Month: February 2007

Becky Carroll and Sharon Sarmiento have done an OUTSTANDING job of visiting each of the blogs on the Z-list and categorising them for us all! What we have done is add in a 10 Word Description that tries to capture the focus of each blog (easier said than done, believe me!). It has been an exciting couple of days!

We have this current list available in a number of formats — Word, HTML and Excel. I was trying to put the Excel version into a pivot table but kept losing the links (anyone volunteering for pivot table duty?). I have also started a Z-list wikipedia page and aim to have an editable version of the Z-list available there sometime soon — feel free to contribute.

Note to future Z-listers — please add in some of these details as it helps all potential visitors to choose to visit you!

Update: Added Mindblob — sorry Luc!

Download zlist_by_category.xls

Download Zlist-categorised.doc

AND HERE IT IS …

 

Blog Name	Author	Location	Category	10 Word Description
Calico Monkey			Animation	Focuses on the ToonBoom software to create animation.
Women, Art, Life: Weaving It All Together	Tammy Vitale	Maryland, USA	Art	Art-focused, including thoughts on the art that Tammy produces.
Woolgathering	Elizabeth Perry		Art	Looking, thinking, drawing, being
World Blog Collection	ugyen		Blog aggregator	Blog listings categorized by type; goal to add 1000 links in ’07.
Blogging Secret	Louiss Lim	Malaysia	Blogging	Part personal but mostly blogging related site.
Blogging to Fame	Divya Uttam	India	Blogging	All aspects of online business from SEO to usability and blogging.
Blog-Op	Chris Lodge		Blogging	How to improve your blogging by Chris and others.
Daily Blog Tips	Daniel		Blogging	Tips to improve your blogging from tools to design.
Mike’s Money Making Mission	Mike		Blogging	Making money using free blogs.
One Reader at a Time	Bob Glaza		Blogging	One blogger’s experiment in building and engaging with online communities.
Ruminate this site	The Ruminator	Maine, USA	Blogging	Reviews blogs and sites so that we don’t have to.
SMogger Social Media Blog	Linda Bustos	Vancouver, Canada	Blogging	The ethical use of social media for bloggers and other web users.
SuccessCREEations	Chris Cree	Georgia, USA	Blogging	Blog Consultant bringing the twin passions of business and blogging together.
Successful Blog	Liz Strauss		Blogging	The legendary Liz Strauss, blogger extraordinaire and creator of the SOB award.
Troy Worman’s Blog	Troy Worman	Jacksonville, USA	Blogging	Focus on writing, ideas and connections
Copywriter’s Crucible	Matt Ambrose	UK	Blogging, Copywriting	The importance of copy in corporate blogging
Copywriting Tuneups	Eric Rosen		Blogging, Copywriting	How to measure reading effectiveness and why it is important in the blogosphere
Dipping into the Blogpond	Meg	Sydney, Australia	Blogging, Tech	Blogging about starting an Internet company in the Sutherland Shire.
BrandSizzle	Anne Simons		Branding	Broad and deep insight into the branding process.
Own Your Brand!	Mike Wagner	Iowa, USA	Branding	Blog to help businesses re-imagine their brands.
The Emerging Brand	Anna Farmery	UK	Branding	Corporate branding blog focused on leadership.
The Engaging Brand	Anna Farmery	UK	Branding	Using technology and marketing knowledge to improve business communications.
What is Brand?		Japan	Branding	Japanese readers/speakers? Anyone?
Presentation Zen	Garr Reynolds	Japan	Business	(Site in English) Tips for great presentations, marketing, and business communications.
Bob Sutton	Bob Sutton	California, USA	Business	Discussions of “jerks” in business.
Perspective	Niti Bhan	Asia	Business	Health, wealth and the freedom to choose.  Archived blog.  New one is jugaad (http://www.nitibhan.com/jugaad).
Ramblings from a Glass Half Full	Terry Starbucker	Connecticut, USA	Business	Views on business life.
Simplicity Mary’s Blog	Mary Schmidt	New Mexico, USA	Business	Business development, marketing troubleshooting
Funny Business	Scrambled Toast		Business commentary	Wide ranging discussion on business with a funny and pictorial approach.
Creative Think	Roger von Oech	California, USA	Business, Creativity	Fun Ideas to stimulate your creativity.
The Copywriting Maven	Roberta Rosenberg	Washington  DC, USA	Copywriting	Marketing and SEO copywriting tips.
Brain Based Biz	Robyn McMaster		Creativity	Tips for stirring creativity in business.
