Methodology: I used the ranking shown on each blog’s Technorati page.

Design Blogs in Technorati Top 100 Blogs

# 21. TreeHugger – green living with modern aesthetic. This blog was started by Graham Hill in 2004. At the time, Graham hails from the small town of Sutton, Quebec. This is where we ski. TreeHugger is now the property of Discovery. Graham Hill is still there.

# 53 Apartment Therapy – Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan succeeded in creating several franchises of his New York blog. The mission of AT is helping people make their homes more beautiful, organized and healthy by connecting them to a wealth of resources, ideas and community online. I visited the several city blogs, the kitchn and even if I do not have kids, I enjoy discovering the cool baby stuff at ohdeedoh

# 61 Design*Sponge – Since 2004, Brooklyn-based writer Grace Bonney talks about home and product design. She also features some craft projects. Design*Sponge was the winner of The Homies 2008 in the home design blog category. If you remember, this is the blog award that turned sour due to troll comments.

# 72 Yanko Design features modern international design news, covering from industrial design, concepts, technology, architecture, exhibition and fashion.

# 79 Behance Network provides a platform for creative portfolios, projects, and collaborations.

# 75 Inhabitat, a blog devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design towards a smarter and more sustainable future. I visited it more in the past.

Cooking Blogs in Technorati Top 100 Blogs

# 28 Epicurious – I often referred to it but strangely, I never thought of it as a blog.

#38  Slashfood – I have to admit that I do not follow it. It lacks a twist on gourmet food to grab my attention.

An unexpected find at # 59 is Geekdad Wired Blog, a blog about parenting in the digital age, and raising our kids in our own geeky image. The writers are all geeks and dads who have fun sharing their experiences.

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Here is the story. Apartment Therapy held a Best Blog of 2008 contest called The Homies. Sadly, some trolls invaded the comments of the Home Design Contest with unwarranted judgmental comments and bad attitude. As a result, Apartment Therapy disabled the comments. And for a while, a talented blogger with lots of followers questioned if blogging can still make her happy.

It saddens me. As a blogger from the home decor, entertaining and wedding niches, I feel proud that we avoid negative comments and childish bitter behaviors. After all, we talked about what we are passionate about. Our blogs become our collections of cute craft projects, best finds and the things we like.

I always thought that the positivity and the camaraderie amongst the women and mom blogging community set it apart from the rest of the blogosphere. We are lucky. Do not let a tiny number of people ruin our harmony.
This does not mean that we cannot disagree. It simply means that we can be civil about it.

Blog Awards Are Not the Real Problem

With any awards, our favorites may not make the cut. No selection process is perfect since it will always be influenced by our preferences. Most Influential Bloggers Listing and Best Blogs awards are here to stay because people love them.

One of the best things out of these blog contests is the fact that we can discover new blogs through the public submission process.

The problem does not rest in whether or not we should be hosting a Most Influential or a Best Blog Contests. But the fact remains that they offer a better exposure for the trolls to express themselves. So what can we do about it?

Problem is Being Anonymous

One reason why people act badly on the Web is that they can hide behind fake identities or anonymity. What differentiates Facebook from other social networks is that you use your real name. The advent of Facebook Connect and to a certain extent, Google Friend Connect may be the step through a uniform log in system. After all, there are no reasons in the world that justify staying anonymous if you write a comment on a blog about home décor, cooking, crafting or party design.

P.S. If ever you have a troll infesting your blog, the best technique to get rid of it is to ignore him or her. There is an old saying on the Web: Please do not feed the trolls.

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Many persons express the view that it is reducing the role of the women. But I think they are missing the point. Elle France/WIKIO determines the influencers based on their scope of interest. You do not browse Elle France to read about a blogger who writes about how big corporations plan their Web strategy. This is about niche market.

The Other Side of the Medal

No one get offended when none of the top women and moms bloggers appear on the top 50 women bloggers of the Web. These lists do not specify that they only considered female consultants working on politics, tech products or brand marketing.

I see plenty of Top Women Blogger Lists with names of the list that seem to me (because I do not know them) less popular or influential than the top bloggers in our community. Having said that does not mean that the recipients do not deserve to be on the list.

In fact, most lists do not include women and moms blogs because the authors were not aware of their existence; they are even less able to assess their true power. At the end of the day, you can also only judge what you know.

The point I wish to make is that the Elle France/WIKIO compilation and any similar awards have nothing to do with the role of women in society. Each Top list is representative of who influence a person or a group. And this is based on the scope of interest of the publication.

Update Dec. 19, 2008: I found a Top 12 Women Real Estate Bloggers for 2008. Some Best Blogger lists are detailed on their scope after all.

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