Blogs: Find a Blog to Read or Create Your Own
Think of the Internet as your personal publishing house. On it you can choose from a million self-published journals and diaries known as blogs, and keep current on all the topics that interest you, as well as create your own blog, adding your voice to the buzz of the blogosphere.
Expand All Guide SectionsWhat is a Blog?
Blogs began as simple online diaries, updated regularly with new "posts" appearing at the ... read more »
Evaluating Blog Credibility
Like all Web pages, blogs can range from extremely informative and high quality to mere low-budget ... read more »
Blog Directories and Blog Search Tools
No matter how obscure your interests, there's a good chance that there's a blog to fit your needs. But with 71 million blogs and growing, a system of filtering and finding the good ones is a must. The sites and tips featured in this section will show you how to do just that.
Dulcinea's Insight
- The blog world (or blogosphere, as it's often called) is all about interconnections, and bloggers revel in referencing each other. If you find a blog you like, check on the side of the site for a list of the author's favorite blogs, called a blog roll. It's the online equivalent of word of mouth, and the most powerful tool for finding more blogs.
- If you have a specific hobby or subject for which you'd like to find related blogs, simply type it into your preferred search engine and add "blog" (e.g., "gardening blog"). This should get you started with the more popular blogs on that topic.
- Another blogging tool called trackback further enables referencing between blogs. Clicking the trackback link at the bottom of a blog post will show you all the other sites and blogs linking to that post, instantly expanding the world of that topic for you. For more information on trackbacks, including how to use them on your own blog, see the sites featured below.
- Once the domain of individuals, blogs are becoming the tool of a growing number of businesses and organizations, often written by a group of people who blog individually themselves. Often you can find a site's accompanying blog on its sidebar or "about" page.
- Below you'll find sites to help you search or browse the blogosphere, as well as a few of the most popular or unique blogs on the Web today. The blogs in this section are by no means representative of the entire blogosphere, but are intended as a starting point for your journey of discovery. For more blogs on specific topics, take a look at other FindingDulcinea Guides, almost all of which feature blogs on their respective topics.
- Besides chronologically, you can also read posts according to category or 'tag.' Some bloggers will have a 'tag cloud' that shows topics discussed based on frequency. The bigger the font, the more the blogger has written about that 'tag.' Simply click on the word to read all posts on that topic. Here's an example of a category or tag cloud:
- politics news health
- shopping travel education
- music television technology
- parenting finance
Dulcinea's Picks
For blog-focused search tools ...
Technorati
's simple but powerful approach to searching blogs, with filters for language, type of content searched, and "authority" (a measure of how popular a blog is), makes it a quick way for you to find your own favorite corner of the blogosphere.
Blogpulse
's unique tools like "Trend Search" and "Conversation Tracker" let you step back from the blogosphere and look at it from a distance, scientifically tracking the topics of focus online. On this fun site you can not only look at what the blogosphere is up to, but you can search it as well.
For other blog-finding resources ...
Truth Laid Bear
's famous ecosystem has a simple design that instantly shows you which blogs are the most popular. Ranked by how many other sites link to them, the blogs here are also divided into whimsically named rank categories on this very respected and popular blog list.
Bloggies.com
is home to the annual Weblog Awards, featuring such quirky categories as "best kept secret weblog" as well as the more basic "best weblog of the year." Picked by readers, the winners represent the best the blogosphere thinks it has to offer. To see how far the medium has come, take a look back at all past winners from the seven years the awards have been held.
Blog Catalog
lets you avoid all the ugly blogs out there by giving you a mini screenshot of each blog in its directory. Listing about 40,000 user submitted blogs, you can search or browse by category on this simple catalog of blogs.
Best of the Web: Blogs
delivers with straight-to-the-point descriptions of the best blogs for a range of topics (according to Best of the Web's editors). There's no user ranking and no social features here, just lists of blogs for your perusal.
Forbes
magazine's Best of the Web directory of blogs brings you its picks for the cream of the crop in 20 different categories.
The New York Times
' Blogs 101 guide has some interesting lists of favorite blogs, including a design category.
To see which blogs other readers like ...
Digg
's social content site is organized into news, videos, and podcasts. Users submit articles, blog posts, podcasts, or other content to the site for other users to read and vote on, and the top sites are kept in the popular stories section, while the unloved are dumped. Widely used by blogs hoping to increase their readership, this is a good place to find new ones that interest you.
Sphere.com
's toolbar button lets you use any Web site as the starting point for a search for related blogs. Designed specifically for finding blogs based on your interests, this site lets you search by phrase or related site, giving you results sorted by relevance or time.