Experienceology	Stephanie Weaver	California, USA	Customer Experience	How to create great customer experiences on the web and in the “real” world.
QAQNA	Tom Vander Well	Iowa, USA	Customer service	Business blog on call centers, quality assessment, and customer service.
Shut Up and Drink the Kool-Aid!	Tim Jackson		Cycling, Blogging	The irrepressible Tim MasiGuy Jackson and Co’s slant on bicycle marketing.
MineThatData	Kevin Hillstrom		Database Marketing	Tips for database marketing from the viewpoint of a DM wiz.
Design Sojourn	DT	Sydney and Singapore	Design	How to do good design and create clever products.
aialone	JT (Jon) Winebrenner	Canada	Design, tech	Design, innovation, as well as Jon’s cartoons!
Frozen Puck	Brock Skywalker	Canada	Eclectic	Making cool stuff with expensive toys
Africa Unchained	Emeka Okafor		Economy	Discussing issues and solutions in Africa.
Energy Blog			Energy Industry	News, information and updates on the Energy generation industry.
Movie Marketing Madness	Chris		Entertainment, marketing	Marketing with a focus on Hollywood.  No info on About page.
gDiapers	Jason	Oregon, USA	Environment	Corporate blog discussing environmental issues.
Time to Budget	Mona Weathers		Finance	How to gain financial freedom by controlling your finances.
Soloride	Paul Sanchez	California, USA	Fundraising	A project raising awareness and funds for children with dyslexia and learning differences
Girls Swimsuits	Preety		Girls	The name says it all, new site, small archive.
Home Business Wiz	Barbra Sundquist	Canada	Home business	Collection of resources about home business.
Working at Home on the Internet	Joe Hauckes		Home business, Blogging	Home business entrepreneurs and making money from home
Kristie T	Kristie Tamsevicius		Home business, Online Money Making	Fun, mom-geared work-at-home tips and advice on making money on the net.
Asia Inspection Community			Industrial	Blog for Inspection Engineers based in Asia. Includes job board.
Employment Law Colorado	Peter Mullison	Colorado, USA	Law	Resource for employers and employees on Colorado employment law
Leading Questions	Ed Brenegar	USA	Leadership	Real life leadership, organisational tranformation and practical tips for leaders of all kinds.
Steve Olson	Steve Olson		Life	Chronicling one family’s quest for personal freedom.
Make It Great!	Phil Gerbyshack	Wisconsin, USA	Life coaching	How to take your life from good to great by focusing on relationships.
You Already Know This Stuff	Jodee Bock	Fargo, USA	Life Coaching	Reminding us all that what we need to know is already in our minds and hearts.
HolyMama!		USA	Lifestyle	Funny perspective on life from a stay at home Christian mom.
My Marrakesh	Maryam Montegue	Morocco	Lifestyle	Expatriate American with an eye for style, architecture and good living
Gangster Sonny			Mafia	Fascinated with all things mafia … from movies to weapons.
Talking Story	Rosa Say	Hawaii, USA	Management	Management and leadership, Hawaiian style.
AENDirect	Aen Tan	Singapore	Marketing	Freelance art director’s view on creativity and advertising
Being Peter Kim	Peter Kim	Massachusetts, USA	Marketing	Personal insights from the depths of Forrester (note: this is his personal, not Forrester, blog).
BizandBuzz	Gianandrea Facchini	Rome, Italy	Marketing	Brand building and marketing from an Italian perspective
bizsolutionsplus	Lewis Green	Connecticut, USA	Marketing	A passionate and respected author, marketer and activist.
Blog Till You Drop!	Laurence-Hélène	UK	Marketing	Marketing, advertising, branding, blogging
Branding & Marketing	Chris Brown	Ohio, USA	Marketing	Designed for business professionals with an interest in branding and marketing.
Business Garden		France	Marketing	French readers/speakers?
Buzz Canuck	Sean Moffitt	Toronto, Canada	Word of Mouth	Passionate exponent of word of mouth from Canada.
Buzzoodle	Ron McDaniel	Ohio, USA	Word of mouth, Marketing	Creating buzz with word of mouth marketing.
Christine Kane	Christine Kane		Marketing, Music	A recording artist, Christine harnesses the power of community to reach her audience.
CKs Blog	Christina Kerley	New York, USA	Marketing	Clever strategies, the new best practices, and the smart marketers behind them.
Conversation Agent	Valeria Maltoni	Pennsylvania, USA	Marketing	Connecting ideas and people—how talk can change our lives
converstations	Mike Sansone	Des Moines, USA	Marketing, blogging	Known as the blogging yoda (for insight not looks), Mike is a conversation generator.
