This year we set out to come up with a useful and interesting list showcasing 100 of the best blogs on the Internet. This list should give you a good inside track into the vast world of ideas out there on the Internet. It’s impossible to scour the net for all worthy blogs in a list like this. And we are sure to have left some important blogs out.
To put the list together we polled 30 Internet professionals who make their living as online influencers: social media experts, publishers, internet marketers. This left us with a list of over 360 unique blogs. From there, our editors identified the most commonly nominated blogs and made sure to include them in their respective category. All remaining blogs were evaluated based on criteria such as uniqueness, influence, community engagement, and so on.
The end result is a unique list of blogs that is both familiar and surprising. We hope this list can serve as a useful starting point for all your blog reading needs.
Funny Blogs
The Oatmeal
Can be hit or miss, but the hits are outstanding and well worth your time.
The Onion
Consistently one of the internet’s funniest sites, and it’s companion site “The A/V Club” is one of the best pop culture sites out there as well.
Hyperbole and a Half
We guarantee you’ll find something here that you’ll want to email to all your friends.
B3TA
You have to like British humor, but if you do this site is hysterically funny.
Ugliest Tattoos
Hilarious, but also sort of depressing. Click through and you’ll see what we mean pretty quickly.
Awkward Family Photos
Sometimes sites come into existence with premises so obvious it’s hard to believe they haven’t always existed. This is one of those sites.
EpicFail
Pure schadenfreude.
Texts From Last Night
Because we’ve all been there and done that, though most of us are smart enough not to text about it.
Shit My Kids Ruined
Every parent has been here, and taking a picture is probably a better response than acting on your feelings at the time.
Married To The Sea
One of the best comics online.
Smart Blogs
OKTrends
Consistently fascinating data cultivated from one of the biggest online dating sites in the world.
Information Is Beautiful
Gorgeous infographics, for lovers of design and knowledge.
MindHacks
Neuroscience and psychology tricks to find out what’s going on inside your brain.
Pharyngula
An always interesting science blog centered around evolution and biology.
Mental Floss
The online component of the brilliant magazine, Mental Floss is the master of the esoteric.
MetaFilter
Group blog, tagline “Best of the Web”.
Signal Vs. Noise
37 Signals has always been an interestingly non-traditional company, and their blog focused around design and business is a great reflection of that.
The Straight Dope
Like Mythbusters for those with ADD.
Lone Iguana
Like your favorite uncle, this site teaches you things you probably shouldn’t know.
Whatever
A look behind the curtain at the life and thoughts of a popular science fiction author.
Lifestyle Blogs
Lifehacker
The best of the Gawker media blogs, reading Lifehacker will almost certainly make your life easier.
Four Hour Work Week
Love him or hate him, Tim Ferriss is a fascinating character, and so is his blog.
Zen Habits
Reflections on living life more simply and more consciously.
mnmlist: just the essentials
If the show Hoarders makes you break out in a sweat then this is probably the blog for you.
The Survival Podcast
Sustainability and a good read if you’re fearing the worst after the recent economic downturn.
Study Hacks
Originally focused on students and academic success, but recently has expanded to lifestyle design.
Marks Daily Apple
Fitness and nutrition advice that just works. From the author of “The Primal Blueprint”
Ross Training
Rock solid strength and conditioning advice for gym rats, and people aspiring to be.
Fitness Black Book
An ongoing guide to having a functionally fit body.
Single Dad Laughing
Journey of a single father, post divorce.
Matador Network
A treasure trove of travel content.
Political Blogs
Wonkette
Politics with a helpful quantity of snark.
The Daily Dish
A former conservative who still straddles both sides of the line, Andrew Sullivan is one of the more interesting pundits working online today.
Ben Smith
A political linkblog that covers virtually everything interesting happening in politics.
The LRC Blog
Libertarian politics from a well respected libertarian thinker.
Instapundit
Written by Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit was a very early conservative blog that is still going strong today.
Five Thirty Eight
Statistical political analysis. Read it if you want to know what’s going to happen in an election before hand.
Wired Danger Room
National security news.
Link Blogs
Kottke
One of the most rewarding (and oldest) linkblogs around
BoingBoing
A tough blog to sum up succinctly, Boing Boing covers a multitude of interesting topics centered around things the editors find fascinating.
Neatorama
A curated collection of “neat” things.
Look at this…
Your one stop shop for everything interesting that happens on the internet.
Dark Roasted Blend
Incredible pictures, links, and stories on a wide variety of awesome things. One of the most fun and eclectic sites online.
Longform
Links to the best in longform magazine writing. Heavenly when used in conjunction with Instapaper.
Interesting Pile
Blog of a librarian who curates interesting links and lists, daily.
Entertainment Blogs
Oh No They Didn’t!