Delicious
lets you discover new sites and blogs by exploring the favorite sites of your friends, family, or complete strangers. First and foremost a bookmarking site designed to let you access your bookmarks from any computer, Delicious is simple to use and free.
Reddit
's power to connect you to new content comes from its trainable filter, which learns what you like from how you rate different sites and stories. Users who submit well-liked sites are rewarded with "karma," making this site truly social, with popular kids, outcasts, and all.
To learn more about trackback ...
Movable Type
invented trackback technology, and has published this explanation. A bit obscured by technical speak, this guide nonetheless contains all you need to know about using trackback technology with Movable Type blogs.
Cruftbox
's step-by-step explanation on how to use trackbacks on your own blog includes helpful screenshots to show you what each step will look like.
Al-Muhajabah
, author of three Islamic blogs, has posted this concise and straightforward explanation of trackbacks.
For top political blogs ...
Wonkette
brings spunkiness to the beltway with its witty and sometimes hilarious take on Washington politics, media, and scandals.
Andrew Sullivan
is often described as "that British, conservative, gay, catholic, HIV+, anti-republican, mainstream blogger." Incorporating all these seemingly contradictory points of view, this blog defies categorization to bring you a unique take on politics, religion, and spirituality.
Drudge Report
's cluttered and unorganized layout somehow is forgiven by the blogosphere, which has made this blog one of the most well-known and well-read conservative political news sites on the Web.
The Huffington Post
's sheer bulk of content is staggering. Named for its founder, the former conservative and now progressive Arianna Huffington, this site hosts the famous blog of the same name, written by a horde of commentators, as well as countless news and features.
dailykos
points a critical eye towards current news, politics, and the blog world.
Crooks and Liars
takes a break once a day from its informative posts on politics and the news to bring you a classic music video or two on this video-heavy blog.
To read about food ...
Life Begins at 30
is an energetic blog focused mainly on local food, sustainable food, interesting food, and, well ... food. Peppered with beautiful photography of one woman's food and travels, this site will open your eyes to the exotic and the ordinary that socially responsible food has to offer, and waxes beautifully on the issues central to the movement.
The Food Section
is more of a food newspaper than a blog. Whatever is happening in the food world, be it kosher-for-Passover Coca-Cola or a review of a new restaurant, you'll find writer Josh Friedland's opinion about it or a link to a story about it in the news. The site says it has "all the news that's fit to eat."
101 Cookbooks
documents one woman's adventures exploring the recipes in her cookbook collection. Find some new twists to old recipes as well as the thoughts of the author sprinkled into the mix. Also, read about her favorite cookbooks and some upcoming book releases.
Chocolate and Zucchini
is a blog written by a Parisian in English. The "Bloxicon" section translates a lot of the French terminology used on the blog (and that you may find in your own French recipes or at a French restaurant).
For popular blogs about travel ...
TravelBlog
's unlimited photo and video space for their bloggers is impressive. This free travel blog hosting site is home to hundreds of blogs of travelers roaming the world.
The HoboTraveler
's light and contemplative writing is a refreshing break from the usual "sight" heavy travel blogs. Skip quickly past the crowded ads at the top of the page to read about his ongoing 10-year trip to over 76 countries and counting.
Written Road
is a useful resource if you fancy yourself a travel writer of any sort. Part blog, part virtual café, this site gives you a look into the life and mind of travel writer Jen Leo, as well as provides news about events and opportunities.
Google Maps Mania
is an unofficial blog that keeps readers updated on the new and innovative ways that different sites employ Google Maps technology. Click on the "Travel and Tourism" topic filter (in the Mashups and Tools Index on the right of the page) for posts about how this 21st-century tool can help you in your travels.
For music blogs ...
Tim Breihan
, music critic for the Village Voice, brings a fortune of knowledge and wit to this all-genre, always entertaining music blog. At the center of the music blog world, this site's blogroll is a good place to further search for blogs.
Stereogum
's Gum Mix music player brings an indie soundtrack to this blog-cum-online-music magazine.
Paper Thin Walls
is sick of music reviews. In retaliation, it posts three "essential" tracks a day for you to listen to, accompanied by a simple out-of-10 rating. Clicking on the track will let you see a short review and comments if you choose.
For sports blogs ...
DeadSpin.com
is a snarky, widely read sports blog published by Gawker Media. It covers breaking sports news with trademark cynicism and wit.