CrapHammer	Sean Howard	Canada	Marketing	Marketing using new media.
Customers Rock!	Becky Carroll	California, USA	Marketing, Customer Experience	Marketing the customer experience; its importance for businesses.
Diva Marketing	Toby Bloomberg	Atlanta, USA	Marketing	The Diva herself, aligning technology, marketing and branding for businesses.
Dmitry Linkov	Dmitry Linkov	Moscow, Russia	Marketing, Business	Everyday and business issues
Drew’s Marketing Minute	Drew McLellan	USA	Marketing, Eclectic	Where strategy and passion collide
eSoup	Sharon Sarmiento	Alabama, USA	Marketing, Entrepreneurism	Productivity, marketing, web media, small biz development and other stuff entrepreneurs ought to know.
Flooring the Consumer	C. B. Whittemore	New Jersey, USA	Marketing, Customer Experience	Improving the consumer experience, particularly in flooring (carpeting)
Get Shouty!	Katie Chatfield	Sydney, Australia	Marketing, Planning	Digital strategy and thoughts on blogging.
Golden Practices	Michelle Golden		Marketing	Thoughts on marketing for professional services firms, including lawyers and CPAs.
Hee-Haw Marketing	Paul McEnany	Texas, USA	Marketing	There is no box. New media marketing strategy thrown together with a few cuss words and a dash of panache.
Hola! Oi! Hi!	Katia Adams	New York, USA	Marketing, Multicultural	Thoughts of a Brazilian newly arrived in the US with a marketer’s point of view.
Jeremy Latham’s Blog	Jeremy Latham	Vancouver, Canada	Marketing	A marketing-business oriented blog on website development.
John Wagner	John Wagner	Texas, USA	Marketing	News and views on marketing, advertising, media, PR and grass-roots communications
Kinetic Ideas	Wendy Maynard	Oregon, USA	Marketing	Marketing tips, ideas, strategies, and musings for small businesses.
Logic + Emotion	David Armano	Chicago, USA	Marketing	The intersection of marketing, brand engagement and experience design. How to turn your passive consumers into active brand participants.
Marketing Hipster	Cord Silverstein	Raleigh, USA	Marketing	Online oriented blog on marketing and web 2.0 tools.
Marketing Nirvana	Mario Sundar	USA	Marketing	How corporate marketers can leverage the web & social media for better results
Mindblob	Luc	Brussells, Belgium	Marketing	Using alien intelligence to follow the path of ideas as they come to life.
Multi-Cult Classics	HighJive		Marketing, Advertising	Musings on Multiculturalism in the Ad Industry and Beyond.
Nick Rice	Nick Rice	Kentucky, USA	Marketing, branding	Marketing strategy combined with creative thinking and design.
On Influence & Automation	Douglas A. Karr	Indiana, USA	Marketing	A marketing and technology blog
OTOInsights	Jeremi Karnell		Marketing	Corporate blog focusing on using technology to create and sustain customer conversations.
Pardon My French	Eric Frenchman	New Jersey, USA	Marketing	Online strategy and marketing with great case studies of real projects.
Pow! Right Between The Eyes!	Andy Nulman		Marketing	The importance of surprise in business
Purple Wren	Sandy Renshaw	Iowa, USA	Marketing	Tools and techniques for communicating life through print and images.
Servant of Chaos	Gavin Heaton	Sydney, Australia	Marketing	Gavin’s rant on the world of branding and storytelling.
Shotgun Marketing Blog	Chris Houchens	Kentucky, USA	Marketing	Musings on marketing and related ideas.
Small Business Blogging	Andy Wibbels	Chicago, USA	Marketing, Tech	Using web media to market your business
Tell Ten Friends	Jordan Behan	Canada	Marketing	Marketing using new media to make connections.
The Branding Blog	Martin Jelsema		Marketing	Branding principals, opinions and prejudices he’s developed
The Experience Curve	Karl Long	California, USA	Marketing, Social Media	Social media and marketing from an experiential point of view.
The Instigator Blog	Ben Yoskovitz	Montreal, Canada	Marketing	Entrepreneurial focus on marketing, ideas and building your business
The Marketing Minute	Drew McLellan	Iowa, USA	Marketing	Expert insight into marketing and branding. And Drew loves Disneyland.
The Viral Garden	Mack Collier	Alabama, USA	Marketing	Mr Community leads the way in using technology to create conversation.
Two Hat Marketing	Steve Miller	Washington, USA	Marketing	Views on targeted marketing.
Unconventional Thinking	Chris Kieff	New York, USA	Marketing	The art and science of growing businesses
