Yes, it's that time of year when we announce the UK's best green blogs for 2008.
The Green Blogosphere is definitely picking up, both in the numbers of green blogs and their quality. Green bloggers are also taking part in broader group blogs like Liberal Conspiracy and Scribo Ergo Sum, which is really good to see, plus there is the new innovation, for the Green Party (this list isn't exclusively party blogs by the way), using blogs as part of its democratic life - whether that be the executive candidates or even controversial blogs like the Stop the Boycott blog which campaigns against the Green Party's policy on Israel.
Of course, this is all a bit of fun and although I take a lot of time on it and try to ensure that it isn't just a reflection of the blogs I read and/or my friends (which I think "the system" does pretty successfully) I know in the past some people have taken this to be my "personal favourites" list, but it really isn't. I wouldn't want anyone to think it's more than a mechanism for highlighting those who've been putting in some really good blogging over the last year.
That also means that newer green blogs like Rayyan Mirza and Aled Fisher, who are more than interesting reads, haven't quite been going long enough to get onto this year's list. Anyway, enough of the waffle and on to the list - congratulations to you all.
| 1 | Two Doctors |
| 2 | Bean Sprouts |
| 3 | Green Girls Global |
| 4 | Kitchen Witch |
| 5 | Ruscombe Green |
| 6 | Peter Tatchell |
| 7 | Barkingside 21 |
| 8 | Earthpal |
| 9 | Greenpeace UK |
| 10 | Stuart's Big Green Spot |
| 11 | Flesh is grass |
| 12 | Gaian Economics |
| 13 | Johnny Void |
| 14 | Coventry Green Party |
| 15 | Jenny Jones |
| 16 | Philobiblon |
| 17 | Ecostreet |
| 18 | Hippy Shopper |
| 19 | Transition Culture |
| 20 | Alice in Blogland |
But that's not all! We have the all important PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD!
That's where you get to vote on who you think is the best green blogger of 2008. You can vote in the right hand column of this blog - but this year we've stepped up the poll and you can have the same poll on your own blog (God I hope this works).
Simply cut and paste the following code into the relevant place on your blog or site and you should see the same poll with the same results that are displayed here. Let me know if you have difficulties.
<script language="javascript" src="http://www.blogpoll.com/poll/view_Poll.php?type=java&poll_id=155158"></script>
The poll closes at midnight on the first of September - so get voting, and good luck.
Annie Leonard and co. (
Adrienne Mayor (
Ed Howker and Shiv Malik
Floella Benjamin (
Mark Watson (
Tim Jackson (
David Wilson (
Clive Lord (
Nickie Roberts
41 comments:
Thanks, Jim, I'll get you your fiver shortly. Much appreciated!
Thank you, Blogfather.
you are number one!
By the way, I tried to add your poll to my website, but it messed the formatting up somehow and put a green box around everything.
Oops and I think my slightly spammy comment flagging up my big Green mega blog feed reader at http://www.greenfeed.org.uk/feeds/ got accidentally not sent...
Most of the top 20 blogs are up there, the rest should be shortly.
So that's the html you can see there - which you should try to add in the codey bit of your backend :)
You might want to make sure the pointy brackets are coming out right as I had to do the wierd symbols for them when posting them up to avoid just posting the poll again.
...which people can do as an alternative incidently - post the poll in a post rather than a side bar if they prefer.
Does that ramble help?
ps apropo of nothing - I just used a crowbar!
Thank you King of the Green Blogs, but I shouldn't be in the top 20 especially when the superb Throbgoblins didn't make it.
I have, however, voted for myself on the people's poll and now have one vote recorded. Democracy in action...
Also "Green Reading" by Adrian Windisch is well worth a look.
Nick
Bristol
Also "Green Reading" by Adrian Windisch is well worth a look.
Nick
Bristol
Thanks Jim Jay. Well done. It's a good way of raising the profile of green bloggers thus reaching more people.
The Daily (Maybe) would get my vote in the people's choice poll if it was on the list.
Hmmm, how about one on socialist blogs ... on reflection, I don't think it would be a great idea ...
Jim, I tried it again with my HTML template, and it made all the posts turn green again (must be some funny CSS). Hopefully it'll work fine in my blog post though...
(nope, script is stripped on the way into GreenFeed...) stil works on my actal wordpress blog, though... Anyway I pointed people here...
AVPS: a proper one on socialist blogs would be interesting - unfortunately unless you can get someone who isn't controlled by their own bias to do it there isn't much point.
However, perhaps there's scope for a "I like these socialist blogs and for this reason" post.
Gordon: sorry the poll isn't working - anyone who does get it work let me know!
Nick: Green Reading is good - unfortunately its not been very active of late so couldn't make the 20 this time - but hopefully Adrian will get it back to its past form. I totally agree, an excellent blog.
Earthpal: thanks (blush). It's not a competition... well, obvious *this* is... but blogging in general works best when it's cooperative (in my view) - like any good discussion
Oh it does work... It just bends the website to it's will... anyway, nevermind, I think people will see it here.
Jim Jay, I agree, and blogging also works best when bloggers actually *interact* with each other and respond to the comments they recieve. Too often though, in my experience at least, that's not the case. I have posted many-a comment on many-a blog and the blogger has totally ignored it. I just don't get that at all. It does make one feel pretty foolish and much less inclined to make further comments. Whenever anyone posts a comment on my blog, I always have the courtesy to reply to them.
There's a really interesting point there Earthpal. I think it's very important to engage with other bloggers and those who comment here.
