Backspin made Elder of Ziyon’s short list of favorite blogs and the compliment comes with a challenge: to list my seven favorite blogs. I likewise call on my favorite bloggers to list their seven favorites as well.
Making this list wasn’t so easy. Feeds sterilize the enjoyment of a good post. Entries blur over the day. There are other blogs I wish I had more time for. And this list doesn’t reflect the time I spend on other blogs that fill other important niches. For that, I must suffice with a salute to everyone on my blogroll.
It’s worth pausing to savor good blogging, if only because a good blogger should be a connoisseur of good blogging. Here are my seven faves in no particular order:
• I used to say, “I want to be a cartoonist when I grow up.” After meeting Yaakov Kirschen, I figured out Dry Bones‘ enduring appeal: the best cartoonists never really “grow up.”
• If Michael Totten worked for a newspaper, he’d have a Pulitzer or three. Journalism students take note.
• Nobody stays on top of the Arab language media like Memri and I waited patiently for the launch of the Memri Blog. The daily findings were worth the wait.
• The well-connected, consistent Jim Romensko has a broad knowledge of the media industry and the Poynter Institute’s backing. That’s a recipe for solid blogging.
• If you haven’t noticed, Professor Richard Landes has a lot to say about media issues beyond l’affaire al-Dura. I’m learning a lot from his style at The Augean Stables.
• Media monitoring’s not his thing, but if I had to choose one blogger to replace me, I’d hand over my keyboard and mouse to Daled Amos. His combination of thoughtful posts and understanding of the Mideast conflict give me confidence he can handle the media issues I deal with every day in an articulate way.
• Steve Rubel forgets more about Web 2.0 than I’ll ever know. Micro Persuasion is but one tool in his Batbelt — you’re cheating yourself if you don’t explore Rubel’s social media links. What does that say about the future of blogging?
I now invite everyone to list their favorite blogs (no more than seven, please) in the comments section.