Viaspire	A biz blog—Viaspire		Marketing	Marketing and Communications consulting firm blog
Popcorn n Roses	TC Kirkham and Kim Brown	Massachusetts, USA	Movies	Movie industry blog with reviews and musings.
Current World news			News	“Breaking” news across a couple of categories. Small archive.
Choice at Your Fingertips			News, Blogging	News and tips for making money blogging. No archive.
Blogtrepreneur	Adnan	UK	Online Money Making	How to be an online entrepreneur and also build community!
Can I Make Big Money Online	George Brian Manty		Online Money Making	Tips for making money online including research, design and blogging.
Dosh Dosh	Maki		Online Money Making	Trying to source legitimate methods for making money online.
Internet Bazaar	Guhan Mathivanan		Online Making Money	Tips and ideas for making money online.
Kumiko’s Cash Quest	Kumiko	Tokyo, Japan	Online Money Making	Trying to make money online and sharing the experience.
Million Dollar Experiment heads Down Under	Rob St George	New Zealand	Online Money Making	Can thinking positively make you a cool mill? Rob hopes so.
Quest to make money on the internet		UK	Online Money Making	Currently up to £128, this site makes money by letting out its posting space.
Above Popular	Mark		Personal	Motivated to make the world a better place.
Critical Fluff	Jayniek	Maryland, USA	Personal	Ranks various things in life with mulligans, crabapples, and pineapples.
Forged Euphoria			Personal	Some sponsored links.
OrbitNow!	Troy Worman	Florida, USA	Personal	Miscellaneous musings
The Sartorialist			Photography, fashion	Photos of fashion on the streets, geared to inspire designers.
Bullshitobserver	Todd Anthony		Politics	Politics and commentary.
New Millenium PR	Andrea Weckerle		PR	Bringing business, branding, marketing and PR together.
The New PR	Ryan Anderson	Ottawa, Canada	PR	Public relations in the online world.
Carpe Factum	Timothy Johnson		Project Management	Blog that focuses on the things you need to do to accomplish things. Especially big things.
Work, in Plain English	Penina S Finger		Project Management	A design and marketing focused blog on project management. Interesting mix!
turned out	David Turner	Illinois, USA	Religion	Minister blogging to connect everyone with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Evolution…not just a theory anymore	Greg Laden	Minnesota, USA	Science, Religion	Creation vs evolution, commentary and archaeology by an independent scholar.
SEO Blog			SEO	New site on SEO and use of blogs to improve rankings.
Flee the Cube	ICesar	California, USA	Small Business	Starting up a small business in web design.
Community Guy	Jake McKee	Dallas, USA	Social media	Online and offline community building tips and tricks.
A Free and Decent Blog Host	Unfathomed_Psyche		Tech	Technology news focusing on blogs and blog software
Billions With Zero Knowledge	Austin Hill	Canada	Tech, Business	Changing the world with little bits of knowledge
Connected Internet	Everton Blair	London, UK	Tech	All things to do with technology, mobile phones and gaming.
darrenbarefoot.com	Darren Barefoot	Canada	Tech, marketing	Tech news, writing and marketing
Deepak	Deepak		Tech	Focuses on the technology of the Internet and loves Google.
MapleLeaf 2.0	Mark Evans	Canada	Tech	Tech news stories relating to Canada
Scott Burkett’s Pothole on the Infobahn	Scott Burkett	Georgia, USA	Tech	Musings on technology, IT management, and online community.
Small Surfaces	Gabriel White		Tech	Interaction design, user interface design, user experience, usability and social trends related to mobile devices.
TechBuzz	Thilak	Mangalore, India	Tech	Tech new and reviews written by 17 year old in India. Awesome.
Masey.com	Rob Masefield		Travel	Design and photography blog.
Through the Lenses	Jas	Vancouver, Canada	Travel, Photography	Travel/photography blog includes stunning shots and photography tips.
Travel And Vacation On Blog			Travel	Lightweight travel guide/destination information on selected cities. Needs more.
The Best Guides to eCommerce with Favor			Viral marketing	Viral marketing tools, memes and SEO tips.
Web Metrics Guru	Marshall Sponder		Web analytics	Web analytics, in particular for blogs
The Future of the Web	Jesse Skinner	Canada	Web Development	Use of new technologies for the web.
Social Media on the fly	Mark Krupinski	Florida, USA	Web media, blogging	Learning social media on the fly
Asyuu @ Forest		Japan		Japanese readers/speakers? Anyone?

