The ecology of Thanet blogs is dominated by a few big players. These are blogs that rank highly in the search engines for searches on "Thanet" and "Blog" but also occur regularly within the wider blogging community. For the Thanet blog scene these can perhaps be considered "The A-List" I think.

This is a topic I hope to return to many times as growth and an influx of blogging talent hits Thanet... or at leasts shows up and says "hi" from time to time.

1. Big News Margate - authored by Tony Flag this is probably the leading Thanet commentary blog at present. Over the years it has carved a considerable reputation in the Thanet blog scene. Tony is possibly the most vocally political of the Thanet Bloggers but has gotten so far by not being boring nor feeling the need to be exclusive to the topic. As you can Guess there is some Margate bias and focus in the blog beyond the topic of Thanet in general.

2. the Isle of Thanet Gazunder - hot on the heals of Big New Margate (BNM) comes the Gazunder. More satire than outright comment the true identity of the blogger is a secret. The Gazunder dominates the Thanet blog scene with a good sense of British humour.

3. Thanet Blog List - while not the heaviest hitter of the pack TBL is a vital resource for any blogger wanting to break into the Thanet blogging scene. A link there as part of a launch plan can have a considerable impact on the blogs initial traction. However a listing there when the blog is effectively empty can be a wasted opportunity.

4. Michael's Bookshop - while it is not a blog in the most strict definition of the word this is a site that logs a great deal of (often political) activity from within Thanet. It is written by Micheal the owner of the shop in question and often has the content of letters written and replies to said letters. It is not very easy to navigate and lacks much of the charm of a modern blog design but the content is strong stuff and for this reason often the source of reference for other sources.

5. Turneround Margate - lacking the fame of other more widely socialised Thanet blogs this is still never-the-less a highly rated blog. The focus is on Thanet Regeneration. Thanet regeneration is a huge niche topic touched on by Big News and many other blogs. It is part of they key to the future of Thanet. Without some form of regeneration Thanet is doomed, quite simply.

6. Eastcliff Matters - lacking the traction of some of the other bloggers this blog is still a constant figure within the blogging scene of Thanet if only because it is the blog of the only known political blogger that is also a member of the council. Councillor David Green is a Labour member for Eastcliff (which explains the blog title).

7. Thanet Life - our final entry for the first draft of the Thanet A-List. Thanet Life has a quite following but still pulls sufficient traction to pass muster to make the list. It has archives going back to 2003 and all this time later it is still going. This is quite a healthy sign all things considered.

This round up of the brightest and biggest of Thanet blogging was compiled according to the highly accurate scientific method of digging up "the blogs that stuck in my mind the most" from the times I have looked at Thanet blogs. Which I have done on and off for a while now. The ability of the blogs to get noticed was, therefore, the biggest factor along with search engine placement.