Gauravonomics Blog

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While Dave Sifry’ ‘State of the Live Web’ report gives a positive spin on blogging growth, the numbers look different if you dig deeper.

According to BusinessWeek, while the total number of blogs ever tracked by Technorati has grown to 70 million from 57 million on Oct ‘06, the number of active blogs updated in the last three months has plateaued at 15.5 million. Therefore, the percentage of active blogs has come down from 27% in Oct ‘06 to 21% in Mar ‘07. What’s more, while the number of new posts per day increased from about 1.3 million to about 1.5 million, the number of English language posts per day dropped to 495,000 in Mar ‘07 from 507,000 in Oct ‘06.

BusinessWeek quotes Gartner -

Given the trend in the average life span of a blogger and the current growth rate of blogs, there are already more than 200 million ex-bloggers. Consequently, the peak number of bloggers will be around 100 million at some point in the first half of 2007.

- and insists that the number of bloggers is peaking and even argues that it might be a good thing for bloggers -

You might have noticed that I haven’t done a Desi Blog of the Day post in the last few days. That’s because I have been asking myself a few questions about the series of late.

But, first, a little background. I started my Desi Blog of the Day series because -

I found myself thinking of the joy I felt when I first discovered blogs, and realized that I still feel it when I read some blogs.

I also incorporated a BlogTipping element in the series -

by offering three compliments and one helpful tips to the featured bloggers

- because even very popular bloggers often focus exclusively on the writing part and don’t really leverage the true potential of blogging in terms of optimizing design/ usability and/ or building a community.

However, I wasn’t really satisfied with how the series was shaping up. Here are some questions I have been asking myself -

Is there any value in featuring well-known blogs all my readers are probably reading anyway?

Should I focus exclusively on new or relatively unknown blogs - ‘Must Read Desi Blogs You Probably Don’t Read’?

Based on the work of social media expert Matthew Hurst from Neilson BuzzMetrics, Discover Magazine has an interesting 3-D map of the blogosphere, plotting its most active and interconnected parts.

Is your blog a continent in the centre, or an island on the fringe?

Darren Rowse wonders: what’s next in blogging?

I see more focussed, maybe even city-based, blogging networks emerging and becoming mini portals/ communities in themselves.

I’m working on one such project, and, as of now, it looks really promising. Will keep you posted on this one.

Gauravonomics is a Technorati Top 100 Most Favorited Blog now!

A big “Thank You!” to everybody who made it possible.

If you also want to make it to the Technorati Top 100 Most Favorited Blog list, please leave a comment on my Technorati Favorites Exchange which allows you to be automatically favorited and discovered by hundreds of new blogs across the world.

If you are new here, please have a look at my noteworthy posts and, if you like what you see, subscribe to my feed via your feedreader or via e-mail.

I’ll write a longer post about my Technorati Top 100 quest later, but here are some thoughts -

- Gauravonomics is the first non-tech desi blog to be on Technorati Top 100. That must mean something!
- It’s so easy to game Technorati. John Chow has made a career out of doing just that; I’m sure there are others.
- What will Technorati do now that the number of fake favorites on Technorati Top 100 Most Favorited Blog list is approaching double digits?
- Nothing if impossible. If you have the will you will find the way.
- There are shortcuts to everything. It might not feel as good or mean as much to get to your goals via shortcuts, but, often, that’s the only way to get there.
- Is it 1 down 29 to go on my 30 by 30 list?

63 67 71 74 84 90 101 125 people have already favorited me and I only need 61 57 53 50 40 34 23 more faves to break have broken into the Technorati Top 100 Most Favorited Blogs list.

A big “Thank You!” to everybody who made it possible!

If you love reading my blog, please please please add me to your Technorati Favorites now!

Quick Summary: Read about how I entered the Technorati Top 100 Most Favorited Blogs list.

Gauravonomics is a Technorati Top 100 Most Favorited Blog now!

A big “Thank You!” to everybody who made it possible.

A Little Background First: My 30 by 30 List

I made a little list sometime back - ‘Thirty Things I Want to do Before I am Thirty’ -

The interesting thing about my 30 by 30 list is that every single thing on it looks impossible today… But, if I do manage to do all thirty, what a story it will be! So, even though I know that the odds are impossible, I’m doing it anyway, because, never again in my life, will I be young enough, or foolhardy enough, to even try something as insane.

- and ‘Take Gauravonomics into the Technorati Top 100 List’ was one of the more ambitious items on my list.

My Technorati Favorites Exchange

When Dosh Dosh broke into the Technorati Top 100 Most Favorited Blogs list by running a Technorati Favorites exchange program I realized that -

Today’s Desi Blog of the Day is Trivial Matters by Akshay Mahajan.

Three reasons why I love Akshay’s blog -

- Akshay has an amazing eye for finding a story in people and places most of us don’t even notice.
- Not only does he photograph people beautifully, he tries to really understand them, and it shows in his sensitive photo-essays.
- His photographs make Bombay look even more beautiful than it is.

My tip to Akshay: Consider adding a “best posts” section in your sidebar and check out Blogger’s custom domain name service - trivialmatters.org and akshaymahajan.org are still available.

So, why is Trivial Matters the Desi Blog of the Day? He converted me into a cameraholic.

Also see - BlogTipping and Hundred Must Read Desi Blogs.

Check out the new version of my Technorati Favorites Exchange which allows you to be automatically favorited and discovered by hundreds of new blogs across the world.

Dosh Dosh has managed to break into the Technorati Top 100 Most Favorited Blogs list at #31 by running a Technorati Favorites exchange program -

Create a post on your blog announcing that you are exchanging Technorati favorites. Prominently include a link to this post to indicate that there is a similar exchange going on at Dosh Dosh.

Once I’ve noticed the link via trackback or Technorati, I’ll include a link to your post on Technorati favorites in this post itself so readers here can visit your blog to participate if they want to.

While it is really difficult to break into the Technorati Top 100 Most Linked Blogs list, it is easier to break into the Technorati Top 100 Most Favorited Blogs list because you only need about 125 people to add you to their Technorati Favorites list.

Today’s Desi Blog of the Day is Sonia Faleiro’s blog.

Three reasons why I love Sonia’s blog -

- I love how Sonia mixes around well-written journalistic pieces with trivia about pop culture and humorous personal posts about her dog.
- Not only does she have a way with words, she also tells stories with her photographs - check out her photo essays.
- She’s perhaps one of the prettiest desi blogger-writers around.

My tip to Sonia: Ever thought about moving your blog to soniafaleiro.com/blog? I’m sure Blogger’s custom domain name service can handle that.

So, why is Sonia’s blog the Desi Blog of the Day? How many desi bloggers are that pretty, or write that well?

PS: If you didn’t notice, I have a small huge crush on Sonia.

Also see - BlogTipping and Hundred Must Read Desi Blogs.