An anonymous visitor posted a very good question and rather than continue the discussion below the original post I'm moving the comment here so that I can respond.
My immediate supervisor, who is a strong supporter of the blog watch concept, wants to focus on the official blogs and the political discussions among insiders.
Hey hey,
If you feel like addressing any of the following, I always have questions:
What are the official blogs of Sacramento? Who are the insiders? What are you looking for in the posts you profile on the "Best" category? What is the tie to the opinion page? Do you expect there to be cross-over? What would you like to get from Sacramento bloggers, to make ipsoSacto better? Why don't you have a "City Life" type category? What do you think a sampling of the local blogs offers SacBee readers?
What are the official blogs of Sacramento? Who are the insiders?
I get antsy about naming names because I know I don't yet have a complete list of regional blogs, and especially political blogs. The list below are blogs that are so safe (in terms of what I expect them to offer and in terms of profanity-free content) that they feed directly into my "Politics" section without monitoring.
Alliance for a Better California
The Flash Report Blog and Commentary
The California Majority Report
Sacramento for Democracy
California Progress Report
Speak Out California Weblog
The California Observer
California Conservative
California Election Law
Calitics: Soapblox California RSS Feed
Solano Blog
Election Law
The Capitol Insider
Daniel Weintraub's California Insider
Capital Notes- From KQED's John Myers
There are many more blogs that fit the politics category, but I watch them more closely.
You can download the complete list of blogs I'm monitoring (OPML format) here .
"Best" is really a misnomer. I've set what I think of a fairly low standard. It is easier to say what's not best. It would probably be better to think of the "best" category as a summary of all of the categories.
Keep in mind that this is ALL a work in progress. If this EVER gets in sacbee, I might decide to limit "best" to, say, the 10 posts I found especially important. But what I REALLY want to do -- someday -- is to have a system where readers rate posts on a scale, add their topics, say what's funny and what's not, and then have the collected blogosphere sortable with that data. Basically, a SlashDot.org model for regional blogs.
What is the tie to the opinion page? ... Why don't you have a "City Life" type category?
The tie to the opinion page is the same one that Letters to the Editor has. And since I was The Sacramento Bee's letters editor for 19 years, I have a certain expertise. In fact, I might be accused of proposing turning the blogosphere into a letters to the editor clone.
It is this view of blogs as letter-like that leads to the topics and, at the same time, the restriction on what qualifies. The "city life" topic could be included today using the Walkable Neighborhoods and several other midtown blogs. But I still need a place for stuff that's just fun to read.
What do you think a sampling of the local blogs offers SacBee readers?
In much the same way letters provide a glimpse of what residents are thinking, the Blog Watch concept suggests that a wider view of the community could be found in monitoring blogs.
What would you like to get from Sacramento bloggers, to make ipsoSacto better?
ipsoSacto is a development server -- a sandbox where I play. Once sacbee.com incorporates The Blog Watch, then I'll move on to something else. I would love to have feedback from regional bloggers on how, for instance, to set the bar on what's best and what other topics should be incorporated. And, of course, once the Blog Watch moves to sacbee.com I want even more feedback.
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