The Mighty MJD
is a good blog for a sports-induced laugh. Sarcasm-laden posts bring to light the bizarre and humorous side of international sports.
Baseball Musings
is a long-running, comprehensive baseball blog written by former ESPN Baseball Tonight Online host David Pinto. It's updated constantly throughout the day, so there's always an interesting new insight to check back on. Anything baseball-related is fair game; this means everything from in-depth team and player analysis down to clubhouse pranks.
True Hoop
is an award-winning NBA blog written by sportswriter Henry Abbott. Daily posts cover a variety of hoops-related news and rumors. Posts are sortable by topic.
The Fanhouse
is an America Online sports news blog with sub-blogs for the major U.S. sports. The NFL blog's posts are primarily recaps and interpretations of breaking football news, but also include game analysis and general football commentary. It's a very active blog that adds new posts throughout the day, even during the off season.
Dave's Football Blog
gives equal treatment to all varieties of "football" worldwide. Over the course of one week you can read posts covering Japan's Association football league, New Zealand's All-Black's rugby team, the English Premiership, and Gaelic football of the Emerald Isles.
Taco Juice
has an extensive directory of hockey blogs. It's organized to help visitors find team blogs, player blogs, and general hockey blogs.
Tennis-X
's "Tennis Blogger" compiles posts from top tennis blogs around the Web to make keeping on top of the latest news a breeze. Also of interest are Tennis-X's message boards (in the "Talk" section) and the "Dish" section, which centralizes tennis news stories from all over the Web.
For blogs about health ...
WebMD
has a number of blogs about various health issues, written by doctors and registered nurses. Search the alphabetized list of topics to find a blog of interest.
The Health Care Blog
provides widely respected commentary on the world of healthcare and the innovations in the industry. Don't be put off by its drab design and sometimes hard-to-follow organization; there's a good deal of valuable insight in this frequently updated blog.
Health Care Law Blog
reports and muses on the latest developments and news in health care law for doctors and health care providers, fulfilling the age-old wisdom that where you find doctors you'll find lawyers.
For car blogs ...
Classical Drives
is a classic car blog with coverage of auctions, restorations, automotive history, and some cool cars.
Autoblog
is a source for news and quality commentary. It's updated multiple times throughout the day by a team of dedicated bloggers. Interesting posts address the quirky, cutting-edge, and downright fascinating side of automotive news.
The Truth About Cars
' team of car-fanatic writers combines car reviews, editorials on the auto industry and market, and podcasts in this blog.
Jalopnik
's posts unanimously showcase extreme, cool, bizarre, and hilarious cars from around the world, complimented by some truly entertaining writing. More than just a blog on cars, the site includes social commentary on automotive-related issues.
Cars!Cars!Cars!
keeps readers current on wide-ranging auto topics. After reading a few posts commenting on the seemingly dismal state of the American car industry, you'll see why the site's tagline reads: "A Car Blog. Only Angrier."
For blogs about personal finance and investing ...
Calculated Risk
covers topics in personal finance, the economy, and investing. Written by a retired executive with a background in investing and finance, the author often provides links to news articles and occasionally to presentations from industry forums. He also offers responses to current events and the opinions of other professionals.
Make Your Nut
is a blog that promises to share "finance tricks, tips, and pitfalls." It's by homeowners in their thirties who share advice on how to save money on little daily things and how to set long-term goals.
Stockblogs.com
is a directory of investing blogs. You can search by specific topic, so if there is a particular aspect of investing you want to investigate, finding a related blog is easy. Once you select a topic, you can read a brief description of the available blogs.
The Big Picture
's author shares his macro perspective on economy, geopolitics, technology, and digital media in a spirited and punchy blog. The author is a market strategist and fund manager in New York and writes about anything market-, technology-, or news-related that piques his interest. The blog is perceptive, engaging, and highly rated by some top publications.
22 Dollars
is a blog focused on trading and investing ideas as well as world events that relate to the behavior of the market. Down to earth and written in basic English, the blog also posts a box with market quotes so you can stay updated while you read.
Alchemy of Trading
is the blog of a professional stockbroker who writes about his own equity trading practices and the market at large. The best aspect of this blog is the easy-to-read charts he posts in each entry. Also check his "About" page for a glossary of the (somewhat bizarre) terms he uses.
For religion blogs ...
Christdot.org
is an apolitical blog that reports exclusively "Jesus related" news. Daily posts alert readers to anything that is happening in the world of Christianity. The site also has links to book recommendations, news, and polls.
