and love dutch ovens. He has some excellent recipes and contacts for cook-offs. (see W.NM. has different sides to him)
tie- Black Pundit, Casey Lartique, Mulatto Advocate and Baldilocks: exceptional sites that approach topics with logic.
LaShawn Barbers Corner: This is the site I keep in “favorites” to access others. I enjoy her honesty and she has a way of politely disagreeing with people that is exceptional. never afraid to correct herself, I have to say she is “the real deal” I don’t alwys agree with her but I always come back (and always will).
Tex the pontificator- interesting site with a SW point of view. Yes, he is from Texas (I moved here from NM)and if you are from the Border region, he has points of view that are relevant. ie: Mexico.
Blame Bush: I didn’t know what to think about it until I realized it was a joke (play on words). I hit it for a good laugh (and I mean a good laugh). Sadly though, I fear the left really feels the way portrayed.
4thelittleguy: I visited his site and was there for almost an hour. i had never heard of him until he posted above. Pretty darned good.
Sticky Door Knobs: he is a small town Democrat (I forgive him for that, I once was too)that has a great sense of humor (he has a heart condition) and focuses on the life of a father and all of the humurous situations.
honorable mention: Kim du toit, fireant gazette, black five, boots and sabers, I love jet noise, texican tattler (for sure, something different).
there are so many more and to be honest I am still in my first year of this blog stuff so I don’t know how to tell how is rated other than what I see linked to,(and I keep dicovering new blogs regularly). Also, if I don’t like a site I generally will not return to it so again, that may be why my overrated list is so small.
Hat’s off to you LaShawn, I linked to you from Hugh Hewitt and have read you nearly every day since.
LaShawn,
I believe people should just write to write. Enjoy the process. Enjoy the product. Don’t concern yourself with ratings. If you write well, people will come…EVENTUALLY. Some people may not have the patience for waiting.
Ratings matter to bands who need to sell records, but I think bloggers should not hang their pride on such matters. Just my two cents.
Wait a second. I think some clarification is in order here. All I asked people to do was name the blogs they felt were over- or underrated. I don’t know how or why this became a discussion of pride and popularity on my part.
Having said that (I hate when people write this J ) here is my list:
Underrated:
http://captaincapitalism.blogspot.com/
http://www.vdare.com/blog/index.htm
http://blog.frogbody.com/
http://www.mensnewsdaily.com/blog/channel1/
http://www.livejournal.com/users/prowrite/
http://voxday.blogspot.com/
http://www.ryanhorn.com/
http://www.slantpoint.com/
http://www.readjdm.com/
http://www.hotsaucelive.com/
Overrated:
If I told you, I’d be adding to the problem J
My tickets to being shunned in the Blogosphere, in no particular order…
Overrated:
The Volokh Conspiracy (far too much legalese)
- Wonkette (sickening skank)
- MyDD (DU-lite, Moonbat Central)
- Pharyngula (nasty, hate-filled atheist scientist)
- Hugh Hewitt (Many lower-decks blogs are beter reads)
- BuzzMachine (Mostly a curmudgeon, predictable critique of anything religious in the news)
- Beltway Buzz/The Corner/TKS at NRO (not even real blogs!)
Underrated:
- BatesLine – this guy will be like Captain’s Quarters one of these days.
- Jackson’s Junction – always has video of important events.
- Political Teen – same.
- Cheat-Seeking Missiles – (cheatseekingmissiles.blogspot.com) one of the best new political bloggers.
- TigerHawk – Ditto!
- BrothersJudd – finds stuff NOBODY ELSE finds!
- Patterico’s Pontifications – RELENTLESS watchdog of the LA Times and all-around good guy.
- Publius Pundit – GREAT Lebanon coverage.
- Belmont Club – Look up “substance” in the dictionary, and there’s Wretchard’s URL!
- Cherenkoff – Good news is always welcome!
