July 13, 2004 | View Comments (33) | Category: Our Thoughts
Summary: First issue of the Whitespace Power Rankings.
The mythical A-List of design bloggers does exist in some people's minds whether you wish to accept it or not. Many people feel that the A-List shouldn't even exist because sooner or later those members tend to offer a little bit less to everyone than they did in the past. Nothing wrong with that as we all can't live in the blogosphere forever.
However, our community is getting crowded and all for the better. Not good however if you are trying to establish yourself as a top player. To get recognized you really have to put that much more effort into self-promotion.
Not too long ago, Cameron Moll put together his 80/20 list in which he hypothesized that 80% of the most vital new media design information can be accounted for by 20 individuals. Well the list did list some popular sites, but to think that most of the information comes from these folks is a little silly. I am sure at one time or another at their peak, each individual contributed immensely, but as mentioned before, we come and we go in this community.
So I decided to try and put a Top 10 Power Rankings list together of 10 most influential design bloggers for the first half of the year. I would love to tell you that I did hours upon hours of research while compiling stats to effectively measure the influence of each of these bloggers to our community. I can't though. I can tell you that I looked at everyone that was mentioned in last week's entry along with thoughts of my own of people who made an impact.
Obviously this list will be controversial as everyone will have their opinion of who should be on it, but just like our favorite sports teams it can be hard to separate our bias from reality.
So here is the Power Rankings list of the top 10 most influential bloggers for the first half of 2004 in no particular order:
Neither list was easy to come up with as finding people who consistently bring quality content to their sites weekly/monthly is tough to find. That is what separates most of the top from everyone else. Goes to show there really is no easy way to success. It takes hardwork and quality content. By the end of the year I am sure most of the Top 10 will be replaced by the notables as they seem to have a hunger to reach the top and admittedly some of your passion wanes a bit after some time (at least for me).
It goes without saying that people such as Zeldman and Bowman can go weeks without posting, but once they do their entries will be heard. However, their influence on a weekly basis based on their content is not as strong as those mentioned above.
What this goes to show is that we need more people (or some people to be more frequent) with their discussions about design. Not to say that we have a lack of intellectuals, but I do think we lack a high number of quality discussions that could continue to take us to new levels. This is all my opinion so take it for what it's worth. If you are not on either list don't take offense to it. I can't catch everyone and not everyone gets noticed.
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As a lurker and reader of all the above mentioned sites I have to agree with your rankings, although I'd push you up a place or two!
The key difference for me is a preference for sites, like this one, that are focussed around a conversation as opposed to sites that are preaching the design news. It's a fine line but it adds more depth to hear other's commenting on thoughts, and can help get the perspective sorted in my head.
Gordon (http://www.gordonmclean.co.uk)
Veerle, you get extra points (from me) for the 'Pacherries' in the header of your blog ;-]
Mike P. (http://www.fiftyfoureleven.com/sandbox/weblog/)
I'm surprised that Didier Hilhorst wasn't mentioned in either the top 10 or the notables. Seems to me he's had a rather influential first half, especially in relation to design.
Anyway, I agree that most of the names you've put up there have definitely been influential in one way or another over the last 6 months. Let's hope that they continue to bring fresh content to the table throughout the next 6...
Ryan Brill (http://www.ryanbrill.com/)
ALA? Yes they're popular, but I haven't seen anything that made me say "wow that's cool!" on it in a while. I think the last time was the Perfect 404 article. There have been some handy Javascript articles lately, but usually they're modifications to scripts used in previous articles. More evolutionary than revolutionary I guess.
Vinnie Garcia (http://blog.vinniegarcia.com/)
Interesting that you would add yourself to the list, considering what you had to say about yourself only a couple of months ago in your "Let's Be Honest" post, which dealt primarily with Cameron's 80/20 list.
What caused the sudden turn around from what you term as "overrated" to now worthy?
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
I didn't realise it was a sport. I just don't get the competitive thing you are fuelling here. This is a community charged with sharing ideas about design, bringing methods and ways of working to the forefront. I do not believe it's about being in a top ten, or being number one. What's the point in that? Maybe get a book deal or something, but otherwise it seems irrelevent.