Becky Carroll came up with a great idea … categorising the Z-list! After all … it was getting a bit out of control! And who better to think of it than one of the VERY FIRST names on the list?

But then I thought, what about a bit more information? What about a brief overview of each blog — just 10 or so words to sum it up? Surely it couldn’t take too long! Hmmm — so I have been up to my neck in the Z-list for the last couple of nights, taking a look here and there …. but luckily I am not alone as Becky decided to pitch in as did my good friend Sharon Sarmiento.

We have been tossing a document between us like a hot potato … and I think we are about half way there. With any luck it will all be done really soon.

When the Z-list phenomenon first started, I really liked the way that people would introduce the blogs that they loved. I think it was this small introduction that made all the difference to me (of course, it was hard to keep up with it all!), and really helped me to decide whether to click-through or not. But as the Z-list spread further and further, this small introduction slipped away, and we ended up with bigger and bigger lists. In the end, Seth Godin threw it all into a Squidoo lens … and then it all seemed to fritter away.

Of course, one of the things that Seth did was to stop the meme from spreading. I don’t know if this was done on purpose, but placing it onto Squidoo meant that everyone went to Squidoo rather than distributing their destinations randomly across the blogosphere. But it now seems like it is kicking itself back into life … and we are aiming to give it a little help along!

Just in case you didn’t understand what I meant about the Z-list … AMPLIFICATION in action. Thanks to Lynette for the prediction. Thanks to the Z-list bloggers for making it come true so quickly.