- The CounterTerrorism Blog – the CIA probably monitors them day and night.
- The Great Separation (www.thegreatseparation.com) – Christian political blog with a twist.
- DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS (christnu.org) – Yes, it’s my blog, but my blogpartner Bebeaux is a great commentator waiting to be discovered. Worldviews BEHIND The News. Check it out.
Mine is over-rated. I think I am up to 28 readers now. :-{)}
Underrated:
Iowahawk
Truth Be Told
Another Man’s Meat
Overrated:
Wonkette
Overrated: most of mine would mirror what others have already posted, but they would include any blog that 1) bans posters for not drinking the local Kool-Aid (DU, Daily Kos), and 2) does not go out of its way to correct and own up to mistaken posts.
Underrated:
1)No Left Turns – the blog for the Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs at Ashland University. My favorite “son-of-immigrants” poster (Peter Schramm) posts here.
2) LSC – LaShawn, you’re a beacon of freshness and decency.
3) World Magazine’s blog – lots of thoughtful posts on issues with an evangelical bent that always invite some pretty rockin’ debates
4) Captain’s Quarters – for all the reasons others have already mentioned.
You’re underrated, LaShawn. So are Iowahawk, Counter Terrorism blog, and Jawa Report.
I, on the other hand, would like to think I’m underrated. I have a sneaking suspicion that’s an optimistic viewpoint, though.
Overrated: Atrios tops the list.
Best
WONKETTE is DEFINITELY the most overrated blog I’ve ever come across!
I am vastly amused by how many of your readers seem to think “overrated” is a synonym for “holds opinions I don’t like” and “underrated” for “holds opinions I do like”.
As far as I can see, the only serious rating of blogs is done by the TLB Ecosystem, and there the proof of the pudding is in the eating. People either read them and link to them or they don’t.
That said, I think the following blogs deserve to have more readers and commentors than they do: The Anchoress, One Hand Clapping, Captain’s Quarters, The Moderate Voice, Daniel Dresner, The Left Coaster, Progressive Muslim Thoughts (a particular gem), Majikthise, and James Wolcott.
These are not all the blogs I’m a fan of certainly. But all the rest, such as your blog, are rich in readers beyond the dreams of avirice, or at least beyond my dreams of avirice. Others may dream bigger and better than I do.
In all honesty I couldn’t answer without a more clear definition of what’s considered “rating”. The ecosystem? Traffic? That would be the objective part of the equation.
I would then assume that the next part, whether they are above or below whatever the “rating” is, would be subjective, and based on my own personal view of their value. That I can handle,once I have an idea of what “rating” is supposed to be used.
Could we get either a guidline from the Blogress (Miss Barber) or a consensus of others, on what the “rating” standard would be?
(Miss is so much nice than that horrid Ms. everyone’s using these days, don’t you think?)
To me the most over-rated is Instapundit. I know he can create an instalanche (he is very generous with his links), but everytime I visit it seems to be just alist of links without much commentary. When I visit a bloggers I like to get their perspectives of the issues. I just don’t find it enough at Instapundit.
I consider Michelle Malkin the most under-rated of the big-time bloggers. She’s a tremendous writer and she really gets to the heart of the issues. Of the next tier of bloggers, I really enjoy The Anchoress, and I noticed that she is being linked to more often by the biggies.
Overrated: Wonkette.
Underrated: Brain Fertilizer. by miles. You’ve Got him in your blogroll.