I'm all for flagging up sites of interest, and pointing readers towards sites I love, you love, and are consistently useful or entertaining.
But here, it's as problematic as a music awards show - comparing a Hip-Hop act with a Rock act and saying one is better than the other for Best Group or Album. I have a preferred PHP blog I read, and a favourite CSS blog. I also go to Cameron Moll for visual/Photoshoppy stuff, and Malarkey for a bit of a mix. How can I say one of them is better than another?
(Paul, this shouldn't come across as one of those 'No, No, How dare you?!' posts you get so many of. I'm just throwing my viewpoint in. I genuinely think it's awkward to play bloggers off against each other when the general spirit is one of communication and sharing.)
Colly (http://www.collylogic.com)
I'm all for flagging up sites of interest
I read that as, "flogging up" and I was like, "hmmm, well thats a new trend..."
Other than that, I'd have to agree a with Colly.
Eris (http://erisfree.com)
Colly makes a good analogy with music award shows. It also reminds me of those high school yearbook awards. (Best Dressed, Cutest Smile, etc.) Even though we all knew it was a popularity contest, and for the most part we already knew who the winners were as well, that was the first page we all turned to.
I don't see anything wrong with making top ten lists and such, it's actually kind of fun. But once they become "awards" it gets a little trickier. I think by calling it "Power Rankings" Scrivs has taken an editorial tone, and magazines do that all the time.
Geoffrey (http://www.lookatlao.com)
I agree with Colly, I'm getting pretty sick of hearing the term "A-List" and seeing all these last names flashed around. I mean I respect the people on the list and enjoy reading their sites, but I get sick of seeing their names flashed around like a status symbol of some sort. Maybe it's just me. :-/
Derek (http://www.twotallsocks.com/)
I don't see that these kind of posts are really very interesting to the community. Most people are probably familiar with the sites mentioned, but what are you getting out of ranking them alongside each other? - apart from telling us your one of the big boys.
Congratulations by the way - 3rd is a formidable achievement, even if you do say so yourself.
Andrew Hume (http://www.thedredge.org)
Hahahaha, Andrew that was great.
I love this thread, so many happy people!
*cough, remembers who his business partner is, cough*
I mean... Scrivs is the best! Hail to the chief!
Mike (http://phark.typepad.com/)
I actually like these lists, if only because it's a way for me to discover new sites I haven't already bookmarked (out of both lists, there were 6 sites that I haven't visited, so this was a good way for me to "find" them). BTW, I have some 60 or 70 blogs bookmarked and checked by RSS feeds everyday, so I'm actually surprised I missed that many. ;-)
Also, a note to Eris Free: Please, please fix your site so that it renders correctly in Safari!
Sage
You know and this design 'community' probably only makes up less than 1% of the design world or internet in general.
So I think the 'A-list' is more of a clique than anything kind of like the phenomenon of the 'coolness factor.' For example 'link sites' having generally the same links on a daily basis.
Just my opinon, I still like you guys, though!
Almustafa El-Said
Sorry it has taken me so long to reply, but I had to take a nap :-)
Anyways, list like these are not meant to compare one designer against another, but more to reward people for their efforts that they put into their blogs. Also, there are many sites that people are unaware of and for me to provide a list for them I think is pretty helpful.
What made me move myself in there was more the Vault than Whitespace.
The people listed in the top 10 I put there so I could publicly tilt my hat towards telling them they have been doing a great job. Same for the notables. If you honestly think it's bad to put blogger up against blogger then you are missing the point of competition. Sure you might not think you are competiting against any other sites, but to be recognized you have to do something just a little better than the rest.
If you have no care in the world about being recognized or having people come to your site then yes lists like these offer zero relevance to your life. Yes the passing of information in this community is a beautiful thing, but some people do it more often than others.
Scrivs (http://businesslogs.com)
lists like these are not meant to compare one designer against another
What? Rankings are not meant to compare? Surely that is exactly what they are for. And what are power rankings for, Scrivs!
How are we (I) missing the 'point of competition'? Should blogging be a competition? Probably not. It is about people sharing their thoughts, ideas, and techniques with others. That's why people read them. To learn.
