At WordCamp Victoria on May 15, 2010, I facilitated a workshop entitled “Blog Networks and Aggregators”.

Blog Networks are sort of out of vogue these days, so I wanted to host a workshop on the topic to see what others thought, and to share a bit of my own research. About 30 people attended.

My research consisted of two good stories on the topic, which I passed around:

• Top 10 Blog Directories (SEO Wizardry)
• Why Should You Join A Blog Network (ProBlogger)

The topic of planets, which are sort of aggregators around very specific niches (or specific organizations) was discussed for part of the workshop. You see these popping up a fair bit these days, and certainly if one was to start a topical blog aggregator, this might be the software to look at.

The conclusion was basically that there could be some value in joining blog networks, akin to the time it might take promoting link exchanges with other bloggers, and submitting your website to various directories – i.e., if you’re watching TV and playing around on the computer, sign up for a blog network during the commercials.

These were my top 6 choices:

• Technorati
• BlogCatalog
• LoadedWeb
• MyBlogLog (although there is some question about the future of this product)
• Google BlogSearch
• NetworkedBlogs on Facebook

Others that came up during the discussion, include:

• DMOZ
• Liquida
• Blogged.com
• Bloggapedia
• Blog-Search
• IceRocket

Some niche sites included:

• BC Bloggers (Regional)
• Mom Blog Network (Moms)
• Blogging Canadians (Political)
• TheTyee.ca BC Blogs (Regional)