Rhys Blakely
We've made some changes
to The Sunday Times
Not enough blogs about "business per se", leadership or productivity, looked to be among the main messages from you, the readers, after our first go at compiling a chart of the web's top 50 business blogs.
Well, in the spirit of the blogosphere, we're happy to revisit and revise our initial list - which you can read here. Below, you can read the best reader entries so far.
We hope that this will be a rolling project that will do its best to track the shifting sands of the vibrant business blogging community.
In other words: please keep the suggestions, nominations, comments and criticisms coming.
Market watching and M&A
Felix Salmon’s Market Movers gets the nod from Times Online readers.
Sample post: “I went to my local coffee shop this morning, ordered a double cappuccino, and was shocked to find myself shortchanged. Don't shrug, this is serious. In fact, shortchanging at local coffee shops costs Americans $331 billion – yes, billion with a b – per year. Have you any idea how huge that number is?
As does The Epicurean Dealmaker - “an occasional review and commentary on the wild and wacky world of mergers and acquisitions … Names will be changed to protect the innocent, if we find any”
Find.co.uk is also endorsed by our readers.
Sample post: “Have you been watching 'A History of Modern Britain' by Andrew Marr. It's a fascinating programme, and last night Mr Marr turned his attention to the Thatcher years. But the documentary, like so much coverage on the BBC does tend to pay lip service to economics and business … while the UK's only woman prime minister did much that was unkind, and led to the decimation of manufacturing, the key benefit she brought to the UK was overlooked. The true legacy of Thatcher is that business no longer exists for its own sake. We don't hear about the right to work anymore. Before Thatcher, efficiency seemed almost irrelevant. Instead, today, business exists to provide a service, or a product.”
Market Insider, a log of broker comments and market news has also been recommended.
Economics
The New Economist, the recent proud winner of a Satin Pyjamas award, is recomended by Times Online readers for inclusion on the Top 50 Business Blogs list.
Sample post: "If the Indian economy has been growig at such a robust pace, why has government debt risen so much?"
FreeMarketeers.com, which bills itself as “a network for believers in free markets and secular governments, a forum for intelligent debate and the enlightened exchange of ideas,” has also been highlighted.
As is EconomicsUK.com, written by David Smith, Economics Editor of The Sunday Times.
Productivity
A new category to the list - here at the request of our readers - and of interest to anybody who has ever cursed their computer, the IT department, or being born in the age of e-mail.
The pack is led by Lifehacker.com. It's manifesto: “Computers make us more productive. Yeah, right. Lifehacker recommends the software downloads and web sites that actually save time. Don't live to geek; geek to live”
In a similar vein, 43 Folders is a site “about personal productivity, life hacks, and simple ways to make your life a little better.”
On leadership
“Winners take action, not just notes,” says AndyHanselman.com, an exhortation typical of this go-getting blogging genre.
Sample quote: “When was the last time you ‘googled’ your own business? This is not about vanity. It’s a great way to see what others are saying about you (if anything) and who is saying it. This is how potential customers (and existing ones) are very likely to find you. What would they see?”
Welcome to TomPeters.com. It's not terrain for the faint of heart. “American-style Positivism is my life’s work at home and abroad. Cubicle slaves and bedraggled corporations – in Turkey or Romania or Siberia or Kansas City or Miami or Boston – rise up and cast off your self-imposed shackles. Join the Global Economy (you have no choice for God’s sake).”
Agricultural
We have to admit that the agricultural sector was one field we neglected to plough in our initial list of business blogs. To put that right, Food for Thought reports from the farmers’ perspective.
Sample post: “Having just spent all of yesterday at the Cereals event, I am struck by how upbeat the mood is. Last year growers were definitely in a better mood, but the doom-mungers were still there predicting it wouldn't last. This year, however, with forward contracts for wheat in the 80s and 90s for the next three years, there really was a feeling that a corner might have been turned.”
Consumer goods – and champions
The Truth about Moben Kitchens. “Its purpose is to give advice to those thinking of buying or who have already bought and may be regretting their choice.”
The Middle East
“There are plenty of trenchant, touching and just plain weird blogs in the Middle East,” Jonathan Castle writes from Dubai. “Check out Eye On Dubai and the UAE Community Blog for a bit of real insight.”
“Pure sales"
"Come on! You have to include LandingTheDeal.com on your list,” says David T. Uder. Not the snappiest of pitches, but enough to get the blog a mention here.
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How interesting that three of your 10 private companies with the biggest profits happen to be water companies - Thames Water (No 2 in the top 10), Anglian Water at No 4, and Southern Water in 10th place.
Is it morally right that 'public utilities' should be making so much profit and is this a sign of how far we have come under New Labour?
Or is it simply a case of the 'public' being ripped off?
Roy David, Deal, Kent