Change your power rankings into a blogroll and then you can show us who the 'A-List' bloggers are, without turning it into a competition.
I don't plug in my feed to whitespace everyday to see who Scrivs thinks is top of the blogs. I, and most others, visit for thoughts, opinions, etc on relevant design issues.
Not that I should tell you what to do with a personal site. But if you're gonna keep your No.3 spot for the 2nd half of the year, maybe more relevant issues should be discussed?
Andrew Hume (http://www.thedredge.org)
Paul, I do understand that this list is concerned with recognition for influence and quality over quantity. I genuinely respect the folks you've listed, and they are worthy of recognition. The list reflects the criteria you have set. In this sense it works.
I think my concern is this: Is it OK for one person who people trust (you) to lay down a public heirarchy? You are in a very influential position, so many will take your words as definitive.
I totally agree with the thoughts leading to the list - about blogging patterns, quality and influence. As a think-piece that makes for very interesting reading. By then defining a list, you remove the space for readers to interpret your thoughts and assess for themselves who is the best.
We all have our own list in our heads, newsfeed or blogroll. I think your list is - much like a top ten albums of all time list - intreaguing reading, but in danger of having too much influence (how apt).
I also think there is a big difference between gaining recognition for a site, and wanting to be number one.
Hope you're taking this the way it's intended, everyone - it's more pub discussion than vitriol, I assure you. This is what lists are for!
Colly (http://www.collylogic.com)
Andrew: Well hopefully for the whole 2nd half of the year I don't write everyday on the who I think the top bloggers are and notice that I don't necessarily think these are the top designers which would be something completely different. If you really wish to call it a comparison between everyone then yes it is since it's the only way I could come up with the list.
Blogging is about sharing ideas, techniques, and thoughts with others and some people seem to do it well on a regular basis. If you look at the people on the list I am sure inside the majority of them appreciate a little public gratitude from someone thinking they have done an excellent job. Sure I could do it over email, but I made a Power Rankings list from it.
People bust their asses to make quality blogs and why shouldn't they be recognized for it? Am I calling them the best of all time? No. I looked at the design community and put the people who seem to try and bring consistently up there. Maybe for many readers this will prove to be motivation. I am sure for others it will be just another stupid list.
In any case this list is a way for me to share my thoughts and ideas. The comments are open for you to share yours as well.
Now Andrew what you have done with your comments is drawn more attention to yourself (at least certainly to me) so I will make sure to subscribe to your feed and see what you talk about.
Colly: Well hopefully this type of entry will be read as well as the comments as both Andrew and yourself have provided excellent arguments against it. Also any reader should recognize that this is my opinion. While there may be some who take this as the end all be all list for blogging sites others may look at it and say "Now I know what Scrivs likes at least".
I guess it's a good thing I didn't name it "The Official Power Rankings of the Internet" or something silly like that. I used an unordered list because there is no #1 site in my mind, but there is a group of sites that put themselves up above the rest at the moment.
Tomorrow I think I will write a piece on how I see the blog world and how it works. Thanks for the ideas :-)
And oh, thanks for whipping my ass in the fantasy football. Guess I will have to wait till Germany 2006 to get my revenge.
Scrivs (http://businesslogs.com)
For everyone, yes I pretty much expected to get ripped for this entry and even discussed many times with a great designer not on the list :-) I just like discussions I guess.
Scrivs (http://businesslogs.com)
Ah, fantasy football - now that was a serious competition. You did join the league late, so I can't criticise too much. Oh, the influence I now have in football blogging circles!
Colly (http://www.collylogic.com)
I guess those are rankings no one can argue with. I put all my eggs in the French basket and was thoroughly squashed after week 2. Damn.
Andrew Hume (http://www.thedredge.org)
What I found interesting about your post is that you started off mentioning the mythical belief of an A-list and the silliness of Cameron's theory.
Then, without any admitted rhyme or reason regarding research or data gathering, you launch into the top 10 list. - which is cool with me.
However, don't you think by not doing any type of real research that it dilutes your creditability a bit by assigning it the title of power ranking for the community of design bloggers instead of presenting it - as others have suggested - as your personal blogroll of favored sites?
