A quick update to my post about tracking the Australian blogosphere: Ratified is now ranking Australian blogs too.
(Link via Lee Hopkins.)
This list is good fun and a good way to find a few new blogs for your reading list. However, I'm surprised by the number of people I meet who view these lists as providing a sound, scientific basis for online PR. They're not.
For example, Ratified counts Feedburner RSS subscriptions. What if a "top blogger" doesn't use Feedburner for whatever reason?
Ratified, like many other systems, uses Technorati's Authority ranking as a proxy for online success. But what if Technorati is splitting a "top blogger's" Authority ranking because their blog can be found via more than one URL?
This system, like many others, requires the blogger to self-register. What about the many Australians who never get around to registering their blogs with all these trackers? And will Ratified be able to stop all overseas spammers from registering their blogs as Australian?
No, if you're looking for numbers to justify speaking with some bloggers but not others, you're barking up the wrong tree. Use these lists, enjoy them and share them with your friends. But remember: decisions about how to engage with a particular blogger should be based on a true appreciation of their work as an individual.