Underrated are:
Professor Bainbridge
Michelle Malkin
The Anchoress
David Limbaugh
Overrated:
5. Daily Kos (screw ‘em)
4. Andrew Sullivan (inactive blog, still blogging?)
3. Hugh Hewitt – good, but slipping since the 04 election
2. Oliver Willis
1. Wonkette
Underrated – and in no particular order
Roger Simon (I scam, you scam, he UNSCAMs)
Chrenkoff (good news will not go quietly)
Belmont Club (analysis worthy of endless repetition)
Bill Roggio (The Fourth Rail shouldn’t be fourth on your reading list)
Michael Totten (especially his Lebanon blogging)
Jawa Report
Iowahawk – for laughs, just because
Oh, and my own blogs… just because I could use the help of a Barberlanche
To the people above who sniff that people’s ratings seem to be ideological – of course they are! Leaving aside issues of open-mindedness or its opposite, a blog’s worldview is going to affect its acceptance; a Ku Klux Klansman could write brilliantly, and I probably wouldn’t give the work its due. Is that in and of itself unfair?
I can’t list ten, or even five. But I’ll say:
Overrated:
James Wolcott. Yes, it’s personal; it goes way beyond that, and beyond politics as well. That anyone takes him seriously baffles me.
Overrated:
5. Wonkette. (I wish I could be paid to be crude, sit on panels, and talk about blogging.)
4. Atrios. (A Blogspot site????)
3. Allahpundit. (Even more so when he quit.)
2. Andrew Sullivan. (A real RINO whino.)
1. Daily Kos. (I’m sure his numbers are cooked.)
Underrated:
5. La Shawn Barber’s Corner. (Obvious pandering.)
4. Friends of Saddam. (One-stop UNSCAM shop.)
3. The Shape of Days. (Jeff Harrell is a divine wordsmith.)
2. Damnum Absque Injuria. (Always good for a “heh.”)
1. Watcher of Weasels. (I used to be on the council.)
0. Ubique Patriam Reminisci. (Shameless self-plug.)
Overrated:
- Andrew Sullivan
- Vodkapundit
- Atrios
- Daily Kos
- Wonkette
Underrated:
- Kobayashi Maru (shameless self-plug)
- Hootsbuddy’s Place
- The Anchoress
- Marginal Revolution
- A Constrained Vision
Wait a minute. Is being on Blogspot an automatic disqualifier of being underrated? Does that somehow invalidate a good blogger?
I’m surprised people are listing the “biggies” as underrated, including this blog. Isn’t an “underrated” blog one that a lot of people don’t read or promote? Some of the blogs that people have listed get thousands of readers every day. The underrated ones would get a lot fewer than that.
Overrated:
Instapundit – All Links, All the Time
Lileks – Lame – Someone please explain the attraction to me.
Daily Kos – Too much psuedo-activism, not enough analysis (and I’m a Democrat)
Hon. Mention: Powerline, DU, Oliver Willis, Hugh Hewitt
Underrated:
Vodkapundit – Sharp wit, balanced perspective
Althouse – Smart and Fun – One minute it’s politics, the next minute it’s American Idol
Belmont Club – Great analysis
Classical Values – A Personal Favorite
Yglesias – When Lefties read blogs, they think DKos or Eschaton. This is better.
Ditto on the typical overateds
Underated, in alphabetical order,
Baldilocks: http://baldilocks.typepad.com
Belmont Club: http://www.wretchard.com/blogs/the_belmont_club/default.aspx
Chrenkoff: http://chrenkoff.blogspot.com
David’s Medienkritik: http://medienkritik.typepad.com
Decision ‘08: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Decision08
Disecting Leftism: http://dissectleft.blogspot.com
Europundit: http://www.europundits.blogspot.com
Evangelical Outpost: http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com
Liberalism-Capitalism-Globalisation: http://www.johannorberg.net
Peaktalk: http://www.peaktalk.com
Professor Plum’s Relentless Rants on Eduquackery: http://professorplum.typepad.com
The New Sisyphus: http://newsisyphus.blogspot.com
Transatlantic Intelligencer: http://trans-int.blogspot.com
Wittenberg Gate: http://dory.typepad.com/wittenberg_gate
Most missed blog:
http://www.USSClueless.com
OverRated:
AndrewSullivan.com …Used to be good but went over to the dark side. Trying to be all things to all people I guess.