I think the list, and your self-inclusion on it has more to do with self-promotion than it does with influential bloggers.
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
Self-promotion, hmmm? On my own blog? What made Cameron's list a bit silly was seeing people like Kottke, Rubin, and Donna up there. That's what made it silly for me.
If you wanna go with research I didn't pull these names off the top of my head, but did visit all their sites and went through their archives for the past 6 months.
Guess I shouldn't use the Power Rankings title...ummm, no I think I will continue to use that because it sounds nice. So then I shouldn't have included myself you think?
Scrivs (http://businesslogs.com)
Just for the record, I wrote my previous (#23) before refreshing the browser to see comments 19 - 22, which addressed some of my thoughts.
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
Paul -
As I've stated here numerous times before, you can do as you wish - I really don't care.
To carry on the discussion however, I beleive it be to your benefit to put some real analysis into some of the things you post. I think it is a disservice to the credentials you have built up in this community to post a "power rankings" list of sites based on nothing but a visit and scroll through their archives.
Take for example, the list that Eric Meyer came up with in Luminous Beings. Essentially it's the same thing you did, but at least it shows a process by which he came up with the list - adding some credibility to it.
I think you and Whitespace have reached a point where, like Eric, your audience has the expectation of seeing how you come to some of the conclusions you reach - that's all.
Mark (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
Haha, liar!!!!! j/k. Funny how fast some of these discussions go at times.
Scrivs (http://businesslogs.com)
Dammit, and now I refresh and see that you posted another comment. Love it when my own words come to bite me in th ass. Eric's list came about from the comments on his site. If you recall I had the discussion last week which I culled my reader's opinions which helped to greatly influence the list. So I did exactly what he did and added my own input.
Scrivs (http://businesslogs.com)
But I forgot to add that I agree with you Mark in that people are expecting more from me and they will need better justification in the future.
Scrivs (http://businesslogs.com)
Mark, while Eric did try and add some credibility to what he was doing, there was unfortunately some flaws to his process that render any added credibility somewhat null.
For example, his use of weighting; I was unaware that this was going to be done, as we all were. That's trouble right there, and though it didn't affect my vote I bet it affected other people's votes.
Anyway, while I don't give a rodents' buns for the 'a-list' concept, Paul was quite transparent with this whole thing. To his credit, I think most people would agree that his list does include some of the most influential writers of 2004 thus far.
Mike P. (http://www.fiftyfoureleven.com/sandbox/weblog/)
It's important to note that Paul is not really comparing designers here, as much as he is comparing their influence. This is not a list of the greatest web designers in the word (although certainly some of you qualify) -- it's a list of people who, through their blog writing, have taught us things, inspired us to do new things, etc.
Paul recently mentioned my name in a "Fresh Faces" article, so he obviously respects my design skills. However, I don't make this list because I simply haven't been able to write and share as much about design as I'd like to of late. The same goes for the Zeldman's and Bowman's of the world.
He's not pitting designers against each other -- he's simply acknowledging those who have been great enough to share this year.
Jeff Croft (http://jeffcroft.com)
I feel as if I want to say something, but what I say is very slanderous to a person whom I have nothing against personally.
And though some people don't know visual design, from their own ass, they sometimes do bring up valid points. And everyone is a winner in my heart.
Ryan Latham (http://www.worldoneweb.com)
It's all in the name of fun and giving credit where it's due, no need to turn everything into a serious debate.
He did call it the "whitespace power rankings" and we all know whitespace is just Paul, so lets do a bit of subsitution - "Paul's power rankings". Now, that sounds a bit more friendly and more like an "opinion" on the most influential people.
Nice to see the Brit's getting some recognition :P in the form of Andy Budd.
Robert Lofthouse (http://www.ghxdesign.com)
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#1
This is so funny because in today's article on my blog I concluded that I wouldn't mind my name up with the "big" boys and then came Paul along ;-)
Thanks for mentioning my name and be assured your name belongs there too. You sure put some quality stuff on Whitespace. Keep it up.
Veerle Pieters (http://veerle.duoh.com)