When Mack Collier started the Z-list, it was done with a clear aim — to "turn Technorati’s system of using a blog’s # of links to determine its ‘authority’, on its ear". The focus at first was on marketing related blogs … but as with all things web 2.0-ish, once you release these beast-like memes into the world, you never know where they might take you.

I remember watching as incoming links started to increase. I was fascinated by the new sites that I would come across simply by following the Z-list. But then, at a certain point, things started to change … the meme jumped a category and began linking through to Education focused sites. This, to me, was thrilling.

The links continued to grow and the original impulse for the Z-list seemed to be lost. New additions to the list didn’t seem to play by the same rules — and simply added the list to their site without new additions. And importantly, for me, I was disappointed to find that otheres were not explaining the reason for adding new sites to the list (afterall, this gives at least some context and extra impetus to click through). But then the Z-list plateaued and seemed to run out of puff.

Over the last week or so there has been more activity kicking in … with a whole new category of blog picking it up. And, surprisingly, it seems to be gaining pace again. However, it is becoming unwieldy … so to provide a little more than a simple list, I am planning to do a quick review of each of the sites on the Z-list and try and categorise them — actually, Becky suggested that we divide the list in half! GREAT! But tonight I am thinking something more … perhaps a quick review — a TEN WORD REVIEW.

Now, I don’t know if I can do it … but will give it a go. What about you, Becky? Up for the Z-list 10 Word Challenge? Anybody else want to help out?

It seems that the Z-list has been picked up by the money-making blog fraternity (perhaps they are the ones raking it in, Ann). So in the spirit of sharing the link love, here is the list fresh from Choice at Your Fingertips (I think I will have to categorise these!):

My Marrakesh
The Viral Garden
BizandBuzz
Choice at Your Fingertips
Ruminate this site
Evolution…not just a theory anymore
Travel And Vacation On Blog
Through the Lenses
A Free and Decent Blog Host
What is Brand?
Asyuu @ Forest
Employment Law Colorado
Current World news
World Blog Collection
Girls Swimsuits
Asia Inspection Community
Business Garden
Dipping into the Blogpond
The Best Guides to eCommerce with Favor
SEO Blog
Energy Blog
Dosh Dosh
Daily Blog Tips
Forged Euphoria
Above Popular
Deepak
Gangster Sonny
Connected Internet
Blog-Op
Mike’s Money Making Mission
Time to Budget
Can I Make Big Money Online
Blogtrepreneur
Flee the Cube
Blogging Secret
Blogging to Fame
Million Dollar Experiment heads Down Under
Quest to make money on the internet
Kumiko’s Cash Quest
Calico Monkey
Internet Bazaar
Shotgun Marketing Blog
BrandSizzle
bizsolutionsplus
Customers Rock!
Being Peter Kim
Pow! Right Between The Eyes!
Billions With Zero Knowledge
Working at Home on the Internet
MapleLeaf 2.0
Two Hat Marketing
darrenbarefoot.com
The Emerging Brand
The Branding Blog
CrapHammer
Drew’s Marketing Minute
Golden Practices
Viaspire
Tell Ten Friends
Flooring the Consumer
Kinetic Ideas
Unconventional Thinking
Buzzoodle
NewsPaperGrl
The Copywriting Maven
Hee-Haw Marketing
Scott Burkett’s Pothole on the Infobahn
Multi-Cult Classics
Logic + Emotion
Branding & Marketing
Popcorn n Roses
On Influence & Automation
Bullshitobserver
Servant of Chaos
converstations
eSoup
Presentation Zen
Dmitry Linkov
aialone
John Wagner
Nick Rice
CKs Blog
Design Sojourn
Frozen Puck
The Sartorialist
Small Surfaces
Africa Unchained
Perspective
gDiapers
Marketing Nirvana
Bob Sutton
｡Hola! Oi! Hi!
Shut Up and Drink the Kool-Aid!
Women, Art, Life: Weaving It All Together
Community Guy
Social Media on the fly