Scott McLeod of the Dangerously Irrelevant blog does a semi-annual round-up of edu-blogs, based on Technorati ranking. For the first time, the Generation YES blog made the list of top 50, coming in (drumroll…) dead last in spot number 54. Yes, we are number 54 of the top 50. (I can hear the crowd chanting in the distance… we’re number 54! … we’re number 54!)
Actually, I kind of like the irony of being beyond last. Because as Scott acknowledges, there is precious little on which to base a list like this. Scott looks for blogs with specific tags related to education. Technorati gives a “rank” based on far your blog is from the top of the list, and “authority” based on how many unique blogs link to yours. (Read how Technorati calculates authority) There’s not much else to measure, except of course which blog you personally like to read.
But doesn’t this seem awfully familiar in education – measuring what’s easy instead of what counts? Technorati rankings are the standardized testing of the blog world. And just as misleading.
For one thing, after I finished admiring my unique list position, I quickly scanned it for my favorite education blog – Bridging Differences. It’s NOT THERE. How could this be? I checked their Technorati authority and sure enough, it’s less than this blog. Impossible. That’s simply insane.
This blog is a back and forth conversation between Deborah Meier and Diane Ravitch. These women write beautiful, thoughtful pieces that show respect for the other while standing up for what they believe. They both have long and distinguished careers creating real change in education, and yet they stand on opposite, equally principled sides on many important issues. In my mind, it’s the best education blog, BY FAR. If you aren’t reading this blog, you are missing something special and important.
It’s so good, I often DON’T read it. What I mean is, when I see the “new post” indication for this blog, I save it until I have the time I know it deserves. I’m never disappointed.
So why doesn’t their blog have a higher Technorati authority? Probably because Deborah and Diane are not consciously part of the blogosphere. They don’t link much to others, they don’t announce new cool things, they don’t jump into the latest who-said-what-first discussion, and they don’t blog about blogging. Their blog is simply a vehicle for a substantive conversation about the most important issue of all — how will we make the world a better place for children.
Essentially, Bridging Differences is not making AYP. Bad, bad blog.
So here’s my thought for the day. Everybody link to Bridging Differences. Read it too. Go ahead, make my day, push me off the list!
Sylvia
Now THIS is an awesome post. Please be sure to link to it from a Dangerously Irrelevant comment so people follow the trail over here and read this? Well done (and, yes, I like Bridging Differences a lot too)!
As someone who *has* linked to Bridging Differences, yeah… I agree.
Ms. Meier and Ms. Ravich write such amazing pieces that half the time I don’t “link” them because, well, what the HELL could I write that could add to that conversation? I just read them (also, like you, when I feel like I have time to really digest it) and consider myself lucky that we’re able to sit on the sidelines and watch their discussion.
If they aren’t in the top ten of *read* blogs, that just speaks to how much work we have to do to raise the level of dialogue in our community.
As always, an insightful post. Thanks for pointing me to the Bridging Differences blog-I had missed that.
Thanks for sharing the link to Bridging Differences. I look forward to reading it. I also enjoy reading your blog too!
Scott, I had a trackback back to your blog. I never know if those actually work or not…
Chris, YES! I think you captured it exactly.
David and Pat – you will not be sorry. Be sure to read their bios. Amazing women.
Sylvia,
It was no surprise to see your blog listed in the top 50. I met you at the Eduboggers Pre-CUE Conference in Palm Springs, where you shared two thoughts that I, in turn, continue to share with other teachers (and administrators too): 1) if you really want to bring teachers on board with technology, go into their classrooms – with them observing – and model a lesson with their students and 2) blogging = action research. As I head over to the Bridging Differences blog, site unseen, I’m already pretty sure that you’ve given me a third gem.
Hope to see you at NECC
Gail
Well stated. There is a danger in attributing any value to ‘top 50′ lists produced by means such as Technorati rankings. Not he least of which is that such rankings are manipulated by people saying “please be sure to link…” or some such thing. It’s a ranking system that panders to the self-promotional (and even more so to those who support Technorati) and leaves quality work in the dust. Linking and connections are important – but people who try to accumulate links just for the sake of rankings demonstrate that they completely misunderstand the concept.
Stephen, please don’t imply intent where none exists. My recommendation to Sylvia to link to this post from a Dangerously Irrelevant comment was not meant to ‘manipulate’ anyone’s Technorati rankings but rather to help others find this post and to steer some traffic her way from my blog (which has a larger readership). That’s all.
If I’m reading the Technorati fine print correctly, it to implies that multiple links from the same blog do not increase your score. So it wouldn’t make sense to interpret Scott’s request to link back to his post as an attempt to manipulate his rank. And I’m not sure you meant him in your comment anyway.
What I appreciate about Scott’s post is that he clearly states what the rankings were based on. It’s not his fault that many readers interpreted his post as his own personal “best of” list.
There are big differences between rankings calculated by mechanical means, fake awards given to boost linkbacks (such as the Ed in 08 blog awards,) and “contests” to vote for blogs. Just like getting a “Who’s Who” or a Publisher’s Clearinghouse letter, it’s up to everyone to consider the source.
I wasn’t kidding when I compared Technorati ranking to standardized tests. Imperfect, incomplete, biased — it’s not a bad analogy at all. There are smart kids who don’t do well on tests, ways to game the system, and great blogs that aren’t as high in the rankings as other blogs who’ve simply showed up for years and produced adequate work.