Blogdex
Encyclopedia
Blogdex was an online resource for understanding hot topics of discussion in the blogosphere
.
The site offered a time-weighted list of links to online content cited by more than one monitored blog
in the recent past. Each link received a score based both on the number of different blogs citing it and the recency of those citings; the list thus typically features both popular oddities of the day as well as informative and/or controversial source material for current topics of public debate. Despite its explicit focus on blogs, it can be thought of as the original memetracker
, and the inspiration for later commercial sites such as tailrank.com
, Digg.com
, and other social media
sites.
As the previous owner of the domains blogdex.com, blogdex.net and blogdex.org, Jimmy Wales
offered the domains to MIT
free of charge for use in this project. Blogdex then migrated from the original blogdex.media.mit.edu location to blogdex.net.
Blogdex was created by Cameron Marlow, then a Ph.D.
student at MIT along with Elizabeth Wood, then a high school student attending the RSI
summer program at MIT. Marlow now works for Facebook
.
Blogdex has been offline since May 2006.
Blogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
.
The site offered a time-weighted list of links to online content cited by more than one monitored blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
in the recent past. Each link received a score based both on the number of different blogs citing it and the recency of those citings; the list thus typically features both popular oddities of the day as well as informative and/or controversial source material for current topics of public debate. Despite its explicit focus on blogs, it can be thought of as the original memetracker
Memetracker
A memetracker is a tool for studying the migration of memes across a group of people. The term is typically used to describe websites that either:#analyze blog posts to determine what web pages are being discussed or cited most often on the World Wide Web, or...
, and the inspiration for later commercial sites such as tailrank.com
Tailrank.com
Tailrank.com was a site that provided a feed of content on the World Wide Web that's being discussed across the blogosphere. The site continuously scanned blogs that had been registered with it, and composed an index of "top stories" that had been cited by the various blogs it had scanned.The focus...
, Digg.com
Digg
Digg is a social news website. Prior to Digg v4, its cornerstone function consisted of letting people vote stories up or down, called digging and burying, respectively. Digg's popularity prompted the creation of copycat social networking sites with story submission and voting systems...
, and other social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
sites.
As the previous owner of the domains blogdex.com, blogdex.net and blogdex.org, Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Wikia company....
offered the domains to MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
free of charge for use in this project. Blogdex then migrated from the original blogdex.media.mit.edu location to blogdex.net.
Blogdex was created by Cameron Marlow, then a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
student at MIT along with Elizabeth Wood, then a high school student attending the RSI
Research Science Institute
The Research Science Institute is a highly competitive summer research program for rising high school seniors around the world, sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education and hosted by MIT. It is often regarded as "the most prestigious and competitive high-school science program in the...
summer program at MIT. Marlow now works for Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
.
Blogdex has been offline since May 2006.
External links
- http://www.blogdex.com/ (defunct)
- "Tracking Bloggers With Blogdex" WiredWired (magazine)Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
, Jul, 30, 2001