Top 5 of '05: Most read blogs

Favorite Blogs

1. Paul Soglin :: Waxing America
2. Eating in Madison A to Z
3. Sandhill Trek
4. Badger Blues
5. Marginal Utility

This category was an interesting experience for Dane101.com. Between the end of October and the start of January we began averaging between 20,000 and 30,000 page views per month. A page view means that visitors are going deeper than just our front page and reading multiple articles. It was a positive sign because between April and September we were riding the 15,000 mark and couldn’t seem to get the extra push we needed. The jump we had in October convinced some of us (o-kay, me) that blogs might be starting to catch on. The decision was made to include a best blog category. The original rule was that no corporate run blogs (like the Daily Page) or group blogs (like Dane101) would be included and we would only count individual blogs.

We thank everyone who made Dane101 their number one choice, thanks to you if we didn’t have these rules we would have easily taken number one. The Daily Page would have been tied with Paul Soglin for number two.

What we learned by having this category was that blogs aren’t as commonly read in Madison as suspected. With the exception of Best Athlete (which received ONE vote) it had the least amount of repeat entries. Noting that, I have changed the structure slightly. While in all of the other categories the winner is determined by a point system (number ones = five points, number two = four points, number three = three points, number four = two points, number five = one point) in this category blogs have also been awarded an extra point for every list they appear on.

Madison readers love the former Mayor Paul Soglin easily placing him at the top of our list. Following that up is Eating from A to Z, an inspired blog about eating at every restaurant in the city in alphabetical order. Stepping up to snatch number three is Frank Paynter’s blog about everything under the sun (but mostly politics in a light hearted manner), Sandhill Trek. Badger Blues, a blog with a subtitle that sounds a little redundant (progressive politics from Madison, Wisconsin) highlights the political bent of our readership. Economist Tom Bozzo takes the final bow at number five with Marginal Utility.

Other blogs making lists:
Bookish Gardener, Brenda Konkel’s This Side of Town..., Kiki Magical Music Reviews, Madison Art Crime Collective, Ultimate Madison Bar Tour, Madison: Go West turn Left, My Brain Is Made Of Things Made Of Gold, Muzzle of Bees, No On the Amendment, PR Watch, Rational Power, School Info System, slopvehicle, Southern Faggot, Station Wagon Fiesta, the Dominionist, WisBlawg, and ZMetro.