Underated:
http://www.GutRumbles.com….. Transparency of the heart. You have never seen that deep into a human soul. Huckleberry Finn in his latter years.
http://www.RightWingNews.com ….A full news organization unto himself. A must-visit site. The new clearinghouse for what I want to read.
http://www.AmericanDigest.org……Nice and rich. Refreshing take on things.
http://www.baldilocks.com…. Warrior Princess. Strong and fun.
http://www.PeakTalk.com…….A reasoned view from Europe.
http://www.amritas.com/…..Who is this guy? Endless reams of utterly fascinating stuff.
http://www.hogonice.com …. The Renaissance Man but funny. I want what he smokes.
http://silentrunning.tv/….. Surprising insight. Original.
http”//www.evangelicaloutpost.com….writes about stuff I want to read.
Blogs that are rated high and are truly good:
http://www.lileks.com……Lileks can write some very sweet prose. When he is on, he is blistering hot.
http://www.scrappleface.com ….. Amazing twist of lime. How can a person sustain that kind of output.
http://www.dailypundit.com …. A blogger’s blog.
http://www.dustbury.com…..Always fun. Always.
Overrated:
Instapundit
Daily Kos
Atrios
Michelle Malkin
LeShawn Barber
Hugh Hewitt
Little Green Footballs
Overrated:
5. Hugh Hewitt
4. Ann Althouse
3. Belmont Club
2. Dan Gillmor
1. INDC Journal
Underated:
5. Arthur Chrenkoff
4. Outside The Beltway
3. Protein Wisdom
2. Wizbang
1. PunditGuy
Overrated:
Instapundit – elitist clearinghouse of links and nothing more.
Wonkette – Trash.
Daily Kos – Thank God they don’t make this crap in pill form.
Underrated:
Iowahawk. The guy is brilliant.
ThisIsYourWar.blogspot.com – Go read this. It’s gut-level view from an infantryman’s perspective in Iraq.
And of course, I feel the need to jump on the self-promoting bandwagon. Forgive me, but read my blog.
http://euphoria.jarkolicious.com
Overrated:
5. Joanne Jacobs
4. Roger Simon
3. Lileks
(I really like #5, 4, and 3, but I still think they’re kind of overrated.)
2. Michelle Malkin
1. Instapundit
Underrated:
5. Powerline
4. Daniel Drezner
3. Snooze Button Dreams
2. Side Salad (sidesalad.net)
1. Just One Bite (justonebite.com)
For underrated weblogs, I looked for familiar sites in the Truth Laid Bear’s Ecosystem, rated as “Marauding Marsupials,” “Adorable Rodents,” and “Flappy Birds.” I got enough there, but there are more good sites further down the evolutionary scale. In no particular order:
EURSOC
Progressive Reaction (Moira Breen & David Fleck)
Feces Flinging Monkey
Sand in the Gears (Tony Woodlief)
GeekPress
Drumwaster’s Rants
Moonbattery
Professor Bunyip
Right as Usual
The Daily Meme
I assume that La Shawn’s HTML restrictions won’t let be post links, but do yourself a favor and Google these offerings. I hope I’m not too late, as these people deserve more attention and support.
And thanks to the real Mitch at “A Shot in the Dark” for his kind mention of the Chicago Boyz.
I would say overrated bloggers are just bloggers who are really dedicated to what they do and do it daily. But the underrated ones often are the same way. Like these:
Virtue Magazine: http://www.virtuemag.org
A Physicists Perspective: http://www.dmobley.blogspot.com
Allthings2All: http://www.allthings2all.blogspot.com
Razor Kiss: http://razorskiss.net/wp/
Two or Three: http://twoorthree.blogspot.com/
Youngpundit: http://www.youngpundit.com/
DaddyPundit: http://daddypundit.blogspot.com/
SpunkyHomeschool:http://www.spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com
My vote for an underrated would probably have to go to Virtue Magazine (http://www.virtuemag.org)
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