Whispers In The Loggia
meticulously tracks the day-to-day events of the Catholic church. The 23-year-old author, Rocco Palmo, has cultivated an array of insider sources and his blog has 8,000 readers a day, some of whom are Church officials. Palmo says he has reason to believe that the Pope himself reads the blog but even if he doesn't, the blog is a detailed source for lay people curious about the Vatican.
The Velveteen Rabbi
is a blog written by a young female rabbinical student who also holds an MFA in creative writing. She writes about her own experience with her studies and ritualistic Judaism, as well as exploring the relationship between writing and prayer.
Jewishblogging.com
lists many of the available Jewish blogs. You can search through the ample topic list which includes Books, Orthodoxy, Technology, Gay Judaism, and more. You can read all the blogs that interest you and easily register your own blog if you want to be on the site.
Quakerquaker.org
provides a guide to the best Quaker blogs. There is a blogroll on the left of the screen where you can select blogs by topic such as "Simplicity" or "Sexuality" or "Activism." The site does not reference every Quaker blog, but it lists more than a few.
For blogs about technology ...
BoingBoing
is a blog that bills itself as a "directory of wonderful things." Entries tend to cover the off-beat and bizarre with a sci-tech focus, but aren't limited in their scope. You never know what to expect from this blog, but you can assume it will be interesting.
Slashdot
(or /. for short) provides community news with a nerdy tech focus. Stories are organized in categories like Apple, Games, Interviews, and Politics. Each story has an attached discussion in a forum-style comments section. Read book reviews by Slashdot readers or take part in the Slashdot Poll.
Gizmodo
is great site for anyone with a gadget fetish. If a product is cutting edge, cool, and electronic, you'll find someone talking about it here—yesterday. Webcams, lamps, PDAs, fax machines: everything goes. If we hadn't gone to Gizmodo, how would we have learned about the trouser-pressing robot?
Lifehacker
is a technology blog with an emphasis on self-improvement and productivity, offering tips on subjects such as avoiding identity theft and managing personal finances. The best way to navigate through Lifehacker's wealth of information is to visit the archives (linked at the bottom of the left-hand column) and browse by category. If you know what you're looking for you could also try using the search function.
O'Reilly Network
is a leading network of respected technology Web sites. At their homepage, you can access articles, blogs, and podcasts from O'Reilly Net sites. Search an archive of 4,500 tech articles, or browse through their blogs. In the podcast section you can listen to podcasts on a variety of technology subjects. If you're new to podcasts you can learn all about what they are, how they work, and how you can host your own.
Wired.com
allows visitors to access articles in Wired Magazine, Wired News, and Wired Blogs. Wired's witty articles incorporate cultural and political commentary in their coverage of games, space, media, gadgets, the Net, and much more.
For entertainment blogs ...
Popsugar
is the usual celebrity gossip column blog but with a perky, semi-positive twist. Instead of, say, making fun of celebrities in rehab, Popsugar is more likely to wish them well in their efforts to restore mental and physical health. This is one of the few quality "family friendly" entertainment blogs out there.
Who knew?
PostSecret
combines voyeurism and an empathetic community on this simple blog that posts the mailed-in anonymous postcard secrets of people around the country. Sometimes shocking, sometimes touching, almost always artistic, this weekly Sunday blog post is certainly unique.
Paleo-Future
is a blog about the past of the future. Get it? The author brings you clippings, pictures, and musings about the image of the future from past decades.
Tcritic.com
is a review site for the discerning T-shirt connoisseur. Each post features a new and interesting T-shirt design.
Indexed
shows how sometimes the most interesting sites on the Web are the low-tech ones. Each post is simply a pen sketch diagram of some sort. This blog is hilarious, touching, and one of a kind.
Justin.tv
is just one example of the phenomena of vlogs (video Weblogs). Quite simply, Justin has a camera on his head, 24/7. This is his life.
Bad Jocks
, a blog where "COPS meets SportsCenter," focuses its attention exclusively on law-breaking athletes, teams, coaches, and administrators. Check out Bad Jocks for the latest news covering on- and off-the-field crimes like brawls, drug and alcohol abuse, high school and college hazing, steroid use, and more. It's not the prettiest site you'll see, but it certainly is thorough.
Blog Feeds and News Aggregators
As you start surfing the blogosphere, you're bound to amass a growing collection of favorite blogs ... read more »
Starting a Blog
Blogging was designed to empower every Internet user, so it's natural that you might be wondering ... read more »
Blogging for Money
The more effort you spend on your blog, the more you might be thinking "I ought to get paid ... read more »
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