A great example of a massive group blog, Oh No They Didn’t! is a huge LiveJournal community posting dozens of celeb gossip posts per day. Extremely comprehensive and a great community.
Best Week Ever
Humorous look at what’s going on in pop culture and online.
Bitten and Bound
Celebrity gossip and pop culture news, captures the zeitgest very well.
Just Jared
Probably the most sourced celebrity and pop-culture site on the net.
PopEater
Another one stop shop for celebrity gossip.
Pop Watch
Entertainment and celeb news from Entertainment Weekly.
Pop Candy
All sorts of geeky pop culture items, from writer Whitney Matheson.
Coming Soon
Movie trailers and news on upcoming films.
/Film
If you’re a big movie fan then this is the site for you.
Sports & Auto Blogs
Deadspin
The dirty side of sports, Deadspin always delivers something interesting and often tawdry.
30 fps
Screen caps from sporting events. Best used in conjunction with the site’s Twitter account for added context.
Joe Posnanski
The blog of the best sportswriter working today.
Just A Car Guy
You never know what you’ll get, but it’s all car related and it’s all cool.
Autoblog
Probably the best car site on the internet.
Bring A Trailer
So many project cars, so little time and money.
Business & Economy Blogs
Five Cent Nickel
Investing tips and personal finance.
The Conglomerate
Law, business, and economics.
Dealbreaker: A Wall Street Tabloid
Wall Street gossip, more interesting than it might sound.
Toilet Paper Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship and business advice.
A Smart Bear
Startups and marketing ideas and advice from an entrepreneur who sold his company for millions.
Mises Economics Blog
Economics from a libertarian point of view.
The Market Ticker
Economic news with a heavy dose of political analysis.
Economist’s View
A professor of economics from the University of Oregon discusses politics and economics daily.
The Big Picture
Barry Ritholtz is one of the best financial (and political) analysts online.
The Oil Drum
A look at energy news and the reality that the oil will eventually run out.
Geek / Tech Blogs
Geeks Are Sexy
A celebration of geek culture.
Topless Robot
Nerdy news presented with a nice dose of humor.
GeekDad
Ostensibly a geek blog, but really it’s about raising awesome children.
Gizmodo
The ultimate authority when it comes to tech news.
Geekologie
Games, gadgets, movies, and gossip all in one package.
Kotaku
Everything interesting in the video game world filters through Kotaku eventually.
Hack A Day
Hacker culture and tips on getting more out of gadgets and items we all own.
Internet & Marketing Blogs
Search Engine Journal
Possibly the most respected voice when it comes to search.
Mashable
Your one stop shop for all possible internet news. Mashable is comprehensive and authoritative.
Make Use Of
Tech news and guides to make your life easier.
CopyBlogger
Read this and you’re writing will almost certainly improve. Your thinking will as well.
ProBlogger
One of the first bloggers to make a career of it, Darren Rowse has a great deal of wisdom to impart.
SEO Book
If you’re trying to monetize or grow a website then this is a must read site. Aaron Wall is one of the sharpest guys online, in any space.
Seth’s Blog
Seth Godin is a legend when it comes to marketing, and for good reason. Just about everyone would learn something from Seth’s site because many of the lessons apply to much more than just business and marketing.
Home & Family
Young House Love
Follow a Virginia couple as they renovate their home and share all sorts of design and house tips.
Budget Bytes
Good eating doesn’t have to be expensive.
Apartment Therapy
Perfect for people as they get their first apartment or home and get tired of eating ramen noodles on an old card table.
Get Rich Slowly
Personal finance and money tips for the long haul.
Dalrock
An unconventional but interesting look at fatherhood and marriage.
Motherhood Uncensored
Mommyblogging is a massive niche, and Motherhood Uncensored is one of the most compelling reads in the genre.
Dooce
One of the first blogging celebrities, Dooce is a motherhood blog that also works as an interesting look at a unique individual.
Relationship & Gender War Blogs
The Spearhead
Smart commentary on men’s issues and social misandry.
Jezebel
Gawker’s female-centric pop-culture blog.
Roissy
A full-on male hedonist writing about female psychology.
Feministing
Young feminists writing about women’s issues.
The Frisky
A mix of relationship advice and news, for women by women.
Married Man’s Sex Life
Something of a neglected niche online, Married Man’s Sex Life writes in a non-traditional (read: realistic) way of keeping your marriage healthy and hot.
Hooking Up Smart
Thinking critically about young women’s culture and health, mental and otherwise.
Art of Manliness
This concept could have easily devolved into pictures of hot women and shallow thoughts, but this site offers surprisingly thoughtful articles on what it means to be a man.
In Mala Fide
Ideas of a passionate man with strong opinions on just about everything. Played a big role in exposing the identities of Julian Assange’s rape accusers.