Top Ten Black Blogs (Aug 2008)

I had a great time at the Blogging While Brown conference in Atlanta last weekend! It was a remarkable opportunity for me to see some great bloggers face-to-face for the first time. A number of the bloggers in attendance (and via Twitter) let me know that they follow the Villager's Black Blog Rankings (BBR)! Therefore, it is with pleasure that I share with you the Aug 2008 rankings with 1,329 blogs being tracked! We have seen over 100% growth in the BBR since the beginning of the calendar year.

• September 2007 - 75 Black blogs
• January 2008 - 602 Black blogs
• March 2008 - 850 Black blogs
• June 2008 - 1,239 Black blogs
• July 2008 - 1,269 Black blogs

Anyhow, with no further ado, here are the Top Ten Black Blogs for Aug 2008:

1. Pam Spaulding: Pam's House Blend* (Authority: 1,142 / Rank: 2,160) - [Politics] I had pleasure of sitting next to Pam during the BWB Conference last month. I marveled at her ability to break down the information from the workshop presenters into posts for her blog ... complete with photos! Her hometown newspaper wrote a detailed article on the growing respect that Pam is getting throughout the blogosphere. Her blog will be a centerpiece of the coverage later this month at the Democratic National Convention. Pam earned her position as the top blogger of African descent in the universe!
2. Ahsmi Rawlins: Nah Right (Authority: 974 / Rank: 2,713) - [Entertainment] This blog moves into the BBR #2 slot for the first time ever. Ashmi (a.k.a., ESKAY) has operated his blog since May 2005. He made a brief mention of my blog a few months ago that resulted in my highest daily traffic ever. His blog benefits from his timely posts about all things hip-hop. In fact, many consider ESKAY to be on of the top five writers on hip hop in the world.
3. The Bossip: Bossip.com (Authority: 916 / Rank: 2,866) - [Entertainment] Bossip.com works hard to say on top of new trends. I appreciate the 'link-love' given by The Bossip in support of our efforts here on da Village! Many Black bloggers respect the way in which The Bossip has been able to monetize Bossip.com. Has anyone figured out whether The Bossip is a brother or a sister?
4. Angel Laws: Concrete Loop (Authority: 916 / Rank: 2,999) - [Entertainment] Angel Laws is the young sister who started this blog as a hobby. I still need to go through the blogs on Angel's Dope Sites & Blogs to add the ones that are Black-owned to the Black Blog Rankings. One day we figure that our Electronic Village will be one of her dope blogs!
5. Oliver Willis: Oliver Willis (Authority: 713 / Rank: 4,280) - [Politics] This must be one of the best times since Oliver began blogging in April 2005. His beloved Washington Redskins are getting ready for the NFL season and he is one of the few Black bloggers credentialed to cover the DemConvention later this month in Denver.
6. Natasha Eubanks: Young, Black & Fabulous (Authority: 703 / Rank: 4,370) - [Entertainment] Natasha established her blog in late 2005, just a few weeks before starting Loyola University Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana. What originally began as a hobby to fill the void of Black Hollywood coverage in the mainstream media, has now turned into one of the most visited black celebrity gossip sites on the web. TheYBF.com receives anywhere from 80K-130K hits a day and averages 4.5 million page views a month [source]. Methinks that Natasha will break into the BBR Top 5 next month.
7. Sandra Rose: Sandra Rose (Authority: 467 / Rank: 7,809) - [Entertainment] I didn't see Sandra Rose when I was in Atlanta last month for the BWB Conference. I'm going back this month for the BDPA Technology Conference ... maybe she'll be in town! I imagine she couldn't come to the BWB Conference because of her ongoing beef with Kanye West. Anyhow, the sister is going strong. She is another blogger that successfully made transition from Blogger-platform to her own domain ... and managed to regain her position in the BBR Top 10. Perhaps this will be the month that Sis. Rose gives the Electronic Village some link-love on her blogroll.
8. Kimberley Kira: The Angry Black Woman (Authority: 454 / Rank: 8,168) - [Social Commentary] Kimberley Kira (a.k.a., Tempest) jumped two spots to BBR #8 this month. I recently learned that Tempest attended the School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) in my current home town of Cincinnati OH. She describes herself as a "bisexual polyamorous pagan gamer geek" ... which might explain the focus that her blog places on sexism and racism. Now that I know about her Cincinnati roots ... I will be more proactive in following her blog over the coming weeks and months. After all, she ain't in the BBR Top Ten for nothin'!
9. Fresh Crunkjuice: Crunk & Disorderly* (Authority: 452 / Rank: 8,834) - [Entertainment] This gossip blog, created in August 2004, is in the middle of a transition to a new domain. The new domain is rising fast on the BBR. I anticipate that his other blog will crack the Top 10 shortly ... it is currently sitting at BBR #27.
10. Baratunde Thurston and Cheryl Contee: Jack and Jill Politics* (Authority: 444 / Rank: 8,385) - [Politics] Baratunde (a.ka. Jack Turner) and Cheryl (a.k.a. Jill Tubman) are two of the most active bloggers in the political realm. They are both credentialed to be on the floor of the 2008 National Democratic Convention in Denver later this summer. This blog is transitioning to a new domain. The new domain is rising fast on the BBR. I anticipate their other blog will crack the Top 10 shortly ... it is currently sitting at BBR #12.

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HONORABLE MENTION (11-25): How To Split An Atom, Jack & Jill Politics*, The Field Negro*, Necole Bitchie, What About Our Daughters*, Real Talk NY Provides The Latest Hip Hop News, La Shawn Barber's Corner, AfroBella, Angry Black Bitch, Keith Boykin, Raw Dawg Buffalo, Love B. Scott, Too Sense, Clutch Magazine and Electronic Village*

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This ranking is open to any blogger of African descent. You do not have to be a member of The AfroSpear or the Afrosphere Bloggers Association, although we invite all Black bloggers to join either (or both) of those organizations.

Those blogs with an asterisk after their name are members of The AfroSpear. Next month we will highlight those blogs that win 2008 Black Weblog Awards.

Black Blog Rankings lean heavily on the Technorati Authority and Rank score for each blog. The Technorati authority and rank numbers are shown in parenthesis. The authority figure includes a number of factors including the number of blogs that are linked to this blogger over the past six months. The rank number indicates how many blogs are between the one listed and The Huffington Post, which is the #1 overall blog in the universe.

We do think that these Black blogs are important spheres of influence. Let them know that you appreciate the work they have put in over the past few months and years to get on this list. My vision is that you will nominate many of the brothers and sisters on this month's BBR for a 2008 Black Weblog Award.

Finally, I encourage all bloggers to provide some link-love to this post so that your readers can learn about the Villager's Black Blog Rankings!

Next step is yours ... what say u?