I also went through a phase of answering everything and I began to worry that, as I did have control over the main articles, perhaps I shouldn't talk too much in the commnets section and have tried to draw back a little - and then of course I worry that this might appear rude!
I guess it partly depends on how many commnets a particular post is getting. If it's lots you can step back a bit but if it's just one or two it's much easier to give a quick reply without freeling you're stifling anything.
I probably think about these things too much. However, I definately think that green blogging has more of a community around it than it did two years ago when I first started out.
At least that's my impression.
If I could, I too would be voting No 1 for The Daily Maybe.
I would also vote 1 The Daily Maybe!
Despite not being a green - more a dismal shade of grey at present - I too would have voted for The Daily Maybe, although I also enjoy Stuart Jeffery and Philobiblon.
Nice blog you got there Ben
http://backtowardsthelocus.wordpress.com/
So, given that you can't vote for me - who are you voting for? - what blogs are people enjoying at the moment?
http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2008/08/top-20-green-blogs.html
Has placed your blog as No.1 Green Blog
Can you draw back the Wizard of Oz curtain and tell us a bit more about how your top 20 was arrived at, Jim?
What weighting, if any, did you give to comments/flourishing dialogue on a blog? (something I hope to improve over the next year)
I'm staggered that Sue Luxton's Green Ladywell blog has not been included; it's a top notch example of how a genuinely informative and useful councillor's blog should be done.
bum - comment lost in the either - here we go again.
a - yes Green Ladywell is excellent - unfortunately at the time of compilation GL had been going through a bit of a post dry patch and it was not possible to include it in the top twenty bumping out more regularly attended blogs.
The irony of course is that since then there has been a good old spurt of posting and it's good to see GL returning to its former glory...
scott - I did write a longer explanation but it got wiped somehow... here's the short version.
There was an open nomination process (described previousdly) Then each blog on that list is marked out of ten in ten categories including design, writing style, etc.
Taken together popularity and interactivity (which includes comments) make up 20% of the total score making it a vital component. However it is not so all powerful that a little gem that is as yet unnoticed more generally cannot do well.
This year there was an aditional twist in that the scoring compilied the top twenty and then I openned this up to a panel of the four former winners of the awards (best blog and people's choice) who, in conjuction with the scoring, helped determine where in the top twenty a blog would come.
Unfortunately, this couldn't happen in time to go to Iain Dale's book so he has the raw score top twenty (same twenty blogs, same winner but slightly different order for the other 19) but this is the list that has that vital element of collaberation in it.
hope that helps
Correction: Iain has used a different list, which has many of the same blogs on it - but not entirely. I think he's incorporated my recommendations but not simply reproduced them.
It may well be he's used figures from the best political blog poll. Rather embarrassingly I'm now on that list... umm... at the number one spot... umm...
Thanks Iain!
Hurray! The Total Politics Poll thwarted your modesty! (and turned a blind eye to my sporadic summer blogging!).
Hi Jim
Great to see you're doing your 'green blogger' list again. Yes I also think 'green' blogging has come along way over the last 2 years. Long may it last!
Btw, you appear to have the old url for The Coffee House. We have been at http://environmentdebate.wordpress.com/ for a couple of years now!
All the best
Matt
Thanks Matt - updated.
Also anyone else who spots an out of date link or someone who is missing please do pipe up -I'll be happy to add you.
Thanks Jim Jay, you've warmed our cockles here at Greenpeace HQ.
Although, mysteriously, the javascript seems to have made our blog, literally, go green... (http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/about/best-green-blogs-2008-20080822)
:0)
Green blogs?
certainly the dullest, most self-referential, holier-than-thou, point-scoring drek, written by self-titled 'intellectual' chinless wonders who no doubt had parents that voted for Thatcher, that I've had the misfortune to encounter.
And they have no chance of reaching a wider audience due to this approach. You will not appreciate this though and no doubt see it as a failing on MY part.
Buy a copy of London Calling and stop frowning. You'll not change the world by haranguing everyone less 'right-on' than yourselves.
Mr Weggis is a little different though. He's the only one halfway human and he's humourous and likeable without losing any real world credibility.
Go Weggo!
Why do people who make this sort of post always do so anonymously?
My faceless friend I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one - although London Calling was a great album, we are of one mind on that.
Oh, and my Dad did vote for Thatcher, which clearly condemns me to hell for his sins. You're so right about that.
Coo!
Possibly not exactly relevant, but one of my favorite bloggers is http://yourfriendinthenorth.blogspot.com/
who's in Northern Ireland. I originally found him through your blog, but he's no longer listed here. Did he offend you somehow?
I don't think I've ever removed a link out of offence or anything other than that link being dead... but this may be because sometime ago I renewed the format and had to redo the links - it may well be some didn't transfered from the old site to the new.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Drat, I was saddened beyond words not to make that list. But thanks anyways, now I have a list of some good green websites to check out... if only that list had http://www.ecojoes.com on it :)
I just got mine up and running. Please check it out at http://www.modegreen.com/...
Thanks!
Hope full next year www.ecotrendspotter.com will be listed in the top 100
Take a look at our sites and blogs. we are just starting up but have great hope to see if this blogging does work and messages are heard.
thank you! That looks like a great resource.
website design nyc
Oh my God so many fantastic blogs to check out!
Thanks a bunch and good luck to all those brilliant bloggers out there :-)
Regards,
Jessica
jessica@ indiaforex.com
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