My Picks For The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs Of 2009

.:My Picks For The Ten Emerging Influential Blogs Of 2009...:.

This is the highly anticipated writing project from Ms. Janette Toral. =P

It’s that time of the year again, where we get to see what blogs are slowly cropping up and here are some of the blogs that caught my eye thus far. When it comes to being “influential”, in spite of the necessity of a subjective interpretation of the word, few can disagree that these blogs I will mention are indeed very influential, especially in the Philippine blogosphere. Whether it’s a refreshing point of view on what people assumed to be a tired old topic, or a blog with memetic value, or a blog by someone who has always been known as influential even before she got into blogging, all of these blogs are worthy of looking at, and deserve to be given the spotlight.

Before I begin, I'd like to run down a short list of blogs I didn't even realize were in contention, but should also be worthy of consideration for all of you. The fact that I have to make a list of honorary mentions should give you the hint that indeed, this was quite a watershed of a year for emerging influential blogs.

As such, I'd like to acknowledge Let's Go Sago (To me, the most creatively-named food and travel blog ever.), Adaphobic (One of the quirkiest blogs I've ever come across, in a good way.), Animetric (Animetric has been around for years, but this new blog takes her to a whole new level, to say the least.),and Flaircandy (There are no words to express my disappointment when I published this post and realized Hannah was supposed to be eligible.), all of which I inadvertently left out of the list mainly because I assumed they've been longtime bloggers already.

In the tradition of my top 2 pick for this year, I will do this in countdown format, albeit one should take the “rankings” I give here with a grain of salt. This is merely the point of view of one person, after all.

10. Patay-Gutom – Not to be confused with the infamous “fifth type of bloggers”, which actually predates the blog itself (I should know, since I coined the term.), Patay Gutom is a food blog that has all its bases covered. This is an ensemble cast of excellent writers who know how to talk about food in a unique and refreshing way. That they are associated with a mild controversy (that is connected to them in name and in name alone) only further cements their ability to influence people.

9. The Singing Blogger - I am, without a doubt, a fan of this guy’s musical stylings. As a frustrated singer whose infamous “tough hits” continue to pollute YouTube, this guy is an excellent counterpoint to my terrible covers. If you wanna feel good about your own singing talents, check my covers out. If you want to hear good singing, check this guy’s blog out. Why nobody has decided to devote a blog to singing in the Philippines the way he has until now is beyond me. Expect copycats to spring up over time, then.

8. Wardropedia - My good friend Domz is one of the most fashionable people I know, so when I found out she was starting a fashion blog, I was more than happy with the news. This is my “dark horse pick” for this year. Maybe it doesn’t seem so influential at the moment, but give it a year, and Domz will go places with this blog. I have full confidence in it.

7. Video Chops - This is the new blog by Mr. Coy Caballes, aka Cokskiblue, and it’s a useful resource for anyone who wants to be a videoblogger. Coy is the master of reinventing himself, and is certainly someone to look out for year after year after year.

6. The Bebigerls – Controversial as these girls may be, it’s no mean feat to find yourself being a topic of many people, podcasts, and fellow blogs. Love them or hate them, the Bebigerls have certainly influenced many bloggers. The infamous “devil bloggers” have haters and defenders alike, and let’s face it: you don’t have to write in perfect English, you don’t have to be exceptionally profound, and you don’t even have to be remotely smart to become “influential”. Then again, seeing how they have parlayed their infamy into various fruitful endeavours, perhaps we are all merely underestimating what the Bebigerls truly are capable of. Will they shock us to a point of "rudiness"? Only time can tell.

5. New Media Philipiines – Carlo Ople is a guy who is in tune with the pulse of the changing times. His blog covers various topics involving the rapidly developing world of the internet and new media, and it’s safe to say that this blog, as new as it is, has influenced a lot of Philippine bloggers. Whether it’s seeing satires or parodies of his polarizing but moving post about the four (or five) types of bloggers, or the amount of thought he puts into every post, you know that this blog is indeed, “influential”

4. Good Times Manila – DJ, whoever he is, has got to be one of the funniest people you will ever find online. His fake news blog, Good Times Manila, is testament to how creative he really is, as he seems to never run out of timely topics to poke fun at, although one has to pity Marian Rivera, considering how often she’s targeted by DJ. Regardless, this is a funny site with a rabid following, and one need only look at the staggering number of comments he gets per post to understand why this blog is worthy of inclusion in this list.

3. Hearty’s Heaven - Achie Rochelle is, needless to say, made of win. With her unique spin on the food and urban travel blog, her zest for life, and the fact that she is, without a doubt, one of the prettiest faces you will ever meet, there’s very little mystery to her allure. Except maybe for one thing: despite the facade of being an “it” girl, how can someone seemingly so involved in the dealings of alta sociedad be in reality so socially aware? Well, that’s my achie!

2. Delamar – Delamar of RX 93.1 is, without a doubt, an influential person, and I don’t mean that merely on a personal level. Not only has she inspired a new generation of DJ’s (yours truly included), she has also influenced a whole generation of people to have their armpits lasered. That aside, Delle may have taken a year to catch on from when her co-host, Chico has started blogging, but there’s nothing second-rate about Delamar’s blog. When you have thousands of listeners hanging on to every word you say, and now, write, you have every right to be called “influential”.

1. Hay Men! Ang Blog Ng Mga Tunay Na Lalake – This blog pretty much encapsulates what it means to be “influential”: memetic, catchy, the father of many spinoff blogs who don’t quite capture its magic, and even making its way into daily lingo, the TNL blog just burst onto the scene without any warning, and gives us a slice of good old crude but effective Filipino humor. There’s no question that this is an easy top pick to make, when you can crack a TNL joke in a cosplay competition and get people to react in recognition.

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